I've sat silent, reflecting, seeking for an explanation for what I see
happening at Novell. In a few private posts, some participants have
expressed their desire to see Novell continue to succeed. I'm confident it
will.
Here's my explanation of what I see happening -- at Novell and at other
companies, including Shell Oil, IBM, AT&T and others.
Since I view organizations as living entities, I believe that they go
through maturing processes the same as individuals. This is especially
true since individuals create organizations. (This may be a faulty
premise, but I personally think I'm closer to being right than I am to
being wrong.)
At some point in life, every person comes to the realization that they
must decide between seeking a secure and stable life (where the status quo
is enthroned, never being challenged), or a life full of creative
expression (developing and maintaining creative tension). In fact, I
believe that in a very real way these are basic human desires -- and, they
are fundamentally opposed to one another.
Everyone reacts differently. Some bury their head in the sand, and ignore
the evidence that happiness can only be achieved by living a creative
life. Others strike an elegant balance between the two desires (these are
the lucky ones who live a happy, productive, and multidimensional life).
Then there are the crazy people who decide that creative expression is
more important than anything else (I put Einstein in this category), thus
sacrificing any real sense of stability and security.
The moment of decision -- when a commitment has to be made one way or
another -- is tremendously stressful. People often oscillate between one
or more choices. Some never work through it, and therefore live a fairly
unfocused and confusing life.
Organizations also confront the same decision. It is a stressful time, and
those within the organizations begin to feel a sense of collective
pressure. Basic questions such as: who are we? what are we aspiring to
become? dominate casual conversations within the organizations.
Managers especially feel the pressure, because it is up to them to
properly respond to the challenge. In the balance hangs success and
failure -- longevity or demise.
I think Novell is at this critical moment; and the pressure is pervasive.
As the managers mature, and employees come to grip with the fact that life
at Novell will never be like it once was, we'll begin to see some serious
changes.
Joe Merengi is on the right track; the executive committee is taking
aggressive and responsible action; the board, chaired by John Young,
former CEO of HP, is providing necessary guidance.
The changes haven't trickled down through the organization, yet. I'm
confident they will.
Novell is at a clarifying moment in it's history. It is a real thrill to
be able to influence, but not control, the outcome. In a very real way,
Novell is providing the technology that will change the way organizations
and individuals work and share their lives in the 21st century.
For me, Art Kliener was right on when he said corporations exist to change
the world. I work for Novell for that very reason!
-- Ben Compton Work: (801) 222-6178 bcompton@geocities.com http://www.e-ad.com/ben/BEN.HTMLearning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>