Chapter 17: "The Better Things are the Worse they Feel". Right away the author hedges his bet: "...we expect that our actions will produce satisfaction for those we try to help. But they seldom do - not for long anyway." (italics mine) Mr. Farson has just contradicted himself and the rest of the chapter is moot.
Part Six: Dilemmas of Change. Chapter 18: "We Think We Want Creativity or Change, But We Really Don't". Who is "we"? Is Mr. Farson writing about everybody? Just him and his family and friends? No answer. How does Mr. Farson define creativity and change? He doesn't. Again the author uses story-telling and verbal picture-painting to get across his point. Unfortunately he includes only those stories and pictures that tend to support his pre-conceived notions. No definitions, no facts, no logic = no communication.
Chapter 19: "We Want for Ourselves not What We are Missing, but More of what We Already Have." Again, who's "we"? You and the mouse in your pocket? Secondly, assuming that the statement is true, who cares? Mr. Farson attempts to answer that question in the final paragraph of the chapter: "The difficulty for all of us is that our absorption with what we do well may blind us to what will enable us to do even better." So what? Yet again in this chapter Mr. Farson has failed to state a problem much less a solution.
Chapter 20: "Big Changes are easier to Make than Small Ones". Taking this statement at face-value the author has asserted something that is counter-intuitive rather than absurd or paradoxical.
Chapter 21: "We learn not from Our Failures, but Our Successes and the Failures of Others". Again...who's "we"? Secondly, the statement is deterministic and false. Determinism, the attitude that people have no free-will and do what they do because they are forced to by powers beyond their control, is dead. The statement is also a "faulty dilemma" suggesting that the only way to learn is by trial-and-error. We learn because we want to know. We know because we have (unlike the author) done research.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
Thursday, October 12, 2017
Thursday, October 12, 2017
I have read chapters 13, 14, 15 and 16 from Richard Farson's book titled Management of the Absurd.
In Chapter 13: "Every act is a Political Act" Mr. Farson attempt to make the case that, at least as far a managing is concerned, every act is about power. "...every management act in some way redistributes or reinforces power." As examples Mr. Farson uses verbal pictures to reinforce the stereotype that he is trying to create.
I say that he is trying to create a stereotype because his conclusions are unwarranted and his evidence/proof is unsubstantiated. When someone fails to use facts and logic in reaching a conclusion it is because they are trying to create a superstition or a stereotype. Superstitions and stereotypes are appealing at first blush because they are shortcuts. They promise results without having to spend time and effort.
All of this is important because American counter-culture promotes superstition and stereotyping as a method of "empowering" their movement with the ultimate aim of creating socialist revolution and paradise.
Chapter 14: "The Best Resource for the Solution of Any Problem is the Person or Group that Presents the Problem" Mr. Farson engages in story-telling to put across his point. He tells stories about Carl Rogers and his consultation at a university. Mr. Farson is also quite the adept picture painter painting pictures of various self-help groups and of a management study. All of this is to create a "paradox" that in reality doesn't and can't exist again all for the creation of a movement the goal of which is to fulfill an idealistic fantasy.
"Organizations that Need Help Most Will Benefit from it Least" is the title of Chapter 15 and in it Mr. Farson attempts to manipulate the reader into going along with the idea that most companies are willfully blind about the need to change until it is too late.
By only looking for stories and pictures that support his pre-conceived notions Mr. Farson is able to manipulate readers into believing that "Individuals Are Almost Indestructible, but Organizations are Very Fragile". If Mr. Farson was more thorough he would be able to find stories and pictures that support the opposite of what he is proposing: General Motors and Dolly Madison to name but two.
Sunday, October 8, 2017
Sunday October 8, 2017
Yesterday I read Chapter 13 from the book titled Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson. The title of the chapter is "All acts are Political Acts".
In this chapter Mr. Farson posits the idea that all management acts are in fact political acts. In support of this "conclusion" Mr. Farson offers no evidence or proof but instead relies on story telling and verbal picture painting. The man-made-reality-is-the-only-reality premise of the chapter would be very attractive if it were true. Changing one's management style would then change the world. Change the world into what - we don't know.
