Business Overwhelms LO12901

Ethan J. Mings (thedesk@idirect.com)
Sat, 15 Mar 1997 12:52:44 -0500

Replying to LO12900 --

On 15 Mar 97 at 10:29, MargMcI@aol.com wrote:

> More and more, I find people in business in a state of overwhelm, feeling
> like they are unable to cope with all of the demands on them.

Yes, I agree. People are feeling like they are in way over their
heads.

> The
> difficulty I'm having is trying to create enough of an opening in people's
> awareness to generate the space for reflection and redesign. How to get
> off of the treadmill long enough to think systemically and come up with a
> better solution than working harder. People seemed resigned to this way
> as the way it is.

Resigned or worn out. I say that from the perspective that after
a while, people do grow weary of the 'reflect-fix-restart' syndrome.
I believe what you offer is much more, but how do tired people really
determine the difference?

> I wondered if otters notice this issue and if they have any suggestions.

The one area I notice which continually is left out of the systems
map is the function of computer technology. I'm amazed at how many
people opt for long meetings, detailed voice messages when a simple
email can ask a question, give an answer or provide perspective.
Could it be people avoid writing? Could it be people do not want to
use the technology for value added activities. Could it be time in
motion is valued more than results?

> What do others think?

I think you have raised a good point. Look forward to seeing the
input of others.

Cheers,

Write to me at "thedesk@idirect.com" or visit our WWW Page at
"http://www.ipsystems.com/thedesk".
"Where organizational economics is about life, not theory"

-- 

"Ethan J. Mings" <thedesk@idirect.com>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>