All Life Is Problem Solving

By Joseph M. Firestone and Nancy Bordier We think most people agree that money has corrupted our politics. Some even think that we now live in a Plutocracy, and not in a Democracy, and that both parties are corrupted and now represent only the financial oligarchy. So, the central issue of our time is how […]

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I had hoped to blog a bit about a KM issue today, but so much is going on in Washington relating to the issue of accountability for the torturers, that I can’t really leave it alone. In my last post, I pointed out that the President’s decision to refrain from seeking prosecutions of the officials […]

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President Obama has now released the Justice Department “torture memos,” providing legal opinions approving the use of interrogation procedures that many other observers and legal authorities view as clear instances of torture. In releasing the memos, the President has implemented his commitment to transparency in Government. But, at the same time, in asserting that his […]

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Lately, I’ve been harping a lot on the need for transparency and accountability in the Geithner Plan. Here’s Elizabeth Warren, Chairperson of the congressional oversight panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) on the subject. Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Don’t you wish she was the Treasury […]

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A stunning analysis of the economic crisis by James K. Galbraith just appeared in the Washington Monthly. What’s stunning about it is its wide-ranging analysis of the present economic crisis; its historical perspective; its properly skeptical remarks about CBO and other projections based on standard economic models and available historical data; its very clear-eyed view […]

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(Co-Authored with Steven A. Cavaleri) New solutions to problems are always inventions, however humble. They don’t become innovations however, until they’re communicated to people, and get used in practice. In an Open PSP organization, new ideas are communicated by interpersonal and electronic means in four categories of communication (or integration) activity: broadcasting, search and retrieving, […]

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(Co-Authored with Steven A. Cavaleri) Here are some other ways one can enhance problem seeking, recognition and formulation in organizations. First, Management can assist in moderating the natural fears of people by offering Problem Seeking, Recognition, and Communication “boot camps” to employees. The objective of these boot camps is to train people in: — specifying […]

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This discussion of John Tropea’s two blog entries of March 17th and 18th 2008, has turned into a series within a series. I guess that’s a measure of what happens in this blog medium. That is, if you feel like saying more about something, there’s always another blog tomorrow. No one can tell you that […]

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To foster openness in an adaptive team, try to create a culture where team members internalize the following norms, collectively known as the Sustainability Code, developed by Mark McElroy and I a few years ago for our CKIM Workshop. Here’s the code: 1. All knowledge used as a basis for individual and/or shared action by […]

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