>Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 11:46:11 -0400
>From: Clint Young <
cyoung@CCE.CORNELL.EDU>
>Subject: Management Education with Farmers
>
>Don Austin posted on Tue, 14 Oct:
> <snipped>
>>I only believe in change efforts which are motivated from within. So, I
>>would ask the participants from the start to explore and specify their
>>motivations and what measurements they were interested in, whether
>>subjective or objective or both.
>
>It is easy as management educators to look at what we have to offer and say
>"see how much easier it will be to meet the mission of your business if you
>do ------". It becomes far more difficult when you have to get them to not
>only understand why their business should have a written mission, but that
>they need to address the values that cause them to do what they do everyday.
>
>Your approach has merit, but I'm not sure how many farmers would commit to
>the time needed to employ it. We have attempted to reach as many farm
>participants as possible with a common message; to date over 3500.
>
>Then again, maybe we are trying to accomplish too much with too many and
>need to step back and try to work with fewer people on a more finite level.
>
I don't see any conflict in what we have said, Clint. I can appreciate
everything that you have said, and I will soon be in an analogous situation
where I am sure I will appreciate it even more!
I don't see any reason why you shouldn't present a common message to a
large number of people, and try to convince them of its merits. My
statement was about measurements of success in their development, though,
and I still believe that it is their desire and decision on what/how to
measure that is important. You can try to influence with your knowledge
and examples, but ultimately it is up to them. Negotiation around that
point seems important to me.
Don Austin, Ph.D.
_____________________________________
Department of Organizational Behavior
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH 44106 (216) 932-8421
_____________________________________
Researching processes with which small
groups create valued organization.
Creating Appreciative Dialogue.