Developing a work approach that is adequate to the challenges ahead
a world moving toward new and different futureS
This page focuses primarily on the organization evolution dimension of Time-Life Navigation ©
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Questions and answers
What's the idea?
What's the connection between organization evolution and economic/community development?
What is organization evolution?
What is the author's background and qualifications?
Isn't this already being done by the current system?
Why is assistance needed?
Why a blue print?
What are the benefits of exploring the blue print?
How do I know this idea is effective?
In what ways can I help?
What are the key concepts?
Is there a printable version of this page that doesn't employ links?
If you want further elaboration, feel free to contact me.
The idea involves exposure and access to a prototype, comprehensive, strategic BLUE PRINT for WORKING on ORGANIZATION EVOLUTION.
Repeatedly using, designing, modifying the blue print (now and future generations) shifts attention toward economic and community development. The blueprint provides an opportunity to get beyond tactical product/service and operational work in one time dimension and one topic dimension. It is also an early warning radar.
For organization evolution to take place, it must be inexorably intertwined with a special kind of personal learning and development—career evolution, the right assignments and capabilities plus new mental patterns. The foundation upon which we learn involves previous organizations evolution—a chicken and egg thing. In the previous sentence organizations is plural because I'm referring to all the organizations we've experienced to this point in our lives. Unfortunately these organizations most likely create an additional learning obstacle because they are history based. There are prominent large companies that spend tons of money on this and yet they are incapable of maintaining their world position.
See TLN key ideas and Bob Embry's Time-Life Navigation blog
What's the connection between organization evolution and economic/community development?
The connection can be seen by exploring a community's degree/trend of economic/community development and the world class organizations that reside there.
Note Wal-Mart's impact on Bentonville and local communities in North America; Hewlett-Packard's impact on Silicon Valley, California, North American or the Triad.
Following WWII South Korea was poverty stricken and had no industry or higher education to speak of. Look at them now.
Collectively these organizations are the creators of our standard of living. What they "produce" is our standard of living,
See the payoff
How many people know this and are consciously working on it in an informed way? See current system and organizations below. The financial challenges that governments, communities, and organizations face are directly related to this lack of focus and valid approach.
What is organization evolution?
I developed this term, with out ever having seen it used before. I had previously been using the term "strategic growth and development," but everyone was inappropriately linking these words to something familiar.
My simple definition of ORGANIZATION EVOLUTION involves the movement through the stages of organization development in a world moving toward unimaginable futures. Futures that aren't a sequential, linear, or obvious outgrowths of today or today's mental patterns. A couple of concept maps: Overview and a time linear view
If you Googled "organization evolution," you would get some hits. Everyone of them that I've explored is tactical—how to fix the blacksmith shop.
A really "wide angle view" of organization evolution can be acquired from Peter Drucker's "Management and the World's Work" which can be found in Peter Drucker on the Profession of Management. Contact me if you want some assistance in finding this info.
My organization evolution concept exploration page provides more details
What is the author's background and qualifcations?
This blue print is the result of over 20 years of full time work (no job or major distractions) and is essentially based on Peter Drucker's work .
This work grew out my corporate restructuring experience in a Fortune 200 company and subsequent financial investment research. FYI: Warren Buffett discusses future stock market expectations and some thoughts on organization evolution . This financial investment work involved an extensive amount of exploration into organization performance factors and patterns."They lived happily ever after" only applies to fairy tales.
Isn't this already being done by the current system?
The short answer is NO OR at least I see miniscule evidence of it (personal experience or news reports—tidbits or organization evolution stories or my Time-Life Navigation © Weblog)
Current strategic system: Thoughts, observations, and questions.
Education system
Compare the course offering with the "needs" of the changing social and economic picture and the content and structure of the economy. There is an almost total disconnect. The schools have mental patterns too. Chapter 11, "The Accountable School" in Peter Drucker's Post-Capitalist Society provides a viewpoint—the new specifications, page 198 hardback.
Even where a need is recognized, there seems to be an ignorance of the terrain or situation and a designer-centric arrogance of what needs to be done. See The Future of Higher Education for an example.
Organizations themselves—(private, public, and social sectors)
11/12 of the original Dow Jones are gone in spite of all the incentives to the contrary. Common misunderstandings. Why great companies fail. A Forbes Article based on an HBR Publication—still got that product focus and confusing innovation with bright ideas. A Wharton article on reorganizing. Look at what Jack Welch did with the management development program (Crontonville) when he first took over at GE. How can the IBM situation be explained?
Look at the topics of discussion in the tech news—solutions looking for a problem. These people seem to be completely isolated from reality.
Also you might be interested in my own recent experiences. Everybody I've talked to thinks they already have it covered—despite all the evidence to the contrary. More old mental patterns at work.
Not one in a hundred thousand even appear to be giving themselves a chance to work on it in a informed manner.
Management consulting firms
Tom Peters after In Search of Excellence and three or four huge books admitted that his suggestions would not have produced any constructive evolution. Management consultants have mental patterns too. They promote what they "know" and what they studied is based on yesterday and may not be that applicable in a given situation. This doesn't prevent them from recommending it. Observe the number of times they retool their offering to fit current fads.
The tools presented on this site can be used in working with consultants more effectively
System Summary:
Ask these people: What part of Peter Drucker's work have you calendarized and how?
The people who don't do this are at a major strategic conceptual competitive disadvantage which translates itself into lower standards of living (not just materially) for all of us.
On an individual basis
How many small businesses, young college students, or recent college graduates have any exposure to a comprehensive strategic action approach? How many even know they need it? How many know the impact of not doing it? These are many of the people who participate in community organizations and are therefore a limiting factor.
See "Testing against current efforts"
I don't have the resources to pursue this the way it should be.
An explanation.
What are the benefits of exploring the blue print?
How do I know this idea is effective?
Over the years I've been clipping and categorizing news articles from a variety of sources.
Since 1999, I've been saving articles of interest (those that strike me as being outside the Statistical Abstract) to my hard drive. I don't recall a single article that contradicts the fundamental message: Time and situation inappropriate mental patterns and the resultant misdirection of effort.
This isn't a magic bullet, it's a work approach aimed in the right direction. Also the fact that it is documented (blue printed) gives us something we can revise and improve.
Spending a few days exploring the blueprint should make a world difference in a person's life. How can anyone work on things that are outside their attention focus?
See assistance page and participation suggestions.
Is there a printable version of this page that doesn't employ links?
Afraid not. Maybe later???
Thanks for your time