Common Purpose - Cultural Uniformity?

[Allo Allo]

What to the skeps think about Common Purpose? I couldn't find it discussed here ever....

Will using one training system as is offered by Common Purpose, favoured by the government, impose a uniformity on all our bureaucracies, Tourism, NHS, Councils etc and all other aspects of our society, commerce, finance and the media. Do we have thousands of clones out there all networking with other clones? Common Purpose is all over the Northwest...regeneration and all that...Sane thoughts required please.

[Matt]

What to the skeps think about Common Purpose? I couldn't find it discussed here ever....

Will using one training system as is offered by Common Purpose, favoured by the government, impose a uniformity on all our bureaucracies, Tourism, NHS, Councils etc and all other aspects of our society, commerce, finance and the media. Do we have thousands of clones out there all networking with other clones? Common Purpose is all over the Northwest...regeneration and all that...Sane thoughts required please.

Never heard of it. A quick good later and I see what looks like yet another management guru led pile of BS, quickly followed by what looks like a conspiracy theorist claiming their takign over the world putting people in place for when the NWO take over under the guise of the EU.

All in all it makes me think of EST aka Landmark Forum etc

[Mulder]

A 'not impressed' angle http://www.tpuc.org/node/107

[lazerustheduck]

By the sounds of it a little common sense that anyone can tell you surrounded by a hell of a lot of corporate Woo.

[Tim the Mage]

A 'not impressed' angle http://www.tpuc.org/node/107

..my more intelligent alter ego has been a coach on Common Purpose leadership and Matrix courses and my better half is a CP graduate. Found this paranoid stuff rather humerous and a load of woo.

But then I'm part of this evil conspiracy!

[Mulder]

I tried to read their stuff (Common Purpose, that is) but it sent me to sleep. That's the effect 'inspirational' words have on me these days. I've just been around too long and seen too much shit to ever be inspired again.

[Allo Allo]

..my more intelligent alter ego has been a coach on Common Purpose leadership and Matrix courses and my better half is a CP graduate. Found this paranoid stuff rather humerous and a load of woo.

But then I'm part of this evil conspiracy!

Well, how would you know?

Leaving aside the woo conspiracy stuff, there is something 'creepy' about one organisation - with many different names - training all our leaders! That sits very badly with me. I have just left a job in tourism - it didn't matter which Tourist Board, County Council or Regeneration Committee I talked to, they all spoke the same 'speak'. The 'language' is very easy to recognise - regurgitated bullshit. Some of our village 'leaders' have been off for 'training' - and guess what language they are speaking now! My village is hair-raisingly nepotistic. So I might be extra sensitive. I imagine England covered with a spider's web of networking brainwashed zombies all walking the walk and talking the talk of Common Purpose.

It's not your personal fault - you are just another Common Purpose zombie. You are being used! Your brains are already not your own! Wake up!

Leave aside ALL the conspiracy....and perhaps you don't even understand this yourself - but there is something not ethical in any Government using one company's training methods to train what will one day amount to hundreds of thousands of of influencial (not ordinary) people. This needs to unnerve you.

At school, every person is given an equal amount of brainwashing - but Common Purpose training ensures that some people are more brainwashed than others! Our LEADERS for god's sake.

And if you are reading this and hate 'management training' for what it is - IMAGINE the future!

[Allo Allo]

In my first post, I asked for some sane words about Common Purpose. Since then, I have inflamed my mind by thinking about it. I have always hated organisations, religions, and systems that meddle with people minds! I have kept away from all such things - I don't even belong to a caravan club! I can't remember feeling the way I do about Common Purpose right now. I had never heard of it. For a while I have been uneasy about what has gone on in the Tourist Industry and our village - but unable to describe exactly the 'impurity'. The impurity just dawned on me today - so I apologise for my rant. I am not wanting to hurt personal feelings....

[Mongrel]

You may want to rein it in a bit Allo.

Believe me I know where you're coming from on BS management courses but most of the time it's only certain levels of management who get enthused by it; they then filter it down the company to the middle management (who's job is get enthused by anything the top managers say, who pass it on to the lowly employee (them's that do the actual work ). Employees turn up to the mandatory training, take the piss out of it and carry on as if nothing had happened. Not long after there's not even a lingering smell and the handouts have been recycled and the management have been caught up in the latest trend.

Laughably most of them seem to be about getting the average employee to feel good about himself and doing their job right. If they'd actually asked, generally all we want is proper training, being told we're doing a good job, no micromanagement, no bullshit courses and maybe a few beverages on the company CC

[Pebble]

Perhaps I am missing the point but I fail to see the problem here.

