As I made my networking calls with PRODN members over the summer, it became clear that Scott Simmerman’s presentation last June made an impression. He had become "The Square Wheels Guy."

That in itself is a lesson in Marketing. To become known for one thing is what the big corporations strive so hard to do. GE brings good things to life; BASF doesn’t make the things, it makes them better; Dow helps you do great things; Chevy is like a rock; Ford is built Ford tough. I’ll spare us and resist the temptation to squeeze out the last drop.

The first part of Scott’s presentation focused on using what looks like a simple cartoon. He placed the cartoon on an overhead projector. After some discussion, the cartoon exponentially took on a life of its own. The wagon was the organization, the leaders were pulling and could see ahead; the employees were pushing and couldn’t see; the square wheels weren’t working very well; the round tires in the wagon were useful resources already available as better solutions. Along with those observations came many ideas of organizational issues. The cartoon had become a metaphor. (We got every drop of that, or so we thought.)

Then, Scott added overlays depicting different environments for the wagon (e.g. placing the wagon in mud representing the muck of corporate politics); and close-up shots (e.g. the pushing employees’ hands with added handcuffs.) There were lots of thoughts, lots of ideas.

In summary, we really had a complete metaphorical drawing of an organization and its environment. It was simple and adaptable. What started out as a cartoon had become a useful and surprisingly elaborate tool for organizational diagnosis. The drop had become a ripple.

In the second part of his presentation, "Working Home, Selling Globally," Scott spoke of how he turned his business into a low overhead firm with a global network of consultants using Square Wheels® . Scott spoke of his consulting experiences and of how he is trying to delicately walk the balance between partnership and profit, global coverage and franchising. Square Wheels® is well packaged in that it is useful and clear. If you look at his website, you will see Square Wheels® everywhere. There is no doubt about the product.

Without much thought, the Square Wheels® metaphor is not only an organizational analysis tool, but it is also a brand identity through which Scott is beginning to reap the benefits of an interconnected globe. The ripple is becoming a wave on which we all should ride.

"Teaching the Caterpillar to Fly": www.squarewheels.com/content/teaching.html
"Working Home, Selling Globally": www.squarewheels.com/content/workhome.html

- Chris New

Click here to view or print the slides from this talk.
Click here for the PowerPoint presentation
Note: The on-line version includes some slides not shown at the meeting.

May’s program offers an excellent opportunity to see how a DuPont manager successfully implemented self-organizing theory at his Belle, West Virginia chemical plant.

After Dick Knowles became manager of the plant in the late '80s he realized at an intuitive level that the traditional management and leadership styles were not working. The evidence was also clear: The plant suffered large safety violations, low productivity, and low morale. He began to experiment.

However, it was only when he attended the Chaos Network Conference in 1992 where he met Meg Wheatley and read Leadership and the New Science that "I felt like I was coming home."

Dick Knowles was one of the first to put self-organizing principles into practice in a major way with extraordinary results. In an interview published in "The Adventurers" by Tom Heuerman he listed some of the accomplishments:

• 95% reduction in OSHA recordable accident rate
• 1,944 work days without a lost time accident
• 87% reduction in hazardous emissions
• 50% reduction in layers of supervision
• 45% increase in production (in pounds per person)
• 42% reduction in sick days (reduced from an average of 6 to 3.5 days per year)

In May, you can learn how Dick Knowles was able to shift a traditional command and control plant to a living, self-organizing system. Also, you can learn how that effort transformed him and many people working at the DuPont chemical plant in Belle, West Virginia.

Some things can be described as "elegant in simplicity" and such was the case with Barry Cross and Fred Bryant’s masterful presentation before a record attendance of PRODN members and guests.

Opening with a cognitive discussion of the model, "Self as a System" (collaboratively developed from work at the Gestalt Institute), Fred and Barry engaged the group in dialogue. "Use of self is invisible, it’s like second nature…It’s how we show up; our presence." Said Fred conscious of his presence and modeling the theory well.

And our presence was what this program was about. How do we show up for our clients? How do we show up for others? Being present for an organization or for someone else is key, although there’s more to the story.

Presence is affected by our System Self, divided into four inter-related parts. Those four parts comprise the filters through which we experience our environment. Not just cognitive information is useful. There are the emotions (heart), the physical (body), the imagination (vision) and their interplay which affects how we experience our environment. It affects our presence.

Click here for diagram (~200k)

"We must slow down to speed up." In other words, we must use these aspects of our system self to help our clients change. This requires presence.

While many seemed to enjoy the cognitive as an area of safety, the presenters moved toward the realm of the experiential or the "core" of the System Self. The group split into groups of two and practiced being present. While one spoke of "What got me into OD," the other remained "present" and listened. After three minutes, discussion followed as the listener tried to use the four aspects of the System Self to respond to the speaker. Roles were then reversed.

My own experience was one of pleasant surprise. Where I was expecting something elaborate, none was necessary. The exercise worked. And it worked well.

Having come from a chaotic background where I was like a navy ship on red alert, the act of being "present" doesn’t come easily to me. Red alert means all energy goes to observing the external. For so long, I have behaved in response to this filter and internal system information is hard to find. It was nice to be reminded of the work I have been doing to stand down off of red alert, or to "slow down in order to speed up."

Needless to say, a program like this was down to earth, straightforward, and to the point. It successfully modeled OD principles and values both in content and presentation. Not only was it elegant in its simplicity but it was simply elegant.

