Rooting Out Dogma

12/19/2007

Joy is the holy fire that keeps our purpose warm and our intelligence aglow.
Helen Keller

Any profession, and any organization, can lose its creativity if it sticks too long to principles and beliefs that have outlived their relevance. In his new book The Future of Management (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2007), Gary Hamel observes that rooting out dogma is all about asking the right questions — repeatedly...

Is this a belief worth challenging? Is it debilitating? Does it get in the way of an important organizational attribute that we'd like to strengthen?
Is this belief universally valid? Are there counter-examples? If so, what do we learn from those cases?
How does this belief serve the interests of its adherents? Are there people who draw reassurance or comfort from this belief?
Have our choices and assumptions conspired to make this belief self-fulfilling? Is this belief true simply because we have made it true — and, if so, can we imagine alternatives?

Leadership Books on Sale!

All the Exchange books on leadership and management, plus all the other books in our online bookstore are discounted by 20% for the last two weeks of the year. Take advantage of this end of the year sale in the Exchange Bookstore. Books on sale include...

The Art of Leadership: Managing Early Childhood Organizations
On Being a Leader
Staff Challenges
From Conflict to Peace Building: The Power of Early Childhood Initiatives

Signing (ASL) & Music for Early Learning
Foster deeper learning and memory retention for core educational concepts: ABC’s, Numbers, Colors, Rhymes, Animals and more by combining American Sign Language and Songs.

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