ABSTRACT
A systemic knowledge of culture, of the nature of real possibilities and the power of context, lies at the heart of any understanding of managerial responsibility. This chapter identifies culture as the paradigmatic reference for certain communities of practice. Culture defines the realms of organizational possibilities and limits. The chapter uses sense-making both as a tool for reflection and guiding the understanding of programme culture to manage it successfully. It explores four cardinal skills and their interdependence: self-observation; self-description; self-realization; and self-creation. The chapter then introduces Scott's three principles of observation. Scott's first principle is that for any given observation there is always a bigger picture. Scott's second principle states that for any given observation there are always more details to be observed. Scott's third principle states that for any given observation there is an alternative perspective. Organizational mastery can systemically be described as an oscillating process which changes from self-realization to self-creation and back to self-realization feeding into self-creation.
