| What is on our readers minds? Jim,
Having been a member of small groups, and also having observed them from outside, I agree with most of your comments and conclusions. On the other side of the coin, however, there can be great value in having a focused (small group) team effort. I was part of such a team in the S.D. Warren Mobile mill after a rebuild in 1977-78. We benefited greatly by interacting with research and operators who became part of the team. In addition to your Palin example, another negative example of small groups is the Bush White House, particularly before voters and Congress forced a few changes in behavior and outlook after the 2006 elections.
Bill LaVallee
San Jose, California, USA
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Jim,
Your observations about small groups sounds like the (human) nature of things and that is difficult to change. When you look at how some groups behave you have to recall John McEnroe's line, "you've gotta be kidding".
Don't know if you intended it, but your commentary is a good followup to the demise of paper industry research. Research groups became, at least in part, victims of their own internal fraternity, so to speak. And, in part, to the push for short term results by management.
An anecdotal story about crows is that they can count to 3. If three hunters go into a woods and two come out, they remember there is a third hunter. If four go into the woods and three come out, they don't remember the fourth.
Chuck Green
Webster, New York, USA
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Chuck--I always learn something from you (re: crows in this case).
Jim
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Jim
Great article. I used to refer to this behaviour as, 'Adopting group myths and legends', where groups at work (Businesses, Divisions, Corporations) developed "group think" and it was perceived that you were not part of the team if you challenged this thinking in any way. I recall one event where senior management wanted to follow a strategy which the business clearly knew was wrong and yet the head of the business would not challenge the myths and legends for fear of losing his job! The strategy was later proven to be folly and guess who was blamed?
BRgds,
Nick Dunlop-Jones
West Yorkshire, UK
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Jim,
A very good column!
Thanks,
Mark Andrews
New Augusta, Mississippi, USA
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Jim,
I've enjoyed reading your Nip Impressions newsletter.
Imagine my surprise when I saw your comment about Kyle Elementary School in Troy, Ohio. I also attended Kyle Elementary from 4th thru 6th grade in the late 70's while living with my parents on Drury Lane, which is several blocks from the school.
What a small world for Papermakers!
Keep up the good work - I enjoy the commentary.
Alan Newbright
West Carrollton, Ohio, USA
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Yes, "A Confederacy of Dunces" is one of my favorite books. Very few that I've met in the paper industry have taken the time to read this excellent novel.
Growing up and as an adult, I've moved around quite a bit. I truly enjoy the small town atmosphere the best, but many within these towns limit their own horizons. Not to say new ideas or "change" is necessarily good, but without the normal influx of people and ideas that larger cities confront and deal with, the small town grows an almost belligerent resistance to personal growth and improvement.
Like Ignatius, from "A Confederacy of Dunces", sometimes I have felt the frustration of waving the bedsheet banner, while those around me give up and go home. The best example is in a small mill in a Midwestern town about 6 years ago where I was managing a fiberline. I attempted to explain to one production employee that the "it's not my job mentality" is a cancer that will kill a mill. He quickly replied, "They'll never shut this mill down! We make too much profit!"
The mill was closed last September.
A. Linn
Mason, Ohio, USA
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Thanks. You inspired my executive transparency column this week. Often, I think local-centric folks can't come to grips with the idea of their facility closing down, for deep down inside they can not deal with the possible (unknown, therefore highly feared) consequences of losing their job.
Coincidently, very close to you, Wilmington, Ohio, about 6,000 people appear to be on the verge of losing their jobs at the DHL sorting center (I believe UPS is taking over this function for DHL on a contract basis and moving it elsewhere--somebody correct me if I am wrong). The simple reality is these are relatively low skill jobs and the hordes that have come out of the hills of southern Ohio to take them can never hope to find anything like what they have had unless they expend considerable effort at improving their personal skill set.
Of course, the headlines in the area castigate dispersions on the company, politicians and everyone else. The reality is these jobs, like most jobs everywhere on this planet, do not come with a lifetime guarantee and the only inoculation the workers can receive to protect themselves from long term unemployment is a continual effort towards personal skill set improvement. Sitting in front of a television (or hunting crows, see Chuck Green above) is not this path, but, ironically, sitting in front of television's distant cousin, the Internet, just may be, as long as one is looking at select URL's.
Jim
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