Information Management for Organizational Effectiveness
02 Oct 2026 | 1962 and our organizational memories
Before we talk about 1962 and our organizational memories, ...
... we'll watch Hans Rosling show us that maybe our memories are faulty and things are different if we pay attention
You don't have to read these unless you wish to ...
... but we might touch upon them in conversation
Organizations come into existence for the pursuit of specific purposes. Purpose demands coordination, planning, and supervision. It requires the systematic introduction of rationality criteria, of cause and effect, cost and benefit. The pursuit of purpose encourages behavior and structure aimed at reducing uncertainty. All of this gives rise to that characteristic organizational form, bureaucracy. The specificity of functions in a bureaucracy mirrors the specificity of its purposes.
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Posen, B. (1984).
The sources of military doctrine: France, Britain, and Germany between the world wars.
Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
pages 43-46
... inculcating a culture of historical-mindedness when dealing with present problems is a very important concept in leader development. Historical-mindedness helps to refine a logical thought structure for purposeful decisionmaking.
- The Role of Military History in the Education of Future Officers by Michael Evans, 1997.