In the second part of this two-part episode of The Idealcast, Gene Kim continues his conversation with Dr. Ron Westrum, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Eastern Michigan University and creator of the Westrum organization typology model.
In part two of their conversation, Kim and Westrum talk about generative cultures and why Westrum thinks they are more important now than it they were a hundred years ago. Westrum also shares his observations on the increasing number of functional specialities in organizations. He discusses the challenges that arise from having matrixed organizations and the tools to overcome these challenges.
Finally, Westrum previews the new book he’s working on about information flow within organizations.
ABOUT THE GUEST
Ron Westrum is Emeritus Professor of sociology at Eastern Michigan University. He holds a B.A. (honors) from Harvard University and a Ph.D in Sociology from the University of Chicago.
Dr. Westrum is a specialist in the sociology of science and technology, and on complex organizations. He has written three books, Complex Organizations: Growth, Development and Change; Technologies and Society: The Shaping of People and Things, and Sidewinder: Creative Missile Design at China Lake. He has also written about fifty articles and book chapters. His work on organizational culture has been valuable for the aviation industry and to medical safety, as well as to other areas of endeavor. He has been a consultant to NASA, the National Research Council, and the Resilience Core Group. He is currently at work on a book on information flow cultures.
YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT
Why Westrum thinks creating generative cultures is more important now than it was 100 years ago
His observations on the increasing number of functional specialities and how long it’s been going on
The challenges that arise from having matrix organizations and the tools to overcome these challenges
The book he’s working on about information flow within organizations, what areas he’s pursuing and what has surprised him as he delves into specific examples
RESOURCES
The Sociology and Typologies of Organizations, and Technical Maestros with Dr. Ron Westrum
Sidewinder: Creative Missile Design at China Lake by Ron Westrum
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
The Citigroup Center (formerly Citicorp Center)
Latent human error
Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II by Arthur Herman
Admiral Thomas Moore
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Lying to Ourselves: Dishonesty in the Army Profession by Dr. Leonard Wong and Dr. Stephen J. Gerras
The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today by Thomas E. Ricks
The Inmates Are Running the Asylum: Why High Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity by Alan Cooper
Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by General Stanley A. McChrystal with Chris Fussell, David Silverman, Tantum Collins
Hubble Space Telescope
NOVA - Aircraft Carrier
21st Century Jet - Building the Boeing 777
Boeing to Buy McDonnell Douglas
Extended-range Twin-engine Operations Performance Standards (ETOPS)
Alan Mulally
Technology in Retrospect and Critical Events in Science (TRACES)
General George C. Marshall
The Marshall Plan on NPR’s Planet Money
2015 State Of DevOps Report
Westrum organizational culture
The study of information flow: A personal journey by Ron Westrum
Stand and Deliver
Mayo Clinic
How a Friendly Fire Tragedy in Sicily Transformed Airborne Warfare
The New Heat On Ford
Email Ron Westrum
TIMESTAMPS
[00:00] Intro
[02:39] Why generative cultures are more important now
[14:50] Exposing latent pathogens
[19:39] Gene’s thoughts and a few corrections
[28:59] The increase in silos
[34:53] How Westrum would organize the organization
[40:42] Why matrix organizations are fundamentally unstable and how to cope
[44:57] LaunchDarkly and DevOps Enterprise Summit Virtual
[46:47] Matrix organizations and how to help increase likelihoo
