In Wheatley, the metaphor of the map is a wonderful comparison to organizations and leadership in the "new science". Many times, leaders are resisitant to creating organizations that are "adaptive, creative and resilient" because it creates so much chaos. As Wheatley points out, we live in a world of "uncertainty" and yes..."chaos". We must be willing to "rotate" out of our comfort zones and meet the needs of our stakeholders. We must be willing to throw away the old "maps" or old "ways of doing things" and grasp onto the new "maps" and move forward. Why does change seem to "drown us"? Does it relate to our need for constant equilibrium which is a "condition in which all acting influences are canceled by others resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system...poised"?? Do we really get the job done or get where we are going by remaining "poised"? No. We must be willing to take risks and move forward. I agree with Wheatley. Why would we desire "the condition of a system in which the resultant of all acting forces is zero". Needless to say, this would not be a very effective organization. Wednesday, October 21, 2009
In Wheatley, the metaphor of the map is a wonderful comparison to organizations and leadership in the "new science". Many times, leaders are resisitant to creating organizations that are "adaptive, creative and resilient" because it creates so much chaos. As Wheatley points out, we live in a world of "uncertainty" and yes..."chaos". We must be willing to "rotate" out of our comfort zones and meet the needs of our stakeholders. We must be willing to throw away the old "maps" or old "ways of doing things" and grasp onto the new "maps" and move forward. Why does change seem to "drown us"? Does it relate to our need for constant equilibrium which is a "condition in which all acting influences are canceled by others resulting in a stable, balanced, or unchanging system...poised"?? Do we really get the job done or get where we are going by remaining "poised"? No. We must be willing to take risks and move forward. I agree with Wheatley. Why would we desire "the condition of a system in which the resultant of all acting forces is zero". Needless to say, this would not be a very effective organization. 
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Great analogy of "map." When you said that I first thought of Columbus. What if he was unwilling to throw away the old map? As we look at instruction both higher ed and K-12, the old map of "Sage on the stage" needs to be thrown out. Although some lecture is necessary it should only be a small part of the instructional setting.
ReplyDeleteReba your story about your step-father reminded me of when I went to Canada a couple of years ago (actually 18 months) on a mission trip. I don't travel well when away from my family -- I feel like as the father/husband/self-proclaimed protector I may be letting them down? But, some friends who with us were "experts" in using Skype. They were leaving a very young child behind and used Skype every day. I was able to SEE and talk to my wife and 3 kids while in western Canada. I have mentioned in a couple of other replies how disheartening it is to have to deal with the bad that comes with receiving the good from globalization, but when the stories take on a personal note I find myself thinking that it is definitely worth taking the bad to get the good.
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