Practicing Organization Development (A guide for Consultants) - Part 69 pps

But what people really need to do is look at problems from many perspectives, and that is simply not possible when people are overloaded and afraid.. But right now I think that systems t

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But then you look at modern organizations We keep shortening our language and expressions Think about how teenagers use online chat rooms They sim-ply select icons to indicate a thought or feeling They do not really express them-selves They just select an icon And so it is too often in today’s organizations

We do not have time for open-ended, unstructured discussions and time together And what is happening to our relationships as a result of that? The more we rely on the abbreviated expressions of e-mail, the testier people become People misread communication that is so abbreviated The more people substitute quick e-mails for real communication, the more we sacrifice ourselves

A few years ago people at Microsoft invented the term facemail It refers to

face-to-face communication Think about that! Although we cannot live with-out each other, we have to coin a word to indicate what ought to be the most basic, fundamental, and expected form of communication With that thought

as backdrop, think about what speed has deprived you of in the very relation-ships that should nourish you at work and at home

Dealing with Fear

There is one other troubling aspect about living in our times That is the in-crease in fear

I travel frequently, and that means I step outside our culture and step back

in about once a month And this is giving me a very good lens on the shock treatments to which we are being subjected It seems so clear to me how much

of our culture is now focused around fear We are told to fear this, fear that, fear whatever If I were to describe where we are, it would be that we are moving deeper into fear I think we need to notice what happens to us during the times

of fear

Parker Palmer taught me years ago that every world religion has the same fundamental view that people should not be afraid (Palmer & Marty, 1983) And why is that? It seems to me that fear leads to the loss of our humanity, our gen-erosity, and our willingness to be interested in others And you may be able to track that problem in your organization

How do people respond when they are afraid? After 9/11, fear was prevalent everywhere During that crisis—and the unending series of crises that have fol-lowed on it—how have people reacted? Have you seen the best or worst in them? Have you seen selfless or self-serving behaviors? In a recent biography

out on Lyndon Baines Johnson, the author has coined a wonderful phrase: that power does not corrupt so much as reveal us (Hershman, 2002) I feel the same

way about crises Any crisis situation reveals who we really are So you can look

at yourself, you can look at those you love, you can look at your organizational colleagues and ask yourself, What is fear or crisis revealing? When people are afraid, their brains shut down They lose their memory and their ability to see patterns

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Again, I would invite you to reflect on your own organization As people become afraid, they lose the ability to see patterns—to look at the big picture People are losing the willingness and ability to look beyond their own work right now As we become more overloaded, and more afraid, we drive each other to some state that is beyond exhaustion But what people really need to

do is look at problems from many perspectives, and that is simply not possible when people are overloaded and afraid

It leads me to reflect on systems thinking I have been focused on systems thinking for years But right now I think that systems thinking is not possible—

or at least not very easy—when people are overloaded, beyond exhaustion, and afraid

I have also noticed that it is increasingly difficult to call people together It simply takes longer for people to find the time to breathe together, think together, and then work through fears and a sense of being overwhelmed to reach creative ideas about how to solve problems or seize opportunities I am curious whether you see these problems in your organization

Another thing that happens is that, when we are afraid, we lose our desire

to integrate with others It just seems so obvious to me When we fear, we for-get about participation, we forfor-get about people, and we forfor-get about what peo-ple need We just do whatever we think we need to do to survive

I was in Silicon Valley not long ago The glory days are over, of course Did you know that the unemployment rate in Silicon Valley was around 27 percent mid-year 2003 and that local newspapers refused to publish that fact? And you can tell because traffic is almost nonexistent

When they held Comdex, the big computer annual trade show, in Silicon Val-ley, they had banners announcing the conference slogan: “Take Charge, Take Control, Take Command.” When I saw that, I thought to myself, “Now, there is wishful thinking.” But it does express a deeply held wish by many that, as the times become more scary, we want to take back control from the events that seem to overwhelm us Yet if we’re to truly regain any sense of control, we can only do that through slowing down, engaging more people, and thinking through how to develop intelligent solutions But it seems we are in survival mode in many places right now A close friend of mine, who was a very senior executive

at Intel until recently, went back to visit for the funeral of his mentor His men-tor was a wonderful man who had brought in a number of mavericks and inno-vators in Intel’s early years As this core of pioneers and innoinno-vators during the great days of Intel were all brought together again, they realized that today they would not be hired at Intel because they were too pioneering and too innovative Right now the hiring profile is to find safe people who will say yes

And so, I ask you, do you see in your organizations—or those you consult with—that power is being pulled back to the top? Or do you see that participa-tion is growing and that trust in the people of the organizaparticipa-tion is on the increase? Which is it?

