There has been growing interest recently, albeit in fits and starts, in the capacity for self-management – even self-organization – of groups. As it happens, the most profound thinking on the topic was offered by the great Mary Parker Follett nearly a century ago, and it has scarcely been appreciated, much less meaningfully approached, by any of her successors. But they are intrigued, and seek to plumb the depths of the possibilities these concepts open up. . .
A short while ago I offered a review here of Captain D. Michael Abrashoff’s new book, It’s Our Ship. Lee Thayer, the author of The Leader’s Journey, made a comment filled with fascinating insights, one of which I think is of particular relevance in our current discussion. Here’s a quote from it:
This idea predates the modern leadership movement’s cooption of it, as we noted yesterday. But the effort to identify it as a leadership function has only clouded its real organizational meaning. . .
Last Thursday, I told a story from my days in the Marines about an organizational success that transformed my unit from the worst to the best literally on the instant. Unfortunately, the event was so dramatic and impressive that I drew precisely the wrong conclusions about what brought it about. . .
I once saw a review of some writing by Mary Parker Follett by a modern day guru who professed hesitation about reading it, because he might discover that she anticipated some of his “work.” The truth is, very little new insight is available that cannot ultimately be traced directly to her. . .
A variety of demographic forces are driving businesses – and organizations of all sorts – to break down the invisible barriers to women in the workplace. Indeed, the very definition of traditional work needs to be redefined. However, that doesn’t go far enough. Someone needs to make the case for women in the workplace – especially in its managerial ranks – on the basis of their novel abilities. . .
Knowledge management is acknowledged as an important effort in today’s organizations, but it is not typically executed with great effect. There are several typical errors that managers fall prey to when attempting to install such programs, and one major, systemic one.
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