R: ricardo semler and peter'e principle

Tue Jul 29 02:00:49 PDT 2008

Hi Tom, thanks for your story on how Semler's ideas and peter's principle
have combined in your organisation. I have no real stories to share - just
some questions and thoughts. From one hand semler invites to organise
companies on a more open way, trusting people and their self responsibility.
And to be honest I don't think the issue is democracy - but more personal
responsibility, flexibility or in other words a liquid organisation.
>From the other Peter's stresses that incompetence is the rule in
organisations.
If you combine the two it seems that we must give power to incompetent - o
trust them - which sounds a little bit strange.

Surely a non hierarchical approach to organisation of work - that is
Semler's and OS approach - can help to reduce the problems connected with
Peter's Principle by decreasing the leader's level of incompetence in an
organisation. This for a couple of different reasons: 1) because it creates
new forms of distributed leadership (incompetence); 2) cause helps through
dialogue to reduce the incompetence of leaders.
But than the question remains: should we trust and give power to the
incompetent?
More thoughts when I finish the books
Ciao
ge

Gerardo de Luzenberger

Tel:  +39 02 45409189 - Mob: +39 3293281343

Skype: gerardodeluz – xge at loci.it 

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-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: Tom Tuddenham [mailto:ferrisoxide at gmail.com] 
Inviato: lunedì 21 luglio 2008 12.10
A: ge at scuolafacilitazione.it
Cc: OSLIST at listserv.boisestate.edu
Oggetto: Re: ricardo semler and peter'e principle

Hi Ge

Serendipity is a wonderful thing. I can tell you about a very recent
experience of my own: at work I've just stepped down from leading a
team of software developers, to focus on what I enjoy doing.. actual
coding. The details aren't all that important, as the same change
could happen anywhere.

The Peter Principle came in there. I really felt like I was at the
edge of my competency and in real danger of being promoted to a point
beyond where I could be useful and sane at the same time.
Interestingly enough my line manager and I had been talking about
Semler's ideas in the weeks up to the change and decided that rather
than put someone new in my place that we'd try some sort of democratic
model to run the team under.

Unfortunately what happened is a bit of power vacuum got created,
another member of the team anointed himself team-lead and instead of
dealing with it the team talked in puzzled voices about what it all
meant before burying their noses in their work. I'm probably being
unfair but in any case a degree of bad blood got generated very
quickly which we're only just getting over.

How did things get so weird so quick? I think that in some ways we
needed to have a very clear cut definition of "democracy", instead of
just letting it happen organically. But I also think there are
pressures in the company pushing the team - or any team - to behave in
certain ways. Again I'm being a bit unfair as we have a fair degree of
latitude in the company - but it was interesting to watch things
happening seemingly at odds with the general consensus.

The real serendipitous moment only came to me a minute ago, as I was
complaining about it all to my poor wife before realising (or being
told.. the lines blur) that I just don't need to worry about it any
more. Maybe this little ship will right itself, maybe it will sink.
But even if it does at least we'll have learned some lessons about
boat building.

Good luck with whatever you are up to. I'd be very interested in
hearing where the Peter Principle and Semler's ideas coincide for you.

Cheers
Tom

On Fri, Jul 18, 2008 at 6:42 PM, gerardo de luzenberger
<ge at scuolafacilitazione.it> wrote:
> Yesterday I bought to books. One is about Peter's Principle, the other is
by
> Ricardo semler about what he did in his company semco.
>
> While going back home I was wondering about the serendipity of buying
these
> two books, and how the things they say mix together?
>
> Any idea about that?
>
> Have a wonderful OSonOS
>
> I would have really liked to join you
>
> ge
>
>
>
>
>
> Gerardo de Luzenberger
>
> SSF - Scuola Superiore di Facilitazione
>
> Via Alessandro Volta 12
>
> 20121 Milano
>
> tel: +39 02 45409189
>
> ge at scuolafacilitazione.it
>
> www.scuoladifacilitazione.it
>
> www.loci.it
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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