Present
and Future: Bridging the Gap
Although
simplistic in nature, Kohn’s (2007) video clip demonstrates the hopeless and
unambitious options of settling for less and the vision of future possibilities
achieved through power and vision. In the video, stick men are used to play the
roles of pessimism, pragmatism, power, and vision (Kohn, 2007). As each
approach a path obstructed by a large, seemingly unable to cross, gap, each
takes a different tactic to make a decision. As the pessimist slowly nears the
gap, he pauses, looks ahead, shrugs his shoulders with little effort, and
retreats to a stationary, seated position. The pragmatist, wished “good luck”
by the pessimist, at least ventures out to the drop-off point and tests the
possibility of jumping to the other side; however, he is equally comfortable
with assuming a seated position and settling for less by saying, “well, this
will have to do” (Kohn, 2007). Finally, both power and vision, communication
and planning, race past pessimism and pragmatism, assess the situation,
formulate a plan, enact the plan, bridge the gap, and allow all those waiting behind
them to cross in to the future (Kohn, 2007).
This
past year brought many changes to the local Republican organizations in my home
county. The local executive committee did not renew the charters of two clubs,
one of which was an historical club in existence for more than three decades. The
executive committee was now controlled by a new slate of officers. As Brown
(2011) observes, “New members often find that the norms are unclear, confusing,
and restrictive. As a result, they may react in different ways when entering an
organization”, or in this case, entering leadership roles (p. 12). Their
decision to not renew two charters left many Republicans scrambling for an answer.
The pessimists shrugged off the change and simply began attending the more
extreme club that had not suffered changes at the hands of the executive
committee. The pragmatist formed a non-partisan group, did not impose any
rules, and said this would “have to do” (Kohn, 2007). This answer provided a
temporary solution which allowed for power and vision to work together in order
to develop an organization that would be recognized as a Republican organization
and not report to the local executive committee. The answer, which allowed the
gap to be bridged, was found in the Florida Federation of Republican Women,
which provides local charter opportunities for women run organizations that
bypasses local executive committee authority. Our local chapter was granted in
September of 2014, six months after the historic club had been decommissioned.
We were able to provide 2016 Republican candidates with a place from which to
gather petitions and distribute literature, while staying abreast of party
developments. The historic club received a conditional charter from the State;
and, while this is welcomed news, it is not yet clear if the charter will be
returned to an unconditional status. That will be another bridge to gap; but,
for now, the goal of achieving a Republican organization in my home county,
that has both State and National support, has been achieved.
References
Brown, D.R. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization
Development. (8th ed.). Upper
Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Kohn, S. (2007, Nov. 5). A Tale
of Power & Vision. [Video file]. Retrieved from
No comments:
Post a Comment