Incest 0000i-xiv FM 1 - William L. White

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t h e i n c e st u o u s wo r k p lac e
1. A philosophy must be broad enough to encompass the diverse
needs and problems of an organization’s current and potential
customers.
2. A philosophy must be flexible enough to allow exceptions to
prescribed policies and procedures, when such exceptions are
in the best interest of a customer.
3. There must be mechanisms of feedback and self-examination in
a system to allow a philosophy to evolve over time in response
to the changing needs of customers and the development of
new knowledge and technology.
4. Inclusive philosophies require higher levels of day-to-day support
if workers are to sacrifice rules and rote behavior for the
more difficult task of individualized assessment and service
planning.
Planning Change. Closed systems are known for their resistance to
change. Strategies to avoid closure entail building into organizations
mechanisms that facilitate needed change, allow member participation
in the planning of change, and control the pace of change.
Cataloging the array of planning technologies that can assist in this
process is beyond the scope of this book. It is worth mentioning, however,
some of the aspects of the planning process that can be helpful in
preventing professional closure. Many organizations advance to the
point of building employee participation into the planning process, but
some neglect the need to increase professional boundary transactions.
Closure is offset by using multiple mechanisms of feedback in the planning
process. These mechanisms can include outside technical experts,
literature surveys, and customer surveys.
The key elements of the planning process that relate to professional
closure are (1) the belief that change has positive value if it enhances the
mission and goals of an organization; (2) the increase of feedback into
the system through boundary transactions; and (3) the identification of
the supports and pace of change required to sustain quality of service
and protect the health of workers through the change process.
Tearing Down Walls/Building Bridges. In chapter 8, I noted how xenophobia,
the fear of outsiders, can become a strong component of organizational
culture and drive a system into professional and social closure.