TACTics Journal

A Publication for and by TOC for Education Practitioners

January 26, 2001

 

CONTENTS

Networking

(1)          A Response to Eli’s Letter (Part 2), Denise Meyer

(2)         POOGI Forum Letter #12, (Part 3), Eli Goldratt

Editors’ Notes

    (2)      Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards

Connections

    (3)      5th Annual TOCFE International Conference/First Annual TOCFE International Student’s Conference, Cheryl A. Edwards

 

NETWORKING

(1)        A Response to Eli’s Letter (Part 2)

From Denise Meyer, California, USA

 

I believe Eli has hit the nail on the head and it certainly applies to education.  How many times have I said, under my breath, "But I do have a silver bullet!"  People don't believe anything is powerful enough to make the changes that TOC promises.  I now make my presentation by stressing the need to solve problems in society by critical thinking and thus, the need to focus on critical thinking throughout the curriculum with students, which is how I now am selling TOC tools.  But they just have a hard time believing it's true.  That's why we sometimes are looked upon as passionate fanatics, because we believe we have found a “silver bullet” that can help pierce the heart of the clouds we're struggling with.  So, will the next portion of Eli's Forum Letter give us some strategies for dealing with it?  I'm waiting with bated breath.

Denise

 

(2)        POOGI Forum Letter #12, (Part 3)

By Eli Goldratt

 

Due to the length of “POOGI Forum Letter #12,” we divided it into three installments.  In last week’s TACTics, we featured part 2, in which Eli posed a challenging question to us all.  Here is an excerpt:

 

We were trained to accept it (that you can not achieve something meaningful without hard work for a long time.), except when technology is involved.  When dealing with technology, we are always looking for a breakthrough, for the thing that will double performance without a change in efforts.  As a matter of fact, it is not just technology; it is all of hard sciences.  I think that one of the first scientists had verbalized it in the most beautiful way:  "If I can find a leverage point and a long enough lever I can move the earth."  —Archimedes.

 

Which one of the two philosophies, "a cent plus a cent" or "a leverage point," is currently dominating the field of management?

 

POOGI Forum Letter #12, (Part 3) —

There is no doubt that currently the prevailing management philosophies are TQM and JIT or as they are now called LEAN.  Unfortunately the way that these management philosophies are (inadvertently?) promoted is by using a powerful collection of excellent techniques to foster the notion of "cent plus cent," of "there is no silver bullet."

 

That is exactly the opposite of what TOC is standing for.  What is TOC if not a collection of silver bullets?  Of ways to achieve so much, not by major investments, not by major efforts exerted over a long time, but by stopping to obey some erroneous assumptions.

 

Let’s tie it together.  What we are facing when considering a reader of The Goal is a situation when a person reached conclusions after following the logic of the book and judging it according to hes experience and intuition.  But these conclusions are contradicting what everybody around is preaching.  How many people have the self-confidence to ignore everybody else’s opinion and stick to their own?  

 

Not many.  Few percent at the most.

 

When Y (or a top manager) is concerned, and Y is not from production, it stands to reason that Y is less impacted by the message of The Goal; that Y doesn’t believe in the existence of silver bullets.  No wonder that Y refuses to listen to X.  Why are we then so surprised that the X-Y syndrome exists? 

 

When I discussed it with my daughter (she just finished the Ph.D. in psychology) she referred me to the work of Solomon E. Asch.  In the fifties, Asch conducted a research on the subject of "conformity."  At last, I had the name of this "mysterious" force. 

 

Conformity is a major force as can be seen from the paragraph that Asch is using to summarize his work:

 

"That we have found the tendency to conformity in our society so strong that reasonably intelligent and well-meaning young people are willing to call white black is a matter of concern.  It raises questions about our ways of education and about the values that guide our conduct."*

*Footnote:  Aronson, E.  The Social Animal, Chapter 2.  New-York Freeman & Company 1984.  4th edition.

