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Subject: Why Is Productive Tension Necessary?
Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 16:48:27 +1100
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From: "Bala Pillai"
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Anbulla Thamil Innaiyargale,
What is productive tension? Is it like the tension that keeps the deers and
the tigers to balance each other in nature -- overpopulation of one does not
kill the species itself? Below is an example of productive tension at work
in Wisconsin, USA.
Why is there little productive tension in Tamil society? Is it because we
are not equipped to express ourselves as well as the Americans? Is it
because we are less broad-base analytical? And if so, why? Does this
"lumped" head have us to resort to emotional outpours which is more often
destructive tension?
Is it because we overplay rote-learning and rules and underplay thinking and
supple minds?
Is it because our higher levels of denial has us to not to acknowledge our
lower levels of productive tension?
I have asked the questions that need to be asked. Please answer them -- it
might prevent your next emotional outburst.
anbudan../bala
bala@...
http://www.beloit.edu/~libhome/Archives/BEL/Peter.html
(excerpt)
The first, I believe, can be expressed in shorthand terms as productive
tension.
Most of us believe, except where the costs are too great to sustain, that
diversity, some competition, fine
teaching are components of an excellent educational system. Let's move from
jargon to example.
I believe the University of Wisconsin is a better place for learning and
teaching because there are private
colleges in the state that challenge it from time to time by choosing a
different route to academic
excellence. I believe it is good for Wisconsin and for all of higher
education that a college or a
university outside the state system differs from its public neighbors and
can, in its own wisdom, choose
to be different -- fly its own banner. I believe it is good for Beloit and
the other colleges and universities
of the state that there is a splendid University of Wisconsin System that
challenges us to examine our
own courses of action in light of the excellences and successes of the
University. The tension that results
can be productive -- provided, of course, each institution is
sympathetically and constructively critical of
the actions of the other, and respects the right of the other to exist.
Certainly no system can tolerate
waste, fly-by-night schemes and gimmickry, and because neither publicly nor
privately supported higher
education has a corner on these abuses, all must be alert to check each
other and to minimize the errors
in our various ways. Strong institutions such as Beloit contribute to this
kind of control which is so
essential to the general good. I expect as President to keep Beloit a
vigorous watchdog in maintaining
high quality higher education in Wisconsin.
