On Mon, 2005-08-15 at 23:58 -0400, Louis Suarez-Potts wrote: > On Aug 15, 2005, at 8:25 PM, Daniel Carrera wrote: > > > Bruce Byfield wrote: > > > > > >> OOo had a good start about 15 months ago when Robin Miller from > >> the OSTG > >> group (Newsforge, Slashdot) gave an IRC seminar in how to write an > >> effective news release. Unfortunately, nobody in OOo seems to have > >> taken > >> what he said to heart. > >> > > > > I did. But trying to get a press release or an article through all > > the bureocracy is an exercise in frustration. I know of one > > volunteer who quit because she worked very hard for days on a press > > release that would have made interesting news and her work was > > promptly shot down. > > This is false, that getting a press release is a bureaucratic effort.
Why do people assume bureaucracy = evil? Some bureaucracy is necessary in running any organisation. Some bureaucratic effort is bound to be necessary from time to time. Its a by definition thing. You can't organise without some organisational bureaucracy. The real issue is whether or not the systems and procedures are perceived to get in the way or not. People are not generally motivated by procedures but they can be de-motivated by them even if the procedure itself is not the fundamental issue but perceived to be. The strongest motivator is recognition of their work. If that is true in paid work, its doubly true in volunteer work. If someone quit because she perceived her work was under-valued, whatever the rational explanation, the outcome is that she is a lost resource. The management equation becomes whether that person's work is in fact of such little consequence that she can go and no-one will worry. If on the otherhand that person's work is valuable, the leadership task is to keep them motivated. Ironically, applying logic to emotional issues is rather more difficult when one is part of the emotional matrix which is, I guess why companies pay a lot to external management consultants who can see things with detachment. -- Ian Lynch <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ZMSL --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
