Wednesday, February 15, 2012

to ponder upon.....

Dear All,
A friend of mine name Steve has put up an interesting issue and ask me for my thought. I am sharing this for all of us to ponder upon and share with me your thought on the issue.
 
What a grand confusion it is, quality vs. quantity (and process vs.
product)!

More is rarely better, yet managers, politicians and assorted misguided
others regularly assume and act as it it indeed were, whether we're
talking about money, food, sex or any of those things on the first
levels of Maslow's hierarchy, or higher-order needs ! Faulty processes
rarely lead to great products, yet managers pursue sub-optimal means
with a focus on 'cost cutting' over 'quality seeking' again and again!

Black vs. white thinking is about maximizing vs. minimizing. This, in my
opinion characterizes immature stages of mental & moral development. How
can we as parents and educators help our children, students and
colleagues begin to realize this, and it's implications? Shades of grey
are called 'flip flops' in US politics, yet the real world exists in an
infinite array of shades of grey on opinions, issues, values, and indeed
reality!

Theory X managers, teachers (and politicians) control 'their people' by
scaring them with possible survival threats rather than inspiring them
with likely 'flourishing opportunities.' It's a handy trick which often
works in quite a few situations, thereby reinforcing that behavior next
time. 'Shoot at their feet and make 'em dance' from an old Ronald Reagan
western movie. This was George W. Bush's approach to ramming through all
of his (buddy's) plans and policies after 9/11. From his, & Chaney's,
perspectives 9/11 was the best thing that could ever have happened, and
it is still paying off for right-wing Republicans: Obama is saddled with
the aftermath, and 'marrying a moslem' has become the great American taboo!

Your thoughts?

Steve



Dr Ahmad Azman Mohd Anuar
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Johor
Tel: +60136668334

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