In this chapter Mr. Farson posits the idea that all management acts are in fact political acts. In support of this "conclusion" Mr. Farson offers no evidence or proof but instead relies on story telling and verbal picture painting. The man-made-reality-is-the-only-reality premise of the chapter would be very attractive if it were true. Changing one's management style would then change the world. Change the world into what - we don't know.
Thursday October 5, 2017
On Tuesday I read Chapter 10 from the book Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson. The title of Chapter 10 is: "In Communication Form is more Important than Content". The chapter is divided up into four sections. An introductory section followed by "The Power of the Invisible", ""Where we sit Matters" and "Remembering Rituals".
In the introductory section the author claims that feelings are more important than words, mode of expression is more important than words and that corporate image is "a triumph of form over content".
In the second section Mr. Farson creates meta-messages that he claims are in hidden school curriculum and management training programs and that meta-messages are more powerful than the message itself.
In section three Richard Farson gives another example of form over content by describing how it is that people arrange themselves at business meetings. As the arrangement changes so does the form of the meeting.
In the last section Mr. Farson reminds us that "the feelings, the arrangements, the rituals, the physical and social design...are crucially important".
No where in this chapter does Mr. Farson define his terms. What is the difference between form and content? No answer. Also, Mr. Farson seems to suggest that form and content are actually the same.
Mr. Farson erroneously starts with the premise that ideas are true until proven false - a fallacy.
The attractiveness of this chapter and as a matter of fact the whole book comes from the illusion that one is being let in on a secret that one is being taught things that are esoteric. Shortcuts that will allow the reader to get an edge in the workplace. Too bad that the book fails to deliver.
In the introductory section the author claims that feelings are more important than words, mode of expression is more important than words and that corporate image is "a triumph of form over content".
In the second section Mr. Farson creates meta-messages that he claims are in hidden school curriculum and management training programs and that meta-messages are more powerful than the message itself.
In section three Richard Farson gives another example of form over content by describing how it is that people arrange themselves at business meetings. As the arrangement changes so does the form of the meeting.
In the last section Mr. Farson reminds us that "the feelings, the arrangements, the rituals, the physical and social design...are crucially important".
No where in this chapter does Mr. Farson define his terms. What is the difference between form and content? No answer. Also, Mr. Farson seems to suggest that form and content are actually the same.
Mr. Farson erroneously starts with the premise that ideas are true until proven false - a fallacy.
The attractiveness of this chapter and as a matter of fact the whole book comes from the illusion that one is being let in on a secret that one is being taught things that are esoteric. Shortcuts that will allow the reader to get an edge in the workplace. Too bad that the book fails to deliver.
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Sunday October 1, 2017
Yesterday I read chapter 9 from Richard Farson's book titled Management of the Absurd. The chapter "The More we Communicate the less we Communicate" attempts to convince the reader that communication is the problem not the solution for managers: "...most organizations, in fact, are over communicating: meetings, conferences, memos, phone calls and electronic mail overwhelm managers and employees alike." Communication, according to Mr. Farson, is inefficient, boring and irrelevant. In support of his assertions he cites two experiments and a research project. The origins of the experiments in the chapter are unidentified and the research project is from the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute. In one of the experiments apparently communication not only fails to provide useful information but actually serves to paralyze the organization. In the second "Accurate information has become both tedious and stifling." As far as the research project is concerned Mr. Farson concludes that accurate information may be less important to managers that other things.
Just as in previous chapters Mr. Farson jumps to conclusions in this chapter. He is counting on the reader "taking his word for it" and glossing over the lack of support for his conclusions, the fallacies and the lack of an answer to the problems posed in chapter 9: If communication is the problem, what is the solution? Less communication? How much is enough? No answers to any of these questions.
Yes, Mr Farson there are metaphysical as well as man-made realities.
Just as in previous chapters Mr. Farson jumps to conclusions in this chapter. He is counting on the reader "taking his word for it" and glossing over the lack of support for his conclusions, the fallacies and the lack of an answer to the problems posed in chapter 9: If communication is the problem, what is the solution? Less communication? How much is enough? No answers to any of these questions.
Yes, Mr Farson there are metaphysical as well as man-made realities.
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