You worked hard since last summer. You wrote proposals. You prepared contracts. You authored surveys. You designed and facilitated retreats. You did interviews. You coached. You mentored. You even got paid. Whew! It's time to kick back for once and come to a night with a little food for your brain, a little food for your body, and the chance to talk, network, or just pass the time with your colleagues. 

Join us to:

• take part in an OD dialogue on advocacy. National ODN is  sponsoring an examination of values OD practitioners, as a profession, should espouse. This is your chance to sound off on a lot of hot issues - such as "what does OD bring to the table that justifies their presence when major decisions are made in organizations?" and "what position should OD practitioners take when arbitrary personnel decisions are made during a merger?" We'll do this by discussing some scenarios.
    

• party outside on Dave & Buster's deck. OD folks know how to party so you won't need a design or an agenda, flip charts won't record the dialogue. We'll move inside if it rains (but it won't).

How do we center ourselves in the middle of a confusing, conflict ridden client system? How do we "hold the space" for possibility, for helping the client to view challenges with a fresh perspective.

In this program we will use our physical selves to explore these two questions.

Using a movement practice called Authentic Movement as a basis, we will experiment with listening to our bodies for cues: identifying where in our bodies the tension resides when we are absorbing the client’s feelings, for example, or paying attention to where our energy gets stuck and experimenting with shifting that energy.

Through a variety of activities, including structured warm-up, guided movement and the practice of observing while others are moving, we will experiment with:

1) How to be open to others’ energy but not derailed by it;
2) How to be aware on an energetic level of the client/consultant relationship;
3) How to communicate our observations and perspectives to strengthen our consulting and help our clients.

 .

Martha Lask has been involved in dance and movement for more than 30 years, as a dancer and choreographer and enthusiast. She has experimented with many different kinds of body work and movement work including effort shape movement analysis, Alexander technique and Bartienieff Fundamentals. She originally became involved in OD through an interest in dance therapy, which led her instead to the behavioral sciences and the AU/NTL program. Four years ago she completed a yearlong certificate program in Contemplative Dance/Authentic Movement. Martha currently focuses her independent OD practice on executive coaching of private and not-for-profit managers and directors, mediating and facilitating communication and dialogue in a variety of group settings, and training design and delivery. She has a specialty in setting up mentoring systems and teaching coaching skills and is the founder of PRODN’s MentorNet. She is particularly interested in incorporating Appreciative Inquiry principles into her work and exploring the intersection between OD and energy work through dance and movement

In this session Rick will describe the methods used to support the ongoing transformation of Prudential Insurance Company. The intervention that was created, called "One Prudential Exchange", has been bringing together Prudential’s 55,000 employees in a variety of dialogue-intensive formats over the past three years.

Once a stodgy, traditional insurance company, Prudential is striving to become a modern financial services powerhouse, in part by using these methods of engaging its employees as key stakeholders in creating the changes it needs to undergo.

Rick will spell out the approach that the team of 40 internal and external consultants is taking as this massive OD intervention unfolds. To illustrate the scope and scale of this intervention, 250 meetings of over 200 employees was conducted in 12 cities in the first phase alone. We’ll learn how the Prudential intervention was conceived and how executive support for it was obtained. Methods for assessing the intervention’s effectiveness, and the results, will also be discussed.

Richard McKnight has consulted to corporations for over 25 years. His work focuses on all aspects of strategy implementation including strategy communication, translation of strategy into measurable objectives, work systems redesign, and performance measurement and tracking systems.

Dr. McKnight has consulted to senior executives of over three dozen corporations including Prudential Insurance Company, KeyCorp, Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Okidata, SmithKlineBeecham, Sun Company, Inc., The DuPont Company, Rhône-Poulenc (chemicals), Avery Dennison, and CoreStates Financial Corporation.

Richard McKnight holds degrees from Montana State University, the University of Washington, and Temple University. His Doctorate is in organizational psychology.

The Enneagram is an ancient psychological typology that describes the nine personality types of human nature and their complex inter-relationships. It is a powerful tool for understanding human beings: their behaviors, motivations, values, thinking styles, and approach to problem-solving, and is being used by a growing number of organizations to improve both individual and team performance. The Enneagram not only raises self-awareness about one's personality and relationships with others, but also describes a path for personal growth. This presentation will provide an introduction to the Enneagram and an opportunity for you to begin to discover your own type. A web reference for the Enneagram is www.EnneagramInstitute.com.

