These first five chapters definitely required me to step outside of my comfort zone in thinking about organizations, therefore, I hope my image makes sense. Throughout the chapters, Wheatley mentions weather and other parts of nature. This made me start thinking about the water cycle as an "organization." She notes on page 85 that change is never random, this relates well with the water cycle in that if there is a change (prolonged drought, a flood, etc.), there is a meteorological reason that this occurs. Wheatley also discusses relationships throughout the text, which can relate to the water cycle as there are many facets (people, plants, animals, etc.) that have a positive/negative effect on it.
The beginning of chapter four (cat in a box) metaphor made me think about the philosophical question, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it really make a sound? Wheatley discusses observation, data and how we must be participants in organizations.
Lastly, for some reason, I continued to go back to the strategic planning process in an organization as I read through these chapters. I kept being able to pull certain elements (relationships, ownership, dis/equilibrium, un/structure, data, views, interpretations, the power of participation, etc) from the readings and relate them back to how and why strategic plans are created.
Cycle is a great metaphor to pick. Change is always cyclical sometime positive and sometimes not. How we react to the cycle helps us define what kind of change agent we are. Do we go with the flow regardless of direction or do we create a levy with principal and fundamentals to divert the flow of the cycle?
ReplyDeleteAs a principal, I have witnessed LOTS of changes in my own system. (some good, some not)
ReplyDeleteHowever, it takes so long it becomes discouraging at times. You step out of the box, try innovative ideas and find the magic worked, but in such a small dose that you deflate.
I stand up to peers who avoid change and am in the minority. I find myself running into the "ceiling" in many cases. Any suggestions on how to move beyond that---if we don't know what we don't know?