Comments on: A dysfunctional workplace

By: Harold Jarche » The work literacy gap

Harold Jarche » The work literacy gap — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:17:39 +0000

[...] but organisations have to give up some control. Michele Martin commented on my post on the dysfunctional workplace: What strikes me is the fundamental sense of disempowerment in the workplace that suggests that [...]

By: Michele Martin

Michele Martin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:05:28 +0000

Harold–absolutely! I’m not trying to blame the victim here, as much as point people to the fact that they have power, which is easy to forget. Unlike people in poverty, our power to move into another less dysfunctional system of work is still within our grasp, especially if we take a DIY approach to professional development. Systems, after all, are created by people, so we also need to be working on changing ourselves so that we’re in a better position to change the system. It’s not an either/or as much as an AND situation–change people AND change systems.

By: Harold

Harold — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:52:56 +0000

Michele, I agree that much of this lies within the control of the individual. However, I note Rummler’s adage that if you put a good person in a bad system, the system usually wins. It’s like blaming people who live in poverty. Yes, some exceptional ones may have the self-confidence, motivation and skills to raise their standard of living, but many others have lost hope fighting the system.

In making real change, you have to work both ends, which makes your DIY work quite important, but the organisation has to change as well.

By: Michele Martin

Michele Martin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:46:31 +0000

This is interesting, Harold–I would argue that perhaps one of the most dysfunctional facts about this list is that several of these items are within individual people’s power to change and control, including creating communities of practice, having time for reflection, and accessing professional development.

What strikes me is the fundamental sense of disempowerment in the workplace that suggests that people are essentially at the mercy of the companies they work for. While obviously there’s some truth to this, especially in an economic downturn, I still believe that people have far more control over these issues than they believe. One of my main goals in working with people on integrating social media and professional development is to point out how empowering it is to take control of your own learning by starting a blog and pursuing DIY professional development. If the will is there, the means certainly exist.

By: dysfunktionale arbeitsbedingungen « Kunstistunserausweg’s Weblog

dysfunktionale arbeitsbedingungen « Kunstistunserausweg’s Weblog — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:45:50 +0000

[...] dysfunktionale arbeitsbedingungen Veröffentlicht in Juni 12, 2008 von kunstistunserausweg Heute bin ich auf dieses interessanten Blogbeitrag von Harlad Jarche gestoßen :A dysfunctional workplace [...]