The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World
By: John Ralston Saul
Publisher: Penguin
Price: $35
Remember TINA? She sprang fully formed into New Zealand life in the 1980s as reformist Labour government embraced neo-liberal economic theories with passion and dedication unmatched anywhere else around the globe. “There Is No Alternative” cried our political leaders as they reacted to the country’s rather parlous financial state with an unprecedented and unexpected bout of structural reforms along ‘public = bad, private = good, market = rule’ lines.
It was process that not only transformed our economic and social landscape but the language we used to describe it. Complex relationships and nuanced approaches were subsumed by ideological conviction. Suddenly you could only talk about things like education in terms of markets, competition or customers rather than in the context of public good.
You can tell you’re in an ideologically driven period when attempts at putting forward moderate arguments which suggest choice is possible are met with anger, dismissal and seen as dangerous backsliding, Canadian philosopher and essayist John Ralston Saul told an Auckland audience on recent visit to promote his new book (title above).
It’s evident he’s not fan of TINA. She’s far too reductionist for someone whose books generally encompass huge chunks of human history and draw on an eclectic array of philosophical beliefs. “To believe in the reality of choice,” says Saul, “is one of the most basic characteristics of leadership.”
She’s also far too disempowering for someone who continually urges the thoughtful engagement of all citizens in society. That sense of engagement is vital as the ideological certainties of the past few decades crumble.
To shape society, says Saul, “we need to think about the origins of what is now passing – the origins of globalisation, its promise, rise, hesitation and fall” as well as other forces that are increasingly setting the pace today.
Which is basically what his latest book is all about. It outlines what globalisation promised – world where power lies with global markets not nation states; where economics, rather than politics and armies, shape human events; where trade would lead to growth and prosperity for all etc – and the rather different reality it delivered.
It’s an interesting and accessible read in which New Zealand gets chapter all of its own as the former poster child of globalisation that “flips again” to become place where, in Saul’s words, “economics is an important servant, not the purpose of, society”. VJ
Managing without Leadership: Towards Theory of
Organizational Functioning
By: Gabriele Lakomski
Publisher: Elsevier Science
Price: $166.50
Australasian society takes pot shots at the head of any poppy that might emerge above the others – and then blames lack of leadership for problems at all levels. But despite all the media focus on leadership, organisations do appear to survive without it.
Gabriele Lakomski’s book contains no question mark in the title. We can manage without leadership; Lakomski explains how and why.
When leadership is in question it is mistake, she explains, to examine only the top – the CEO, for instance. Although the leader is generally assumed to create the culture through his or her vision, distributed leadership may be more common. It is also likely to be more effective.
Leaders should be encouraged to develop in all parts of the organisational structure. Leadership is something many people are able to exercise and it reflects what all people experience in the workforce, however close they are to the CEO.
Critical to understanding the experience of the individual is the understanding of how knowledge travels within the organisation. Whereas flat structures may be good for turbulent times (when information must travel to many people rapidly, and immediate response and change are required), they are not necessarily good for ongoing development.
The first part of the book covers the history of the leadership field – the theories and development since the 1940s. The second concentrates on new directions for leadership. It incorporates consideration of neural networks for human understanding and relationships, which throws new light on understanding how organisational knowledge develops. The third part discusses Lakomski’s theory of organisational function, where leaders are just part of the bigger picture. This new theory is controversial, and if accepted, could result in some major rethinking – if ‘lack of leadership’ can’t be blamed in our increasingly litigious society, where will the blame lie?
Lakomski is the director for the Centre for Organizational Learning and Leadership at the University of Melbourne. Her book is for all involved in human resources and anybody trying to work out why their organisation is or isn’t making progress. Described by the author “as only big toe dipped in the water”, no doubt the ripples will spread. JR