Autonomy v Compulsion
An Intrinsic Tension
There is a specific inescapable applicable to all staff members, quite apart from the many other tensions. It focuses on whether staff can contribute in a natural, spontaneous and therefore ultimately autonomous fashion, or whether there are obligatory organizational requirements leading to choices being made under compulsion.
This tension is the dynamic duality required to construct any Tree framework. It is proposed that the way this duality plays out determines the socio-emotional state.
The proposed dynamic duality in is therefore:
Organizational compulsion—which flows from the necessity to accept the significance of the organization's survival and operating values.
versus
Personal autonomy—which draws on the staff member's energies, creativity, interests, ambitions, inclinations and needs.
It is evident that members depend on the organization having requirements and the organization depends on its members being creative. So neither pole can be denied and both are relevant at every level.
is optimal when organizational imperatives can be owned and accepted in a voluntary way as far as possible. However, because work and organizations have their own logic, compulsion is never fully absent.
Formulae - Diagrams
The effect of the dynamic duality on each grouping/level needs consideration. There is a well-established architectural principle that the two poles will create distinct Centres at some levels (L3, 5 & 6), while in others the polarity must be fused or synthesized to produce a balanced form (L1, 2 & 4).
However, this cannot be taken for granted. It needs to be established by analysis. In pursuing this analysis via text and diagrams:
- the personal autonomy pole will be indicated by a subscript P
- the organizational compulsion pole will be indicated by a subscript O
- a fusion or synthesis of the two poles will be indicated by a subscript B
(for balanced) .
Dominance: As a matter of convention, where there are 2 Centres in a level, the dominant Centre will be placed on the right in the Tree diagram. Balanced Centres are placed centrally in the Tree diagram
- Now apply this dynamic duality, Autonomy v Compulsion, to each of the Groupings/Levels so as to form Centres.
Originally posted: 23-May-2014.