I have been at this for the last six weeks and I have enjoyed writing these blogs. If you ask my friends, they will tell you I can talk about anything, any time, any where, and that is what I have been doing. Perhaps it is what I do best. Recently a close friend commented to me that my blogs were thought provoking but tended to be a bit dark and that was unlike me. I had been thinking the same thing.
I started asking myself why the negativity, because I am typically a positive person. I was a very effective problem solver. I thought there was a solution to every problem -- even if I did not know what it was -- I knew that I could go to my co-workers, or outside sources, to help me out. Through a collaborative process, solutions were always found. They proved to be effective because they were well thought out and pros and cons were always evaluated. This kind of process, involving others and their best thoughts and wise counsel, was personally rewarding to me. It was empowering to all of us and it was contagious. It radiated up and down throughout the work place.
It is the lack of this honest, open communication, which is sanctioned by certain leaders/managers and their wanting to "hide the ball" mentality, which is causing our governmental institutions to become dysfunctional. As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that working for you"? Apparently not very well.
The question that I want to shout out, is why? Why does everything have to be so controlled? Were we not more effective when people were not "commanded and controlled" and could just think for themselves? Didn't the workplace function better when employees could openly contribute and ask questions, without being put down or shunned? Weren't we better off when employees were valued for their knowledge, skills and abilities, instead of their blind loyalty? Since when it is a bad idea to value your employees and teach, train and mentor them? These questions that I ask repeatedly are what make me cynical and upset.
Do I think there are answers? Yes I do -- but as usual, they are quite simple but not easy. Changing established and entrenched mindsets is never easy, but not impossible. One person asked two compelling questions regarding the blog "We Need Surgery". I was asked, who are these surgical teams and does the patient want to be healed"? I have two short answers for now: (1) I have thoughts of on structures of surgical teams, and (2) I do not think that the patient wants to be healed.
Before I present my detailed thoughts regarding those two questions, I want to present two to three more blogs. They will help lay the ground work for my answers to those very important questions.
Stay tuned folks -- I so appreciate that you are reading and commenting on these blogs -- keep the comments coming.
1 comment:
So maybe we need to look beyond the managers that are threatened by open collaborative management models, to how and why the existing model sustains an environment where collaboration is micromanaged (discouraged)and as a result the best decisions and solutions do not rise to the surface.
Is it posible for a bottom up change to occur? Can rank and file or lower level managers to foster consultation and collaboration,and defy management that tries to surpress even if direct insubordination is required to do so?
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