Flexibility: Newsletter December 2008
December is upon us and hopefully you will soon be enjoying a well-deserved rest. This month our featured secret of success is Flexibility – we encourage you to find the flexibility required to weather the turbulent times we are in. We investigate and comment on some dilemmas in mid-level health care as well as issues around the apparent abandonment by learners of African languages in foundation level education. Phici Mbatha introduces a new series on Invitational Leadership while Dr. Lucy Voss-Price outlines the merits of the Play-for-a-Change group intervention.
A follow-up article considers the remedy for Self Reliance Syndrome while we also summarise a recent Society for Organisational Learning presentation by Adam Kahane which focussed on how to solve tough social problems. Finally we offer some tips on how to use – and understand – some of the more advanced functions of search engines.
Please have a very safe and wonderful festive season.
In the USA, the function of the Physician’s Assistant has been part of the health system for several decades. This member of the health team is a highly trained individual who has completed a degree course and has been intensively trained to work under the direct supervision of a doctor – usually a specialist – who is fully responsible for the actions of the Physician’s Assistant.
I read with interest The Times article on “School kids reject African languages” (8 November 2008) . As far as most schools in the suburbs are concerned, I disagree that the option to study African languages is available to learners at English-medium schools. This might be the case at some schools, but certainly not at others. The reality is that most learners at English-medium schools are introduced only to Afrikaans as an Additional Language at Grade 3.
Flexibility is an absolute requirement for success. It is the source of competitive advantage for both individuals and organisations. Flexibility enables swift repositioning and quick responses to potential opportunities and threats. But flexible organisations require flexible people.
Inflexible people are poor at changing and adjusting to new situations. They are narrow-minded and caught in the grip of rigid and stubborn mental paradigms. Driven by fear, they tend to be self-centred, insecure and self-righteous. Instead of adapting themselves to new situations, they spend their time complaining about ‘crisis management’. They are quick to point fingers and blame others, but slow to take responsibility and solve problems. They are good at sticking to their job descriptions, but poor at running the extra mile.
Successful people are agile but firm in keeping their integrity. They are not like chameleons, changing colour in challenging situations or when under pressure. Nor are they like glass, which shatters when it is hit by a tiny stone. Rather, flexible people are like a tree that bends in a strong wind while remaining firmly rooted in the ground.
Be flexible, be elastic, and be open-minded. Be wise and choose only the battles worth fighting for. The world is continually accelerating and becoming more chaotic Learn to thrive in chaos, and you will become stronger and better prepared for the future. Awaken your potential, knowing that the power of flexibility is within you.
Frightening headlines and statistics confront and bombard us every day, whether we welcome them into our experience or not. Words such as recession, unemployment, repossession, retrenchment, increased inflation and interest rates are now staples in not only business but general communication, regardless of who the target audience is, as business is the pivotal point of most if not all of our activities and interactions.
From parliament members using Image Theatre in Brazil to executives using Serious Play in Switzerland, from books called The Play Ethic and How the World’s Best Companies Simulate to Innovate, there abounds evidence for the usefulness of play in awakening management and leadership potential.
Adam Kahane has spent the better part of two decades helping leaders and communities deal with complex questions in very demanding multi-stakeholder situations. These have ranged from our own transition to democracy in South Africa to flash-points including Israel, Guatemala and other less sensational but no less challenging problems across the world.
In our previous article we promised you some information on effective search strategies to use when conducting searches via the Internet. The fact that we are aware of the existence and operation of search engines does not necessarily enable us to search for web information. It is therefore important to know about search strategies as well. The reason for this is that an effective search strategy will assist us in retrieving the most relevant information available.
Regenesys Management (Pty) Ltd. is registered with the Department of Education as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997: Registration Certificate Number 2000/HE07/023.
Regenesys has been granted provisional registration as a Further Education and Training Institution under the Further Education and Training Act, 2006 (Act No.16). Valid until 31 December 2015, registration number 2009/FE07/023.
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