O.D. Institute Newsletter

May 2009

Don Cole: An Idealist on a Practical Mission

The Editor

            Don Cole inherited his practical idealism legitimately from his social work father who founded the Cleveland Children’s Bureau which ran for two decades and from his Calvinistic parents who taught him the value of hard work..  Don has said that he is motivated by a “mysterious force I cannot identify.”  Whatever the force, it was no doubt initially the voices of his mother and father telling him “to work hard and make a difference.” I have also heard him talk about his WW II experiences and especially about the Oath he took when his division linked up with the Russians on the Elbe River in 1945. There on the Elbe he and other solders, Russian and American, took the Oath to never allow a war like that to happen again. Don took that pledge seriously.  That Oath taken on the Elbe and the experiences that came before it surely increased the volume of that “mysterious voice.”

               From Williams’ Bay Wisconsin to South Africa, Poland, Serbia, Russia, Ireland, and Nicaragua to a bar in Cleveland Don talks about the possibility of peace “if we can just get people to talk together.”  Don is the ultimate “talk therapist.”  Don is no Carl Roger’s, however.  His approach is a cross between Chris Argyris and Sol Alinsky.  He never backs down when it comes to his belief in non bureaucratic approaches to organizing conferences or peace summits.  What has amazed me over the years is to see his approach work.  It works however, not because of his personal skill as a peace maker, but because of his unwavering belief in the process and his uncanny ability for getting the “right people in the room.”

               Don comes from the early school of OD with T-Groups, Tori Groups, Social Work and a year stint at Zürich studying at the Jungian Institute.  But most importantly, to know Don it is essential to grasp the influence of his Calvin heritage and the Oath he took on the Elbe.  Many who have worked with Don marvel at his intensity and drive, and are amazed at the results of his tireless lifelong effort to building peace and the profession of Organization Development. 

               To understand Don one must realize he is an idealist.  Don is certainly more of a Don Quixote than a Sancha Panza and that doesn’t bother him in the least.  He tilts at windmills, but the remarkable thing is they come crashing down.  Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other idealistic dreamers, Don sees peace where others don’t, and he carries his belief into conflicts where “angels dare not tread,” yet, others follow and the barriers to peace come down.

               One of Don’s earliest achievements came out of his work at TRW.  His book, Professional Suicide, was a direct attack upon what he called “organizational murder.”  According to Don, (Cole, 1979, p. 9)

“The term ‘professional suicide’ was coined by a major aero-space corporation to describe

a phenomenon they had observed on their own staff.  After a period of 3-5 years with the company, some of their brightest, most talented and hardest working employees would either begin to deteriorate or leave the organization. Some would:

1)                        Quite their jobs for other jobs far beneath their capabilities.

2)                        Become disruptive and do things for which the must have know would get them fired.

3)                        Quite working and gradually retired on the job.

4)                        Fail to keep up with the technology and allow themselves to gradually become outmoded.

5)                        Develop physical complaints of a classically psychosomatic nature such as backpacks, headaches, ulcers, etc.

6)                        Let themselves deteriorate to a point where they appeared headed for gradual physical suicide through excessive weight gain or the pressure of schedule.

The organization took the onus of blame off itself by calling the process ‘suicide.’ A clinically trained counselor was hired to help these employees with what the company had decided was their problem.”

                The book Professional Suicide can be purchased from The Organization Development Institute.  It would have been more appropriate to have called it Organizational Murder.  I haven’t discussed this with Don, but it has been my experience that book publisher choose the title, not the author.

               I do not know how much Don’s book, Professional Suicide, influenced corporate America or the field of OD.  I do know that other social workers did develop Employment Assistance Programs soon thereafter.  It is sad to say that organizations are still blaming workers rather than creating healthier cultures.  I do know that many of his other efforts such as the “Information Exchange,” “World OD Congress,” “Organization Development Journal,” and various “Peace Missions.” have changed lives and made a difference.

               Don’s contributions to the field of O.D. are too numerous to account for here in this short newsletter.  Why not join us at the 39^th Annual Information Exchange at the Beckwith Conference Center on Weeks Bay in Fairhope, Alabama, May 17^th-22, 2009 to learn More about Don and the O.D. Institute. You will need to make reservations for room and board at the Beckwith Conference Center http://www.beckwithccc.org or call 251-928-7844.

               Also come celebrate with members of The Boeing Company’s HR Department for receiving The Most Outstanding OD Project of the Year Award for 2009.

Reference:

Cole (1978). Professional Suicide or Organizational Murder?, Northeast Training News. 11, 1979, (p.9)

Organization Development Editor, Joel Finlay, odjed@yahoo.com,