STEVE BARBER
BARBER & GONZALES CONSULTING GROUP
PARADIGM PILGRIMS
IN
COMMUNICATION * NEGOTIATION * ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
The Nautilus
Like the Eye of a Hurricane, the Interest Approach Serves to Clarify the...
Paradigmatic Choices in Organizational Decision-Making
Have you noticed that since World War II the political and social institutions which western civilization spent the better part of 1100 years developing seem not to be able to cope with the exponential changes we are experiencing in technology, information, knowledge, demographics and population? The visitation of the global economy upon North America has seemingly emerged from the back pages of the newspaper business section to daily headlines almost overnight. All the while, people tell us how we ought to look in the future, but no one seems to be able to tell us how to get there!
I believe the interest approach can help us navigate the emerging paradigm
(import Steve’s blurb on the interest approach from his web page...)
What we see as the emerging paradigm in organizational management (quality and participation, customer-orientations, flexible structures, etc.) is reflected in other parts of the world around us. Individuals, families, communities, and nations are experiencing the emerging paradigm as well. Witness the fall of the Berlin Wall, the demise of the Soviet Union, the emergence of the Quality Community movement, negotiated rulemaking, non-adversarial mediation, Habitat Conservation Plans, ecosystem management....the list goes on and on. We see the changes happening in family, environment, labor, international relations, land use planning, and health care. The organization that understands and embraces the emerging paradigm will be the successful organization in today’s multi-cultural, technologically-advanced, global markets world.
In some sense, the emerging paradigm is not really a new paradigm at all. Some of our Great Leaders acted on principles of stewardship. The best attorneys are those who know how to negotiate a deal that meets everyone’s interests (that’s interest-based bargaining!). In the past, however, these examples have been the exception. These days, it’s the norm.
The train is leaving the station....are you on board???