Prisoners of Myth

I can check off my list, "read Prisoners of Myth for Org Theory/Admin Behavior." I finished the book this past weekend and wrote my critique on Sunday.

Some may not realize how great of an accomplishment this is for me. I am not a reader; never was a reader; will probably never become a reader. Growing up my parents would pay me to read, LITERALLY.

At a very young age my parents realized that money motivated me. I would do what they asked and then some if there was a monetary reward. It started when I was a toddler. My mom would hide coins for me to discover when I helped her dust. When I was in Elementary school and then later Junior High, like I mentioned, they would pay me to read. When I became a teenager, my dad would pay me to wash and vacuum out his car.

So, the fact that I read an entire book for no immediate monetary reward is a HUGE deal.

Now, about the book. The author, Erwin C. Hargrove, wrote the book with the purpose of identifying what reasons led to the numerous failures made by the TVA. His book is a study of the TVA board members and general managers from its birth in the early 1930's to 1990. Chronologically going through the TVA executives, Hargrove pinpoints the myths*** that imprisoned the leadership. (***“myths are beliefs about the purposes of the organization and the ways it should go about accomplishing them...Organizational myths are not falsehoods but aspirations of purpose and ideals for action.”)

He concludes by offering three theories regarding the mistakes the TVA made and why they failed: 1.) “the persistence in the face of success,” 2.) “organizational leaders who seek to arrest organizational decline through reform and innovation may fail because they are unable to overcome the opposition of those persons, groups and constituencies that have strong stakes in the practices that are to be changed,” and 3.) “in the absence of effective ‘political leadership,’ the ‘technical rationality’ that has sustained the core functions of the organization is not sufficient for constructively relating the organization to new demands from its environment.”

Nearly every day, I travel past the TVA. After reading this book, I have a different view of that old, white building with tiny windows. I can't help but feel pity. It's like an athlete who remains in the sport long past their prime; if only they had gone out while still on top.