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If you have heard me speak before, you have heard me say that, as risk lev-els increase, the only truly effective thing we can do is develop extraordinary trust in people When things get tough, uncertain, turbulent, chaotic, the only thing we can trust is each other, our commitment, and our sense making And where I learned this was by watching the Special Forces

Now we have all seen how the Special Forces operate recently But in the early 1990s I had the opportunity to visit the Special Forces What I saw has stayed with me ever since The leaders of the Special Forces knew that they had

to send out young men who are very enthusiastic, trained, and well-selected into high-risk situations where there often would not be a commander present They learned early on that, in that situation, you need to depend on the individual’s intelligence So they spend as much time teaching people to think well as in training them physically or in the use of weaponry

I had occasion to observe the same principle when I went to visit a DuPont chemical plant, the manufacturer of fifteen very toxic chemicals The way to create safety in that manufacturing environment is to build trust and fully engage people in making intelligent decisions They trusted people to use their judgment and make good decisions as needed, without waiting for anyone above them in the organizational hierarchy

So for me the lesson is clear The way out of a difficult, chaotic, and uncer-tain time is to develop far greater capacity among everybody in our organiza-tions But I have to say I see it going the other way right now And that is a tragedy because we will not get the security and safety that we think we need

by letting all the power gravitate to the top

As we deal with more stress and more fear in the future, we must learn that letting power go to the top is leading to doom and suicide We cannot let that con-tinue

COPING WITH THE TIMES

I want to give you some ideas about how I think we might be able to cope with the times and deal with the stress, fear, and overload that we are facing

My first idea is that the only thing that we can really depend on is each other.

We cannot depend on plans We cannot depend on technologies And we cannot depend on anything except our own human capacity

My second idea is that I believe we need to start looking at every process we choose and ask whether it creates a stronger social fabric What does a proposed

process, or a proposed decision, do to our relationships? You can just ask that question when you are making a decision Ask questions like (1) Does this process we propose bring more people in? (2) Does it rely on people’s intelli-gence? (3) Does it bring in more diversity? I do not mean just the kind of diver-sity we can see but different perceptions of what is going on in the world

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My third idea is to ask this: What does this process do to help us make mean-ing together? Right now, we too often do not make meanmean-ing together We do not build community So when we face a decision, we should ask: Does this process allow us to make meaning together and to develop shared meaning? I have found

in my own work that, in the most difficult circumstances, if people can just come together and talk truthfully to each other, that is often enough We do not need to fix a bad situation so much as simply get together and talk about it And it is amazing how motivating it is to speak the truth in an organization with your colleagues It does not matter how bad the situation is—it can be moti-vating if we know honestly what is going on and share that with each other

CARING, CONTRIBUTION, AND CREATIVITY

I just came out of a board meeting in Chicago with my own non-profit institute And we learned the importance of three C words—caring, contribution, and cre-ativity While I am not a big fan of catchy slogans or clever phrasing like that, I

do believe it can be helpful here

Caring

Does the process you are about to choose bring out people’s caring? This word caring is strange I ran across it, surprisingly, while reading about knowledge

management In several studies in knowledge management, the success of the

effort hinges on the willingness of people to share their knowledge with

col-leagues “Caring” became a critical factor in predicting whether knowledge would be shared or not

People who feel cared for share their knowledge That is not strange at all If

I care about this organization, then I will tell you what I know If I feel that the leadership of the organization cares about me, I will tell you what I know But

if I feel that I am being treated like a robot or an automaton, or if I believe the organization lacks integrity, I will not share what I know So caring and feeling cared about become fundamental in success It is not the billions of investment

on technology It comes down to a very human need

Contribution

People will make a contribution if they feel cared for That is the second prin-ciple Another way of saying this is to look at the process you are planning to

use and ask “What is the level of respect in the process for people’s intelligence?” and “What is the expectation about what they can contribute?” Are we just

involving them because we feel that we must? Or are we doing it because we know that a process is useful only when it invites people to contribute and is respectful of them?

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When people feel cared for and they feel that their contributions matter, then they become more creative Whether we go to school, come out of a terrible family situation, or come from a terrible national situation, if we feel respected and are asked to contribute, it is amazing how creative people can become I have worked in underdeveloped nations where I am constantly amazed at how terrible circumstances can lead people to be creative if they feel they are cared for and feel that they are invited to contribute

CONCLUSION

What I have offered here is intended to bring out the best in people in the worst

of times For all the overload, stress, and fear we face, if we can take the time to reflect on what we are doing and how we are doing it and we can come together and deal with the problems we face, then we will be up to the challenge

I was just working with a nun who set up a wonderful program globally She was feeling bad, as most people do who work globally and see how terrible the conditions are in the world for such a large part of humanity She was trying

to console some of her sisters She acknowledged that people can become exhausted as they try to solve problems in the world It can all seem so over-whelming

But the point here is that you cannot afford to be too tired You must be will-ing to assume leadership to relieve the fractures that exist in this world And that principle holds as true for our organizations today as it does for those who work in underdeveloped nations I would just ask you how willing you are to assume leadership to help people get together Can you assume leadership in your organizations to help people slow down long enough for some reflection?

