File:Bell telephone magazine (1922) (14733420296).jpg

Identifier: belltelephone6667mag00amerrich (find matches)
Title: Bell telephone magazine
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: American Telephone and Telegraph Company American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Information Dept
Subjects: Telephone
Publisher: (New York, American Telephone and Telegraph Co., etc.)
Contributing Library: Prelinger Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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rstanding. It is probably fairto say, however, that rarely, if ever, have these pro-grams made a significant overall impact on the organ-izations in which they have been used. In fact, theyhave sometimes met with cynicism and rejection. In the past few years however, a number of organi-zations, including the Bell System, Hotel Corporationof America, Humble Oil, Union Carbide and others,have pioneered a new type of renewal programwhich aims at the organization as a whole. And thepreliminary evidence indicates that these efforts arehaving a dramatic effect on the performance, morale,and structure of the organizations employing them.These new programs are particularly important sincethey come at a time when leaders of business, gov-ernment and education are pointing out that organi-zations must undertake efforts of self-inspection andrenewal if they are to meet the demands of the future. The most prominent of these experts is Dr. JohnW. Gardner, Secretary of Health, Education and Wel- 36
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37 fare and former president of the Carnegie Corpora-tion. In an article entitled Renewal in Societies andMen which was based on his book, Self-Renewal,Dr. Gardner paralleled the aging of individuals andtheir growing resistance to new ideas with the samephenomenon in organizations. Of this process, hesaid: The young organization is willing to experi-ment with a variety of ways to solve its problems. Itis not bowed by the weight of tradition. ... As it ma-tures, it develops settled policies and habitual modesof solving problems. In doing so it becomes moreefficient, but also less flexible, less willing to lookfreshly at each days experience. Its increasingly fixedroutines and practices are concealed in an elaboratebody of written rules. Dr. Gardner also pointed out other characteristicsof the aging organization: low motivation, powerfulvested interest, concern with how things are donerather than why they are done, and ultimately, ifnothing is done to help, a deterioration that leads to

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