Post on 27-Mar-2015
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Dealing With Sustainability Issues
Dr Lionel Boxer CDlionel.boxer@rmit.edu.au
Centre for Management Quality ResearchRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology
All diagrams from
Boxer, L.J. (2005) The Sustainable Way, Brolga Publishing, Melbourne
Deal with the ResidueB
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OUTLINE
• Sustainability is an OEI issue
• You need to change the mood
• Mood can be changed by speaking in a new way – positioning theory
• Fitting it all together
• Stop people rationalising
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1. INTRODUCTION
• OEI is obligatory & externally imposed
• Obligatory - i.e. don’t want to do it
• Externally imposed - i.e. other’s expect it
• People would rather not be bothered
• There are other things that are more important in the short term
• There is a mood that obstructs change
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Mood is socially constructed by altering four components:
• rights
• duties
• moral order
• actions
Local Systemof Rights
Duties&
Obligations
Local Moral Order
Public & PrivateActions
Underlying
Mood
2. You need to change the mood
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3. Speak in a new way
PositionsStory-line
Speech Acts
Discursive Action
Position Self
Position Other
Discursive action (conversation) occurs when people interact. The components are:
• Positions brought to conversation
• Story lines engaged in
• Speech acts employed
The outcome of
discursive action is
positioning of those
involved in the
discursive action and
a changed mood.
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3. Barriers to changing mood
Foucault (1983, p 187) says, “people know what they do; they frequently know why they do; but what they don’t know is what they do does.”
Peters (1999, p. xi-xii) says, “we get caught up in filling targets, achieving objectives, and meeting deadlines and forget to examine the wider consequences of what we are doing.”
Crosby (1979, p. 13) says, “the problem of quality is not what people don’t know about it; the problem with quality is what they think they know about it.”
Wilson (1991, p. 127) says, “intellectual laziness and common sense are the same thing. Common sense is just the trade name of the firm.”
Deal with the ResidueB
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4. Fitting it all together
Local Systemof Rights
Duties&
Obligations
Local Moral Order
Public & PrivateActions
Positioning Theory Framework
Conversation occurs within a social order.
More commonly known as culture.
My measure of culture is mood or happening.
Local Systemof Rights
Duties&
Obligations
Local Moral Order
Public & PrivateActions
Underlying
Mood
Field of Power
Underlying Mood
Story-line Positions
Conversation
Speech Acts
Knowledge(truth)
Moral Agent
(ethics)
personal force
Self
Knowledge(truth)
Moral Agent
(ethics)
personal force
Other
A culture embracing positive hope and opportunity
Plan
Check
DoAct
Underlying
Mood
Deal with the ResidueB
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INTERGON
Mood is socially constructed by altering four components:
• rights
• duties
• moral order
• actions
Local Systemof Rights
Duties&
Obligations
Local Moral Order
Public & PrivateActions
Underlying
Mood
5. Stop people rationalising
Deal with the ResidueB
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5. Stop people rationalising
Managers rationalise “bad” behaviour by:
• Suggesting it is within limits …
• Suggesting it is in the best interest …
• Suggesting it will not be found out …
• Suggesting it will be condoned …
Gellerman (1986)
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5. Stop people rationalising
Researchers disserve management:
• Use inappropriate approaches
• Make unbiased assumptions
• Introduce new “truths”
• Ignore social constructionism
Ghoshal (2005)
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4. Stop people rationalising
• Throw out old discourse
• Introduce new discourse about “good” ethics
• Not much more than common sense
• Confirm we really know ethics correctly
• Check what we are rewarding people to do
• Stop inappropriate incentives / behaviour
• Ensure there is a reality check
Deal with the ResidueB
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4. Stop people rationalising
• It is about leadership
• Influence what is within your sphere
• Introduce appropriate discourse
• Engage with individuals
• Be honest
• Talk about rights, duties, moral order, actions
• Align incentives systems with desired mood
• Reality check
Deal with the ResidueB
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Local Systemof Rights
Duties&
Obligations
Local Moral Order
Public & PrivateActions
Underlying
Mood
Field of Power
Underlying Mood
Story-line Positions
Conversation
Speech Acts
Knowledge(truth)
Moral Agent
(ethics)
personal force
Self
Knowledge(truth)
Moral Agent
(ethics)
personal force
Other
A culture embracing positive hope and opportunity
Plan
Check
DoAct
Questions?