9th December 2008, 08:10 PM
Hi to all. Apologies first of all if I sound a bit disjointed, am currently doing 7 days a week and am knackered. Having read through all the posts on this thread only once, I openly admit that my grasp of all comments thus far will be rudimentary.
In my view, whilst there are many faces of BAJR as a forum and website, the primary function for me is a space where professionals can discuss the failings of our industry in the hope that somehow, we can collectively promote change. With so many contributors who are specialists in their own fields, BAJR can be seen as a grass-roots collective and surely a vital asset to the "grown ups" steering us into the 21st century. I remember the introduction of "quality circles" into industries in the late 80s where failings were chewed over openly by the people who grappled with problems on a daily basis. The results were spectacular in the sense that the specialists themselves tabled and designed viable solutions and the management found themselves with a more cost-effective range of solutions that enhanced productivity.I would argue that the majority of BAJR subscribers discuss issues on this website simply because the grown-ups/management embodied by "other" organisations are either unwilling to accept that there are failings to be addressed or worse, that they are concinced that the people identifying failings are not qualified to do so. This, I feel is where BAJR could/should play a vital role. Take my favourite topic for example-professional standards. I have banged on for years over this issue but it goes something like this... working to standards is voluntary, standards are not effectively policed and they are interpreted and compromised into submission day in and day out. In my little world, I get to see the reality at the end of a long paper trail of grand project designs and method statements and it seems to be the case that so long as the paperwork is in place and the fees are paid-who cares? There are plenty of industries out there where workers lobby for more pay, longer holidays and bigger bonuses. I would argue that the archaeological community is fairly unique (alongside the NHS) in that they actually want to see the end product improve. Contributors to BAJR are those people. To argue that any BAJR Federation would not be seen as an alternative to other organisations makes me a bit uncomfortable. I certainly wouldn`t see BAJR as an opposition to other organisations but, I would join a BAJR organisation over and above others simply because in my view, the others have patently failed to achieve any substantial objectives that as a frontline worker, I see as vital. Moreover, the other main organisations have been hugely successful in turning blind eyes and deaf ears to the workforce over decades. I like the idea of a lobby group with teeth. I certainly dislike the idea of one of those silly organisations where committees and officers with silly titles (Life of Brian stylee) have a nasty habit of becoming autocracies and legends in their own lunchbreaks. We have plenty of those and they have succeeded in maintaining the status quo-the worst possible outcome in my view and a very expensive mistake for the industry and the finite resource on the whole.
..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)
In my view, whilst there are many faces of BAJR as a forum and website, the primary function for me is a space where professionals can discuss the failings of our industry in the hope that somehow, we can collectively promote change. With so many contributors who are specialists in their own fields, BAJR can be seen as a grass-roots collective and surely a vital asset to the "grown ups" steering us into the 21st century. I remember the introduction of "quality circles" into industries in the late 80s where failings were chewed over openly by the people who grappled with problems on a daily basis. The results were spectacular in the sense that the specialists themselves tabled and designed viable solutions and the management found themselves with a more cost-effective range of solutions that enhanced productivity.I would argue that the majority of BAJR subscribers discuss issues on this website simply because the grown-ups/management embodied by "other" organisations are either unwilling to accept that there are failings to be addressed or worse, that they are concinced that the people identifying failings are not qualified to do so. This, I feel is where BAJR could/should play a vital role. Take my favourite topic for example-professional standards. I have banged on for years over this issue but it goes something like this... working to standards is voluntary, standards are not effectively policed and they are interpreted and compromised into submission day in and day out. In my little world, I get to see the reality at the end of a long paper trail of grand project designs and method statements and it seems to be the case that so long as the paperwork is in place and the fees are paid-who cares? There are plenty of industries out there where workers lobby for more pay, longer holidays and bigger bonuses. I would argue that the archaeological community is fairly unique (alongside the NHS) in that they actually want to see the end product improve. Contributors to BAJR are those people. To argue that any BAJR Federation would not be seen as an alternative to other organisations makes me a bit uncomfortable. I certainly wouldn`t see BAJR as an opposition to other organisations but, I would join a BAJR organisation over and above others simply because in my view, the others have patently failed to achieve any substantial objectives that as a frontline worker, I see as vital. Moreover, the other main organisations have been hugely successful in turning blind eyes and deaf ears to the workforce over decades. I like the idea of a lobby group with teeth. I certainly dislike the idea of one of those silly organisations where committees and officers with silly titles (Life of Brian stylee) have a nasty habit of becoming autocracies and legends in their own lunchbreaks. We have plenty of those and they have succeeded in maintaining the status quo-the worst possible outcome in my view and a very expensive mistake for the industry and the finite resource on the whole.
..knowledge without action is insanity and action without knowledge is vanity..(imam ghazali,ayyuhal-walad)