Letter, misc, Address change

[From Dag Forssell (931017 1340)

Since few netters save files, I'll repeat the last version of the letter
before I present the latest improvement.

···

--------------------------------------------------------
Bruce Nevin October 6, 1993
Researcher at large
Control Systems Group
49 Sumner Street
Gloucester, MA 01930-1546

Dear Mr. Nevin:

Our usual ideas about human behavior do not fit the way human beings
actually work. For this reason, running a company, department or team is
more difficult than it needs to be. Top executives set policy and
financial goals for the company, but to achieve those goals, many people
must carry out their functions in a coordinated way at all levels and in
all areas of the company.

As an executive, you may be frustrated with associates who don't commit
themselves to do the job that is required and don't stay motivated on a
lengthy project, with associates who don't pull their weight in a team,
or with the process of implementing TQM. Your managers may be
uncomfortable with conflicts, with performance reviews, or with sales.

Most executives have not deeply questioned the generalizations that they
have made from life experience about what makes people tick. They have
not noticed the absence of explanatory principles (meaning laws of
nature, as in the physical sciences) in leadership training programs, in
the ways in which cultural differences are explained, and in their own
conclusions about people. The best contemporary leadership programs, such
as Dr. Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or Dr. W.
Edwards Deming's The Deming Management Philosophy do not offer
explanatory principles. They can only offer ~principles~ (meaning rules
of thumb, rules of conduct) based on generalizations from experience.
Each individual in an organization who learns the rules of conduct will
interpret them differently. This makes it hard to attain consistent
management in an organization.

Suppose there is a way to give your executives the capability to deal
with all the issues mentioned above by using explanatory principles to
determine how to proceed in each situation. Would you be interested?

We would like an opportunity to show you how.

Sincerely,

To learn more, call or fax this letter back to us. Please indicate your
area of interest.
---------------------------------------
When I got back to this a few days ago, after a week of preparing mailing
lists, it occurred to me that "Most executives have not deeply questioned
the generalizations..." is insulting and wrong. People do question, and
executives pride themselves on not generalizing, but treating people as
individuals. The point to be made is that there is a difference between
superficial principles and deep principles. Here is the latest version,
my presently best effort.

---------------------------------------
Henry James Folson, CEO October 17, 1993
Henry James Bicycles Inc.
704 Elvira Avenue
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Dear Mr. Folson:

Our usual ideas about human behavior do not fit the way human beings
actually work. For this reason, running an organization, department or
team is more difficult than it needs to be. To achieve the goals of an
organization, many people must carry out their functions in a coordinated
way at all levels and in all areas of the organization.

As an executive, you may be frustrated with associates who don't commit
themselves to do the job that is required and don't stay motivated on a
lengthy project, with associates who don't pull their weight in a team,
or with the process of implementing Total Quality Mangagement. Your
associates may be uncomfortable or ineffective with conflicts, with
performance reviews, or with sales.

Most leaders have developed an understanding about what makes people tick
from their own experience, from the ways in which cultural differences
are explained, and from leadership training programs. Contemporary
leadership programs, such as Dr. Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People or Dr. W. Edwards Deming's The Deming Management
Philosophy offer principles (meaning rules of conduct) based on generali-
zations from experience. Each leader will interpret the rules of conduct
differently. This makes it hard to develop consistent management
practices in an organization.

Modern engineering is what it is today because of explanatory principles
(meaning laws of nature, as in the physical sciences). Such principles
have permitted accurate predictions and tests of the behavior of material
things. Contemporary behavioral sciences offer no equivalent explanatory
principles.

Suppose there is a way to give your leaders the capability to deal with
all behavior and relationship issues by using explanatory principles to
determine how to proceed in each situation. Would you be interested?

We would like an opportunity to show you how.

Sincerely,

   Signature

To learn more, call or fax this letter back to us. Please indicate your
area of concern.
--------------------------------------------

This coming week, Christine and I will assist our sales training friend
as role play coaches with a group of sales engineers (mostly EE's). When
we come back Friday, perhaps someone has yet another suggestion for
improvement or other comment on the above.

------------------------------------------
Hank Folson (931016)

In your comments on the Williams Effect, you mention the Law of Supply
& Demand. I suspect that this is one of the non-laws that Dag Forssell
has been describing.

I did not know that I described non-laws. But I appreciate what I take
to be your comments on my attempts to describe the three dimensions of
any theory. (930808 1705).

-----------------------------------------
[Avery Andrews 931017.1618]

Words that sound different to speakers of one language often sound the
same to speakers of another

Martin's presentation in Durango suggested a multi-dimensional space
defining the sounds we hear and expect to hear. To my mind, Martin's
scheme adds clarity and rationale to the well established observation you
make above. A sequence of sounds pronounced was portrayed as a path
through this space. When talking, your higher levels specify reference
positions in this space, and your control "pulls" your actual sounds
pronounced towards these references. The references change rapidly and
the actuals may never reach the reference points.

At the listening end, I concieve of the listener identifying the sounds
heard by comparison with the existing references in the listeners mind.
The existing reference DEFINES what is being heard. This will account for
the inability by Japanese to distinguish between r and l. The existing
reference falls somewhere in between, and r and l both are heard as
whatever the existing reference defines.

-----------------------------------------
MCImail, Internet address:

A snail mail note from Chuck has taught me something about MCImail
addresses. I thought that by getting a unique "user name:" purpose, I
could use it as a unique address. Not so. purpose@mcimail.com goes to
a data base at MCI, looking for all instances of purpose in the user
names AND regular names. As it happens, there is an organization called
Common Purpose on MCImail, so MCI asks "which one" if you are on line.
If you sent an internet message, it becomes undeliverable.
hortideas@mcimail.com is a good address for Greg Williams as long as no
other subscribers are added with hortideas in their name. A good bet, one
would think. Purpose is not a good bet, as proven already. So effective
Monday, I am reverting to the username I had before: dforssell. I expect
that to stay unique. The MCImail number is still valid, of course, and
is certain to stay unique. So now I can give my address as:

dforssell@mcimail.com or 4742580@mcimail.com

For MCImail, I can be: dforssell or 474-2580

For my letterhead, I will use:

Internet: dforssell@mcimail.com MCImail: 474-2580

This should give each user the kind of address the user expects.

Best, Dag

Dag & Christine Forssell Purposeful Leadership
23903 Via Flamenco Valencia, CA 91355-2808
Phone (805) 254-1195 Fax (805) 254-7956
Internet: dforssell@mcimail.com MCI mail: 474-2580