CHAPTER 9
The Professional Assembly
The most powerful drive in the ascent of people is the pleasure in their own skill. They love to do what they do well, and having done it, they love to do it better.
—Jacob Bronowski
My dictionary defines an assembly as “a body of persons gathered together for a purpose.” This is rather close to the definition of organization given in Chapter 1—as collective action structured for the pursuit of common mission. But in some organizations, the people gather together less closely than in others. Welcome to the Professional Assembly.
Here, skilled people assemble to carry out their services: educate students, transplant hearts, make music, play baseball. It may look like they are working together, but mostly they ...
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