Jean will have the Enneagram available for those who wish to take it during the program. It only takes a few minutes. If you are interested in taking the Enneagram, please bring $10 in cash or check made out to Jean to cover the cost.

About Jean Hurd: Jean has been studying the Enneagram for over ten years and is a Riso-Hudson trained Enneagram instructor. She is co-founder of Janus Consulting (www.janusconsulting.com) and works primarily with organizations involved in major business change efforts. She provides education, coaching and facilitation with particular emphasis on understanding individual personality styles, resistance to change, communication, problem-solving and leadership styles, and personal change planning. Prior to forming Janus Consulting she held consulting, management and technical positions at Digital Equipment Corporation, Sperry Corporation (UNISYS), Honeywell, William H. Rorer, Inc. and the University of Pittsburgh. You can reach Jean at jhurd@janusconsulting.com.

Sandra Janoff and Marv Weisbord talked on what they learned about working with differences from managing future searches and training with large, diverse groups around the world.

As organizational development practitioners, we move into the American workplace and approach the corporate heart. Like a hero on a quest into the unknown, our experiential odyssey is the search for the best that is within us all. The great gift of the hero's quest - as heroes discover throughout the trials of their adventures - is the hero's own mental, emotional and spiritual essence and how, in the face of adversity and chaos, s/he surmounts impossible odds, and triumphs.

Join us on December 14th when Rob Hutter of rmh theatreworks will entertain and delight us with an original presentation of an upbeat, reverent (and sometimes irreverent) take on the joys and challenges we confront as the heroes of our own quest.

The holiday event will begin with hors d'oeuvres, drinks, celebration, and networking at 5:30. Rob will begin at 6:30. The program will end by 7:30.

Knowledge management is an emerging field whose purpose is to enable organizations to increase intellectual capital, foster organizational learning, and achieve organizational goals. Unfortunately, the early history of knowledge management has been overly technology-focused. Technology can certainly play an important role in knowledge-based initiatives, however it is the people-cultural issues that repeatedly surface as critical to success. One insightful pioneer in the field was once asked, "What are the three critical factors in knowledge management?" His response, "Culture, Culture, Culture."

This session will:

• Provide a framework for making sense of knowledge management and how is it relevant to your organization -- and/or organizations you work with.
• Identify the vital role OD skills and approaches can play in ensuring the success of knowledge management initiatives.
• Identify the most common knowledge-based problems that exist in organizations today -- and the ways leading organizations are successfully addressing them.

About the Presenter

Paul Hilt, Director of Knowledge Management, leads the knowledge-based initiatives practice at Mentor Group, a management and IT consulting firm located in Wayne, PA. He was formerly with J.M. Huber Corporation, where he led the implementation of an enterprise-wide knowledge management program. Paul has extensive background in organization development and learning and development. He has also held marketing and management positions in the telecommunications, cable television, and training and development industries. Paul is a member of the executive committee of the Knowledge Management Group of Philadelphia and is also a member of PRODN.

Contact Information
    Paul Hilt
    Director of Knowledge Management
    Mentor Group, Inc.
    996 Old Eagle School Road
    Wayne, PA 19087
    610-293-9117, ext. 22
    Fax 610-293-1578
    philt@mentorgrp.com 

During the last decade, 360º feedback has become an integral part of the management experience in many large organizations. Under its several names -- upward feedback, multi-rater performance appraisal, targeted development -- 360º feedback is here to stay. This leadership development tool has spilled out of the realm of large, well-heeled companies into mid-size companies, government agencies, and even non-profits.

Bob and Nancy will review the basic elements of a 360º feedback system, and introduce several specific upgrades to help the system deliver on its significant promise: a unique blend of individual, team and organizational learning resulting in increased productivity. A whole-system approach to 360º has the capacity to re-ignite the enthusiasm that accompanies the learning journey of leadership, and key success factors will be reviewed. Finally, they will identify several strategies for linking 360º feedback into quality systems and key organizational initiatives.

The session will be a balance of presentation of their work with group discussion of applications. Those new to 360º feedback as well as individuals looking for new ways to strengthen its use should be able to both learn and contribute.

About the Presenters

Nancy Aronson, a partner in Arsht/Aronson, works with organizations and communities on innovating and implementing change. Her particular area of interest is planning, designing and facilitating processes for engaging the entire organization in system-wide efforts.

Bob Wright, a principal with Organization Development Associates, works locally and around the world with learning systems. His publications include Leading and Facilitating Global Teams, and his most recent work, A Trainer's Guide to Globalization, will be published later this year by Nicholas Brealey Intercultural Press.