 

It might be interesting to note that Asch’s experiments are now used in psychology also as an example for "unethical" experiments.  The ethical code demands that experiments will not cause any harm.  Asch’s experiments didn’t stand this criterion since they caused harm to some volunteers when they faced the extent to which they yielded to "conformity.”

 

Asch’s work also contains a ray of hope.  He found that if just one of the crowd is holding the opinion that matches the "subject’s" opinion then the chains of conformity break and in the vast majority of cases the subject decides according to his own conclusion.

Let me now summarize what we concluded so far.  Due to the force of "conformity" the process of a person reaching a decision is a two step process.  The first one is reaching a conclusion; the second is reaching a decision.  What we now know is that, due to conformity, the decision might be the opposite of the conclusion.

 

From my experience, I’ve learned that the most effective way to accomplish the first step is rigorous logic, especially if applied in the Socratic way.  In this way, a person can use his experience and intuition to rapidly reach a valid conclusion.  What I also learned is the extent to which references are ineffective in that stage.  Presenting references as a means to persuade a person to reach a conclusion usually leads to the opposite, to the reaction of "we are different, it won’t work here."

 

But, what I now come to understand is that references are a powerful tool in the decision process.  Not in the first step, but in the second.  References are vital in influencing most people to convert their individual conclusion into a decision, especially when confronting a wide spread opposite opinion.

 

With all that in mind, how can we devise an effective bottom up method?

 

Allow me to hold back my tendency to show off, to give my version of the answer, and rather ask for your suggestions.  To enable me to process your input please try to write your answer according to the following points (Unless you feel restraint by them, in that case, write your answer in whatever sequence you feel comfortable):

 

1.        Is it advisable to start by turning your area of influence into an X?

 

2.       If so, how would you go about initiating a local implementation?

 

3.       How would you (if at all) approach Y?

 

4.       How would you (if at all) approach the rest of the organization?

 

5.       How would you (if at all) approach higher management?

 

Waiting anxiously for your response,

Eli

 

Conclusion of “POOGI Forum Letter, #12.”  Send your responses directly to TACTics or Kathy (see Editors’ Notes).  We will then forward the responses to Eli in one e-mail. 

 

 

EDITORS’ NOTES

(2)           Kay Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards

 

Wow!  What do you think?  In part 1 of the POOGI Letter #12 (TACTics, 1/12/01), Eli defined X and Y.  “X is typified by a strong motivation to improve, and Y is (now) the constraint.”  How do you see the learning in this essay relevant to education?  How can you apply any of this learning?

 

Denise made a powerful connection to the idea of critical thinking, which has become a vital literacy tool in today’s world.  Thanks, Denise for sharing your thoughts. 

 

What other connections can be made?  If you would like to share your responses directly with the network through TACTics, then send them to Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253 S. Hill Island Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719, USA.  Or, send hyperlink to <redwards@sault.com> or <bucknek@earthlink.net>.

 

Remember, if you would like to keep your responses off the record” then send them to Kathy at, suerken@nwfl.net.

 

Eli, again, thanks for the challenge! 

 

CONNECTIONS

(3)        5th Annual TOCFE International Conference/First Annual TOCFE  International Student’s Conference

From Cheryl A. Edwards

 

The best way to predict the future is to create it through TOC."

TOC for Education, Inc. presents the 5th Annual TOCFE International Conference and the First Annual TOCFE International Student’s Conference!

 

Date:                                June 25-28, 2001

 

Location:                                Detroit, Michigan USA

 

Hotel:                                Northfield Hilton

                        5500 Crooks Road

                        Troy, Michigan 48098

                        248. 879. 2100

The Northfield Hilton is adjacent to Interstate 75 at Crooks Road, Exit 72

 

Reservations:                                1. 800. HILTONS

                        Ask for TOC for Education’s special room rates.

                Single or Double Occupancy

Per night $139.00 U.S. + Tax (6% Michigan Sales Tax and 7% Occupancy Tax).  This rate includes breakfast for two.

 

Transportation:                                Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)