this metaphor can be applied to much more than employee management. much like problem "employees" can simply be replaced, we may think that any "problem cog" can simply be replaced, immediately fixing the problem.
the election of the new president of the united states is a similar situation. i, like many americans, voted for barack obama, believing that he could bring change to this country. however, i also realize that just because he elected doesn't mean that as soon as he is inaugurated, all of our problems are solved. we're still occupying areas in iraq, we're still in a horrible economic crisis, and we're still feeling lost. i hope that other americans can believe in the leader they chose, while also being realistic. he isn't a magician, and he can't snap his fingers to fix the country, just like president bush didn't simply snap his fingers to put this country in turmoil.
the problem lies in the system. we should be focusing on how the system contributes to the "problem cog." maybe there is too much outside pressure for this cog to operate efficiently. maybe there is a series of weaker parts that contribute to its breakdown. i remember my fiancee replaced a spring in his 1994 jeep grand cherokee about three times on the side of the freeway, and one day finally decided to give up. replacing the spring over, and over, and over again isn't going to help the spring stop blowing out.
once design flaws such as these are investigated and solved, replacing the broken "cog" might actually do us some good. the design is variable, and can be manipulated and changed to improve efficiency and quality. changes to the system will change the fate of the "cog" and all cogs who depend on it.
I enjoyed reading about your examples of Classical Management Theory. I, like you, voted for Barak Obama because I also hope for change. I am realistic and know change won’t happen overnight or all at once. However, I know that it will eventually happen and I now operate with a hope for our country’s future where before I had none.
ReplyDeleteBesides relating to our country’s current political status, Classical Management Theory also relates to the current conditions in many workplace environments. I read a book called Nickel and Dimed last semester. It gave great insight and clarity to how the poor people in our society live. They are forced to work in unfair conditions for minimum wages that fall below our countries poverty line. A majority of them are hard workers who will never be able to get out of their financial debts. Many of us turn a blind eye when we contribute to this unfairness by hiring a cleaning service, shopping at Wal-Mart, or eating at a diner. These employees feel they have no choice but to put up with the mistreatment, poor wages and demands forced on them by their management. We wonder why anyone wouldn’t just quit instead of put up with poor management, but in the case of these workers, their companies suck them in and make them dependent for life.
I agree that many of the problems we're facing as a country have their roots in classical management theory and in general 20th century ways of thinking that simply don't work today. As both of you point out, Americans voted for change. So far, based on how the Obama transition team is organized and the choices for the new administration, the president-elect is moving toward different ways of organizing. In addition, there seems to be an emphasis on authentic dialogue and active participation. Getting the U.S. out of its current economic and foreign policy mess will take more than just good leadership. Everyone will have to pitch in. Organizing people in a grassroots fashion, using alternative organizational structures such as team matrices, will provide a way to facilitate everyone's participation in solving our country's problems.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the fact that the machine of the US problem cannot be fixed by the new president elect. However, I do have faith that a good leader can break out of the problematic machine the current administration has built into our country.
ReplyDeleteSome say one person can’t make a difference and this theory is partially right. But in the case of the good leadership we’re all anticipating from Obama, we might be able to see the trickledown effect of responsible leadership.