Ed Weick wondered (in part):
> Am I alone in wondering where we are going?
And Michael Spencer replied (in part),
>I, for one, don't think the answer is "off into blue sky" or "around in
>circles". . .
And . . . to judge the listserv by the conversation on the list is missing a
large part of the show. I've collaborated with people from the Futurework
list and from other lists on several research/writing projects. For example,
a paper that Michael Spencer helped me to revise has recently been
circulated to the Canadian Labour Congress's Ad Hoc Working Group on Work
Time, accompanied by a commendation from the CLC's senior economist (Thanks
again, Michael!).
Today, I sent a message off to a law professor in the US who had once
commented on a post I sent in to a list. I was wondering about case
materials on US unemployment insurance law. About twenty minutes later, I
got his reply with four references -- references I would have never been
able to find at the UBC library because Canadian university libraries really
have no need to stock a lot of casebooks on US law.
A thought occurred to me in response to Ed's question: a listserv isn't
"Twelve Angry Men". What I meant by that is, unlike a courtroom drama, the
discussion isn't guided by a coherent, underlying narrative. As is my habit
whenever a cultural reference pops into my head, I did a web search on
"Twelve Angry Men" and found a course outline from the University of
Michigan that included a blurb on "twelve lessons from twelve angry men".
The course in question was Organizational Behaviour 501 and it also included
a unit on . . . yup, "the future of work".
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~skep/OB501.html
Without having read the course readings, I was struck by the salience of a
quote in the future of work unit 'people often define social problems in
ways that overwhelm their ability to do anything about them.'
I want to emphasize that this is just a "random walk": a free association, a
boolean search, and a serendipitous hit (followed, of course, by a judicious
citation). So, without any implied warranties, here's what I stumbled across:
>Twelve Lessons from 'Twelve Angry Men'
>On Logical Analysis...
>
> 1.Prejudice gets in the way of the truth.
> 2.Getting to the bottom of a complex issue takes time and effort.
> 3.Check your intuitions -- neither dismiss them, nor trust them blindly.
> Follow through.
> 4.Details can be important, in context; think in terms of contingencies.
> 5.There are many interpretations of 'the facts.'
> 6.Test others' opinions, question their assumptions, and draw your own
> conclusions.
>
>On Power Tactics and Influence Strategies...
>
> 1.Civility will encourage your opponents to keep listening to you.
> 2.Tailor your tactics to your target.
> 3.Coalitions can work for you or against you -- and they can shift.
> 4.Reason and assertiveness can both be powerful tactics, depending on
the > situation.
> 5.Patient silence and loud persistence can both be powerful, at the
right > times.
> 6.One determined and skilled individual can wield a lot of influence.
>12/9 THE FUTURE OF WORK
>
>Skip 'how much can we learn from success' (unless you are really curious).
>Read 'Small Wins' (at least to the end of p. 44) and consider these
>questions.
> Think of a business example consistent with the statement that 'people
> often define social problems in ways that overwhelm their ability to do
> anything about them.'
> What does it mean that 'there is an inverted-U relationship between
> arousal and the efficiency of performance'?
> What are the characteristics of small wins?
> How could you achieve a small win for the business example from above?
>Read 'how we will work in the year 2000' and consider these questions.
> What six trends are identified in the article?
> Which trends do you think will peak by the year 2000?
> Which trends are most likely to affect your organization or career?
> Which trends are most likely affect the skills you need to learn?
> What do you think of the 'coordinator' label?
>Read 'the pilot's art' (ch. 17, pp. 205-212, in Eileen C. Shapiro's 1995
> book, Fad Surfing in the Boardroom, published by Addison-Wesley) and
> reflect on its main point.
Regards,
Tom Walker
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
knoW Ware Communications
Vancouver, B.C., CANADA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(604) 688-8296
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The TimeWork Web: http://www.vcn.bc.ca/timework/
