this goes in the “no kidding?” department. i had no idea Grace Hopper was the originator. here’s the quote: If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission. - Admiral Grace Hopper as a person who spends a fair amount of time in the five stages of Oops, i’m very interested in seeing the draft versions of the theory. On Mar 1, 2014, at 3:01 AM, Avri Doria <avri@acm.org> wrote:
Hi,
The reason I did not quote directly and used the paraphrased construction I did, is because I do not believe they yet gotten to the stage of asking forgiveness though in time they may.
Just as there are five stage of grief, there may be five stages of Oops! (Theory to Be Developed)
Might be better phrased as:
"It is better to give an excuse later than ask permission"
(-; An aside: the original quote is attributed to Grace Murray Hopper, a most distinguished woman in our field, and not from the Junior Space-Rangers. Unfortunately I do not have the specific reference at hand. )
cheers from Geneva, land of juxtaposed words and ambiguous phrases, signifying nothing.
avri
On 26-Feb-14 13:50, Mike O'Connor wrote:
hi all,
i believe the official phrase from the Junior Space-Rangers Management Handbook is "it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission” and i agree with Avri and Maria — that’s an approach that only works once in a while. another phrase from that same Handbook reads “the beatings will continue until morale improves.”
on a more serious note, i think one way to make sense out of what is going on is to compare the tension between the community and the administration with the tension that exists between the faculty and the administration of an institution of higher education. i still have lumps in my head from when i learned these lessons the hard way.
- faculty (community) should be careful not to run the institutional infrastructure
- administration should be careful not to deliver the core mission
- talk in advance when it is not clear who should be taking the lead
- everybody should know whether the Board is active or passive and react appropriately
we’re pretty seriously out of tolerances on all four of these right now, in my view. and we appear to be in a runaway positive feedback loop that’s amplifying the problem rather than damping it down.
mikey
On Feb 26, 2014, at 3:15 AM, Maria Farrell <maria.farrell@gmail.com <mailto:maria.farrell@gmail.com>> wrote:
Thanks for the note, Marika.
I share Avri's concern, not least because "acting first and explaining later" too often becomes "acting first and thinking later", as the perspectives of those kept outside the clique turn out to have been essential to include to form a balanced and comprehensive picture.
And no amount of post hoc rationalising ever wins you back hearts and minds.
Maria
On 26 February 2014 09:06, Avri Doria <avri@acm.org <mailto:avri@acm.org>> wrote:
Hi,
I can only say that I wish this had all been done before the groups were formed as opposed to after, and that the support and advice of the SO/AC had been obtained before they were created and they began their work. This would have given them a degree of legitimacy, I for one, do not believe they can acquire through post-facto explanation.
I know there is theory in management of acting first and explaining later, and in emergencies this is can be an appropriate method. However as it becomes standard in ICANN management, it becomes less and less acceptable as a method.
Thanks
avri
On 26-Feb-14 09:56, Marika Konings wrote:
Dear All,
For your information, you can find a video with Theresa Swinehart, Sr Advisor to the President on Strategy, on the creation of the President's Global Advisory Groups which provides some further information on the background and objective of these groups at http://www.icann.org/en/news/__press/kits/video-__globalization-advisory-gro... <http://www.icann.org/en/news/press/kits/video-globalization-advisory-groups-25feb14-en.htm>.
Best regards,
Marika
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