In chapter one of The Cluetrain Manifesto, the writers compare the management style that came out of the industrial revolution to that of the "All-New, Culturally Revolutionized Organization."
"Many spouted the new religion, but secretly tried to hedge old bureaucratic bets. A handful walked the talk, but it was tough going. A central tenet of TQM [total quality management] was W. Edwards Demingsw dictum: "Drive Out Fear" - a challenge that went to the heart of the corporation. Conversations among workers were finally seen as critical to the spread of valuable knowledge - "best practices" in the still-current jargon. Conversations are where intellectual capital gets generated. But business environments based on command-and-control are usually characterized by intimidation, coercion, and threats of reprisal. In contrast, genuine conversation flourishes only in an atmosphere of free and open exchange."
Comments: "Intimidation, coercion and threats of reprisal." Let's see, we've had the shabby firing of a priest on diocesan staff that served our diocese with three different bishops. Then we had an orthodox priest forced out of his parish in North Syracuse a year before his retirement. Now we have the on-going debacle with Fr. David Bollinger for which the diocese has earned itself a $4.35 million lawsuit. Fr. Bollinger has made many friends among clergy and laity in his many years of service in this diocese. Why is it that they, especially the clergy, have generally not supported him as the diocese has sought to remove him from his parish?
The diocese attempted to have a canon lawyer excommunicated who dared question the diocese's handling of different situations and has recently acted to remove an orthodox priest as "pastoral leader" of a parish that has withheld its assessment. These actions hardly qualify as best practices, but this is what is going on in the Diocese of Central New York.
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