Welcome to the (2010/2011) Walk-The-Talk blog. This blog has been set up for graduate students participating in the MBA program at CCU. You are invited to join this ongoing “Action Learning” discussion to share your personal viewpoint and real-life experience of business in America. Some questions to consider; How did we get here? Where do we go from here?
This blog is an “open” public space for knowledge sharing and Spirit learning. The posts are monitored and so you will need to register and set up an account. When you register, please use a nickname, not your real name. You must use a current “active” email address and once your initial post has been approved by the system admin, me, you will be able to make additional posts without delay. If you would like to become a walk-the-talk contributing editor and have posting/editing privileges, just shoot me an email and I’ll be pleased to set you up. In the meantime, enjoy blogging.
In His service,
From students in the classrooms to business professionals in the boardroom, everyone appears to be “staying in the know” using their PDAs and iPhones. Although social technology and collaborative software advancements continue to evolve, leadership practices, on the other hand, appear to be stuck in the epistemic mire of the transactional-transformational charismatic preaching caveat emptor in a business as usual corporeality creating significant barriers to market entry. It is indeed unfortunate but management’s reception to collaboration and socio-technology thus far, appears to have been approach-avoidance, at best, diminishing opportunities for innovation other than clever recordkeeping. Further complicating the advancement of collaborative technology is, not all collaborative platforms are true Socio-technical systems. True STS are self-regulating systems and this approach threatens the current leadership paradigm. As such, to date, the adoption of collaborative technology is often closely regulated by management. And strict regulation inhibits buy-in and participation from organizational members. Accordingly, socio-technology disrupts the generative dance of leadership’s sublime endeavor; pursuing personal power, authority and wealth. Nevertheless, socio-technical systems are not a socialistic ruse for redistributing wealth but rather, STS present brilliant opportunities for organizational learners to co-create a cycle of sustained innovation for competitive advantage. The twenty-first century organizational leader will need to acquire skills that align with the social-technical environ; These skills include a commitment to authentic, honest and open evaluation, communication, education, collaboration and innovation.
What do you think?
Open discussions on current issues: According to the Daily Report,
Companies from Detroit-based General Motors Corp. to Zurich, Switzerland-based UBS AG have fallen into the subprime sinkhole.
At GM, profit plunged 90 percent during the first three months of 2007 because of mortgage losses at its 49 percent-owned GMAC finance company.
Swiss banking giant UBS said in May that it would shut its Dillon Read Capital Management arm after the hedge fund manager lost 150 million Swiss francs ($123 million) in the first quarter, partly on subprime investments.
Subprime originations fell 10.3 percent to $722 billion in 2006 from a record $805 billion in 2005, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Credit Suisse predicts a 40 percent to 60 percent slide this year. Based upon weakening price trends in many parts of the country and the projected number of resetting loans coming up in the first half of 2008, expect continuing increase in delinquencies and foreclosures.
I for one believe that this was a caveat emptor on the part of the banking institutions; a lock and flip strategy targeting minorities and first time buyers who could also qualify for prime loans yet, the brokers steered these buyers into a subprime loan. The scheme worked so long as interest rates continued to increase along with market value of the properties that secured the loans. So, the banks grew fat in this short sighted, quick fix, microwave strategy. If the buyers defaulted, the bank gladly foreclosed and resold the property again at an addition profit. But when the market collapsed the scheme fell apart. Should these banks be bailed out with tax payer’s dollars?
Many of our nation’s corporate leaders are talking the talk but are they really walking the talk? Public/government, organizational and faith-based leaders are struggling to stand fast in the light of core values in a time where the distinction between good and bad, right and wrong are a matter of opinion and morals have become blurred. You are invited to participate in this ongoing “Action Learning” discussion to share your personal viewpoint and real-life experience of leadership in America. Some questions to consider; Regarding the leadership crisis, how did we get here? Post suggestions, where do we go from here?
What is truth in advertising? How do you know when a manufacturer is over promoting a service or product? Caveat Emptor means “buyer beware” and it is the common mantra of organizational marketing and sales groups. There are countless examples of caveat emptor in the marketplace. Can we trust that the FTC is screening the ads we are exposed to? Is there anything wrong with pushing the limits of truth to close a sale? After all this serves the best interests of the stakeholders.
Worldview refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interprets the world around them and interacts with others. According to James Sire (2010) in his popular text, the Universe Next Door, some examples of worldviews include; theism, deism, naturalism or, humanism, nihilism, existentialism and so on. Most people don’t stop to think about their worldview, they just do and do and do, and, this creates a lot of do-do in everyone’s lives. A simple way to examine one’s worldview is to answer these three questions. Who am I? Why am I here? And what is my purpose?
Here’s a couple of real life examples of a persistent and unfortunate trend in worldviews I call, narcissistic nihilism; M-TV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen Birthday, and Sons of Hollywood. Spelling, Stewart and Weintraup are Hollywood rich kids with out a cause. To be sure, money is not associated with brains and spirit. Classic fools, they certainly entertain us. They do indeed cause us to laugh. I don’t think they realize they are the joke.
In another life, I was a recording engineer/producer. I launched a small vanity record label in the 70’s and owned a 24 Track recording studio. I was full of ambition, arrogance, proud and foolish. So, I know where these guys are coming from. I was someone just like them. Interestingly, while recording tracks “the artists,” I use that phrase loosely, would quip, “more me,” meaning turn me up in the monitors. Imagine five members of a band all asking to be louder. That’s because, it’s all about “me”. Seems these days just about everyone is looking for their next MTV “get rich quick” reality show deal. Everyone has a CD coming out party too. The “more me” culture.
The problem with narcissistic nihilism as a worldview is that one loves themselves so much they actually self destruct. They love themselves to death. I lost a lot of friends in the music business just this way. You don’t have to be in the entertainment business to experience narcissistic nihilism. Every field of endeavor has its traps. Here’s how it starts. Pride, control, self-confidence through self help ideology that plant seeds of vain imaginations. Believing man is god.
Truth is, you can’t believe what you hear, see or read anymore. Most especially with regard to advertising, music and entertainment news media. Take, for instance, music; there was a time in the “old school” analog days, integrity was held in check by the limitation of the technology. An artist had to overdub their vocals, for instance, or whatever tracks until they hit that note or riff and then the whole control room erupted with applause. These days, the Pro-Tools days, where technology rules, you just point and click to the pitch and there you go! Victoria’s Secret women are air brushed to perfection with Photoshop and, lets face it, entertainment news is NOT news.
I believe that the Sons of Hollywood and the many people who want to be just like them are really lost souls. They think they know who they are. Do you know who you are?
Post your comments and Christian worldview here.
God bless
In today’s hyper-busy business environment, we are bombarded with stimuli including email, instant messages, voice conference calls, webinars, net meetings, text messages and cell phone calls. Because of the high velocity of work within a typical work day, coupled with the needs of business, and channels for communication, I contend that business decisions get made much faster and are often of lesser quality than decisions made in the previous business generation. They may be based on more, and better, data however I believe that the decisions are of lesser quality due to time pressures, coupled with the expectation of decisions to be made quickly. Prior to the Internet, written hard copy (meetings and mail) and verbal discussion were the two primary channels for communication. The serial nature of these communications channels, allowed a person to focus on one issue at a time and allowed more time for thought, reflection, and consideration of alternatives. In today’s environment, the expectation is that everything is fast, including the decision making process. Sometimes faster decisions are as good as more contemplative decisions. Other times however, faster decisions are not as effective because they don’t allow adequate reflective time in the process.