On the topic of broadbanding...et al...
Is one better off being a "generalist" rather than a "specialist"? One who
lives as a generalist, then develops a specialty, or lives as a specialist
who then takes on the overview?
I'm curious as a result of the application of broadbanding principles to a
large personnel system (20,000 employees) for the stated purpose of
equanimity. This followed by the application of "performance-based pay".
I've often wondered about how one derives a "career" out of their life;
did you take a course early on which spurred an interest in what is now
your specialty? Or developed your innate love of "x"? Was it simply a
matter of what was available to you at the time, which allowed you to pay
your bills? What was it...what is it?
Is everone now considered a "professional" simply because they call
themselves one? Do we have professional secretararies, gamblers,
electricians, butchers, street sweepers, retail clerks, ...etc. When we
apply broadbanding, do we know what we are involving in the mix? Category
x may now make up to "y" dollars, where before they could make only "y
minus fifty". What does that have to do with the essence of the work being
performed; is this a misplaced focus on what seems tangible to some, and
meaningless to others?
Would you rather be working in something you liked rather than something
you didn't, but got paid more money for? Broadbanding is to me but one
more way of categorizing, encapsulating, de-humanizing those who do what
others have asked them to do; it (and similar concepts) have very little
IMO to do with learning organizations, quality-oriented environments, safe
spiritual workplaces, the joy of learning etc...
Have you used the technique of asking participants to place a pencil on a
corner of a a square which has been drawn on a piece of paper; then,
asking that they connect the four corners without removing the pencil
point from the page? I love it because it breaks the boundaries, changes
the perceptions, etc. (If you haven't done it, try it.)
[Host's Note: OK, I have my square... I can connect the four corners by
tracing the sides of the square in order... Or, am I missing something,
John? ...Rick]
My apologies for the length...
--Regards, John Constantine rainbird@trail.com Rainbird Management Consulting PO Box 23554 Santa Fe, NM 87502 http://www.trail.com/~rainbird "Dealing in Essentials"
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>