On Wed, 24 Feb 1999, Kim Boal wrote Re: textbook material
[...]
>I encourage those of you who work with clients on the firing line to tell
>we academics what kinds of topics/issues you encounter/struggle with as you
>work with clients. For my part, here is the list of questions I attempt to
>explore with my students when I teach OT:
>
>1. Why do organizations exists in the first place?
>2. Why do only some organziations survive?
>3. Why and how do organizations differ?
>4. Why and how do organizations change?
>5. What is the role of management?
>6. What are the emerging issues facing organizations?
>From the halls of academia,
>
>Kim Boal
Well, from the shores of Tripoli (or feels like it) --- please consider the
following:
Most people, especially managers, take "organization" as a given, as in
Marketing, Sales, Engineering, Finance, etc., and fail to understand that
"organization" is the ninth decision to be made. Other than sheer luck or
astounding intuitiveness (both of which should not be discounted) my
experience is that appropriate organizations have come about by answering a
sequence of nine questions and diagnosis of organizational problems
typically points to the lack of one or more foundational answers.
1. Why does this enteprise seek to continue existing?
2. What demands must we honor?
3. What Value Carriers must we produce in order to honor the Demands?
4. What Resources are required to produce the Value Carriers?
5. What Activities are required in order to apply the resources in a way
that produces the value carriers?
6. What types and quantities of people are needed to a) perform the
activities, b) supervise the activities, c) regenerate answers to #1 and #2
as the enterprise context changes and d) coevolve consequent answers to #3
- #6? Note that People are not Resources. They are the Reason for the
enterprise, not the Resources of the enterprise.
7. What types and quantities of People will have to be used regardless of
the ideal set?
8. What rules apply to the formation of people into workgroups? Now we
are entering the world of "emergent behavior" because group behavior cannot
be predicted simply by linearlysumming the characteristics of the
individuals.
9. How should the available People be organized (meaning What quanta and
their interrelationships and interactions are best)?
It seems to me that the weak spot is #8. There simply are not enough rules
explicated in the books nor the conferences nor by "coaches" to meet the
need. And the lemming rush to "best practices" is not an answer; only a
palliative in lieu of principles.
Your set of questions seem excellent providing that "organization" is not a
given but a conclusion.
Perhaps we will never know enough about #8. Until then, should managers
use their enterprise to run "controlled experiments" toward discovering
more knowledge regarding #8? I think so -- and suggest you add "How can we
Know?" to your list.
This discussion relates to the other thread regarding Growth Enterprises,
as well. The most predominant problem in managing growth is "the amount
and lead time of cash" because if you fail Drucker's test of Liquidity you
are out. No mulligans. The second is the need to "shift gears,
organizationally" as the enterprise gathers speed else the enterprise
over-revs its engine (aka founder heart attacks or dictator behavior).
Appropriate shifting points seem to be at the following ranges on the
people involvement scale: 4-5, 16-22, 65-90, 250-350 and --- it doesn't
make much difference above 350 because responsiveness, quality, and return
on resources turns dismal, and persists (except for monopolies).
Hope this is useful.
Jack Ring, 32712 N. 70th St., Snottsdale, AZ 85262-7143
602-488-4615, Cell) 602.369.4615, Fax)602-488-4616
Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like nobody's watching.