There have been increasingly sophisticated management courses over the past 40 years, and this is a fairly natural evolution - one that recognizes the problems of living in a complex society.

Agreed that much of the motivational stuff is pure pseudopsychology, but in reality we want leaders in society and business, we want these people to realize that what happens in one area of ones life has impacts elsewhere, we want leaders to be aware that poor communication between and within organizations is one of the main causes of inefficiency and frustration etc.

So someone had the bright idea of catering for these perceived needs and is more successful than other management training organizations - surprise.

In principle this appears to be an agnostic/atheist organization that is seeking to provide/develop an evidence base for improving leadership training. Is this not a skeptical approach to a traditionally woo area?

[Allo Allo]

You may want to rein it in a bit Allo.

Yes - you are probably right. But having 'slept on it' another night, I don't see it as anything else but mass brainwashing of many minds. The Religion of Common Purpose.

[Allo Allo]

Perhaps I am missing the point but I fail to see the problem here.

There have been increasingly sophisticated management courses over the past 40 years, and this is a fairly natural evolution - one that recognizes the problems of living in a complex society.

Agreed that much of the motivational stuff is pure pseudopsychology, but in reality we want leaders in society and business, we want these people to realize that what happens in one area of ones life has impacts elsewhere, we want leaders to be aware that poor communication between and within organizations is one of the main causes of inefficiency and frustration etc.

So someone had the bright idea of catering for these perceived needs and is more successful than other management training organizations - surprise.

In principle this appears to be an agnostic/atheist organization that is seeking to provide/develop an evidence base for improving leadership training. Is this not a skeptical approach to a traditionally woo area?

Isn't the point that ONE system (under various names) has the monoploly to entrain the thought processes of 'future' leaders - might standardise leadership...make it uniform...make it conform. One method suits all? That's the problem I see, but you don't see. If this were a Christian Organisation you would quickly see the problem. It's a way of thinking being spread right across the UK by a Company that is in bed with the Government - how do we know it is a good system? To which other system can we compare it? What is 'an evidence base for imroving leadership' ? We don't need pre-packaged leaders all stamped with the trademark 'Common Purpose Product'. Do you not feel the drive for uniformity/conformity that is occurring in this country?


I want leaders that have the wisdom to notice that they are only products of a trend to which they don't have to conform.


"If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good."
Thomas J. Watson, Jr.

[Pebble]

Isn't the point that ONE system (under various names) has the monoploly to entrain the thought processes of 'future' leaders - might standardise leadership...make it uniform...make it conform. One method suits all? That's the problem I see, but you don't see. If this were a Christian Organisation you would quickly see the problem. It's a way of thinking being spread right across the UK by a Company that is in bed with the Government - how do we know it is a good system? To which other system can we compare it? What is 'an evidence base for imroving leadership' ? We don't need pre-packaged leaders all stamped with the trademark 'Common Purpose Product'. Do you not feel the drive for uniformity/conformity that is occurring in this country?


I want leaders that have the wisdom to notice that they are only products of a trend to which they don't have to conform.


"If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good."
Thomas J. Watson, Jr.

Having been on leadership courses (non UK company completely independent of this group), the one thing that was clear to me was any attempt to 'brainwash' the individuals on said courses was a complete non starter. You can provide a similar skill set, but the level of cynicism for theories of management and motivation was such that you might as well be training cats to herd.

[Tim the Mage]

I do think we're getting just a tad paranoid here chaps.

Common Purpose serves the same function in society as the masons, Rotary, Lions, and many other groups. The training is irrelevent, it's about networks and contacts. That's why people sign up and do the course - they get a good set of personal contacts working in the same place.

It's full of lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, local government officers and folk from the NHS and police talking bollocks to eachother about what they do. It's not a threat to society but rather a sysmptom of society's (if there is such a thing of course ) failings.

[Allo Allo]

I do think we're getting just a tad paranoid here chaps.

Common Purpose serves the same function in society as the masons, Rotary, Lions, and many other groups. The training is irrelevent, it's about networks and contacts. That's why people sign up and do the course - they get a good set of personal contacts working in the same place.

It's full of lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, local government officers and folk from the NHS and police talking bollocks to eachother about what they do. It's not a threat to society but rather a sysmptom of society's (if there is such a thing of course ) failings.

Words fail me....the point is made so clearly here...nepotism heaven...what more is there to say ? The only thing to add is that people are selected and 'trained' in Common Purpose - very relevant I would think - the Rotary Club, Lions and many other groups are not. Though I know nothing of the Masons.