I think it is important now to know what to take a stand for these days For

me the answer is that we must be willing to take leadership to help people build stronger relationships and work together I would ask you to look at what you are doing to see if you are participating with many of us in trying to strengthen the web of human relationships in this time

References

Hershman, D (2002) Power beyond reason: The mental collapse of Lyndon Johnson.

Fort Lee, NJ: Barricade Books.

Janov, A (2000) The biology of love Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.

Palmer, P., & Marty, M (1983) Company of strangers: Christians and the renewal of America’s public life Edmore, MI: Crossroads Press.

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APPENDIX I

A SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR OD COMPETENCIES Christopher G Worley, William J Rothwell, and Roland S Sullivan

656

Directions: Use this assessment instrument to identify how important various

competencies associated with success in OD are to your job in your organization and how much need you have for professional development For each

compe-tency and work activity area listed in the left column below, circle an appropri-ate response code in the right column to indicappropri-ate how much need for professional development you feel you have in this work activity area Use the following scale

for the right column: 1 = no need; 2 = some need; 3 = need; 4 = much need; 5 = very great need When you finish the rating, use it as a discussion

tool with your immediate supervisor or other relevant stakeholders to identify areas for your professional development in OD and as a foundation for estab-lishing a professional developmental plan in OD

by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley www.pfeiffer.com

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Need for Professional Development

No Need Very Great Need

Competency Category: Self-Mastery

An effective OD practitioner can

1 Be aware of how one’s biases influence 1 2 3 4 5 interaction

2 Consult driven by their personal values 1 2 3 4 5

6 Recognize when personal feelings 1 2 3 4 5 have been aroused

under stress

8 Resolve ethical issues with integrity 1 2 3 4 5

9 Avoid getting personal needs met at 1 2 3 4 5 the expense of the client

10 Solicit feedback from others about 1 2 3 4 5 your impact on them

Competency Category: Ability to Measure Positive Change

11 Choose appropriate evaluation methods 1 2 3 4 5

13 Ensure evaluation method is valid 1 2 3 4 5

14 Ensure evaluation method is reliable 1 2 3 4 5

15 Ensure evaluation method is practical 1 2 3 4 5

Competency Category: Clarify Data Needs

collection process

by permission of Pfeiffer, an Imprint of Wiley www.pfeiffer.com

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17 Determine the types of data needed 1 2 3 4 5

18 Determine the amount of data needed 1 2 3 4 5

Competency Category: Facilitate Transition and Adoption

19 Help manage impact to related systems 1 2 3 4 5

20 Use information to create positive change 1 2 3 4 5

internal consultant or client

so learning is continuous

23 Mobilize additional internal resources 1 2 3 4 5

to support the ongoing change process

24 Determine the parts of the organization 1 2 3 4 5 that warrant a special focus of attention

25 Ensure that learning will continue 1 2 3 4 5

Competency Category: Integrate Theory and Practice

26 Present the theoretical foundations 1 2 3 4 5

of change

27 Articulate an initial change process 1 2 3 4 5

to use

and practice

systems theory

30 Utilize a solid conceptual framework 1 2 3 4 5 based on research

Competency Category: Stay Current in Technology

31 Use the latest technology effectively 1 2 3 4 5

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Competency Category: Ability to Work with Large Systems

33 Facilitate large group (70–2,000 1 2 3 4 5 people) interventions

international OD effectively

35 Function effectively as an internal 1 2 3 4 5 consultant

36 Demonstrate the ability to conduct 1 2 3 4 5 transorganizational development

37 Demonstrate the ability to conduct 1 2 3 4 5 community change and

development

38 Utilize a change model to guide whole 1 2 3 4 5 system change or transformation

Competency Category: Participatively Create

a Good Implementation Plan

39 Co-create an implementation plan 1 2 3 4 5 that is (1) concrete; (2) simple;

(3) clear; (4) measurable;

(5) rewarded; and (6) consisting

of logically sequenced activities

Competency Category: Understand Research Methods

40 Utilize appropriate mix of methods 1 2 3 4 5

to ensure (1) efficiency;

(2) objectivity; and (3) validity

collection technology

appropriate

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Competency Category: Manage Diversity

decision-making process

44 Be aware of the influences of cultural 1 2 3 4 5 dynamics on interactions with others

45 Interpret cross-cultural influences 1 2 3 4 5

in a helpful manner

46 Handle diversity and diverse situations 1 2 3 4 5 skillfully

Competency Category: Clarify Roles

An effective OD practitioner can

47 Clarify the role of the consultant 1 2 3 4 5

Competency Category: Address Power

50 Identify and engage informal power 1 2 3 4 5

Competency Category: Keep an Open Mind

52 Suspend judgment while gathering data 1 2 3 4 5

53 Suppress hurtful comments during 1 2 3 4 5 data gathering

Competency Category: Help Clients Own the Change Process

55 Instill responsibility for follow-through 1 2 3 4 5

56 Collaboratively design the change process 1 2 3 4 5

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