Presenters for this session were PRODN members, Barry Cross and Frederick Bryant, both of whom are scholars and practitioners in the field of OD and share other parallels. Barry is a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland's Organization and System Development Program, where Fred is currently studying. Barry is a new member of NTL, for which he worked with the design team that created a workshop called "Teaming in Cyberspace". Barry and Fred are members of the PRODN Steering Committee, and both are pursuing Ph.D. degrees, Barry at the Fielding Institute and Fred in Organizational Psychology at Temple University. Fred operates his own organizational development consulting and management training practice with a focus on culture change. Barry is President of Cross Cultural Consulting, Inc.

In February, Carlotta Tyler gave PRODN a splendid taste of her exciting work in gender appreciation. True to the values of Organization Development, she led the group in an experiential exercise to discover values deeply embedded in our culture. By responding to Carlotta’s three sets of open-ended statements, the group beheld these values within which we all live. Convincingly, Carlotta showed how these values have been transmitted to us through several generations and reinforced through a milieu of religious beliefs.

For example, to the statement, "Your grandfather would say men are…," the group responded with, "capable, strong, responsible, better, etc." To the statement, "Your grandfather would say women are…," the group responded with, "fragile, little, housewife, mom, etc." Carlotta balanced her approach with the stems, "Your mom said boys could do…," and "Your mom said girls could do…" For boys, the group responded with, "anything, [can be] dirty, [can] come and go…" for girls, "cook, need protection, anything, be creative…." Sharpening her point, Carlotta ended with the statements, "Religious leaders say girls should…" and "boys should…" For girls, the group responded with, "get married, have a child, keep a clean house…" and for boys, "head household, take charge, get a good job…."

With values set clearly before them, many saw the twisted patriarchy within which most of us live and its roots of two to five thousand years. The competitive win-lose dominion-over response to the patriarchal role has effectively debased the creative life force and robbed us of the valuable role of the feminine.

With workforce demographics approaching 50-50 (set to occur in 2020), organizations need to address gender appreciation fast. Carlotta’s work centers around gender appreciation through a process which begins with data gathering, then moves to establishing common ground and ends with development options such as dialogue and mentoring programs.

She sees her work (and ours) as grinding the new lens through which our clients can see and appreciate gender in a more balanced, whole manner. In this way, by appreciating the role of the feminine, organizations will be able to strengthen their cultures, engage all to their optimal potential and ultimately increase organization effectiveness.

This was another fascinating and engaging program!

Carlotta Tyler has a Master’s Degree from the American University/NTL Program in Human Resource Development (now called Organization Development). She graduated from The Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Program at Harvard Law School and the International Women’s Leadership Collaborative; and was a two-term Visiting Scholar at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College.

In addition, she has a host of experience. In a span of thirty years, she has successfully designed start-ups, redesigned established organizations, taught process consultation and implemented large system change. She has held various positions as marketing director of a computer corporation, elected public official on a regional, state and national level.

On a personal note, Carlotta is the mother of three young adults and grandmother of four.

The January program will continue and deepen the self organization of PRODN as a living system that we started at the September program. Many people commented at the September meeting that living system principles were nice in theory but might not be practical in a business setting. We will focus on how self organizing living system principles apply to PRODN and our work and values as organization development practitioners.

We will review the responses to the mind map generated at the September meeting and at table teams we will discuss our own assumptions about change, our clients assumptions about how change occurs and compare these assumptions to our actual experience of change.

We will also discuss and compare change and transformation and the application of living system principles to those efforts.

When Worlds Collide – Organizations, Human Values, and OD was the theme of the 1998 National OD Network Annual Conference, one of the most exciting events in the world of OD. The conference offered state-of-the-art workshops and presentations over five days. There were many opportunities for networking with OD practitioners from around world between sessions, at the social events, and while sampling the rich New Orleans culture.

Click here for a special summary of this Program.

Art Imitated Life…Really!

Playback Philadelphia delighted PRODN members in November with a refreshing performance and facilitation of utilizing the power of drama in organizations.

Through different dramatic techniques Playback Philadelphia showed what drama can do in groups. The troupe used techniques called, "fluid sculptures, pairs" and "skits," and combined them with musical instruments to replay personal stories. For example, Diane Jerman related frantic moments leaving the house to come to the program, Gerry Kaufman told of life at a recent party, and Antje Matheus spoke of her work in diversity. After listening intently, without much discussion, five actors and actresses deftly portrayed accurate play-backs of these stories.

The troupe was so finely tuned the players seemed like well-practiced crew sculling swiftly down the Schuylkill River. They were funny. They were entertaining. They were in serious communication.

Essentially, playback theater is (what I would call) a new dimension of active listening. A person shares a story or speaks to an issue. It is portrayed in front of the group. The group responds. Untold truth is brought forth and forgotten feelings are validated. Connections are made and relationships strengthened.

Ordinarily, these untold truths often remain buried in the group. However, playback theater allows these often fragile pieces to emerge and assemble into a cogent whole. "We’re always about getting people connected," said Sarah Halley., Artistic Director. Cheryl Kaplan added, "When the actors leave, there’s the memory of the story and the story becomes the connection point."

After the performance, Cheryl Kaplan, former PRODN Program co-chair (1995-6) facilitated a discussion around the utility of such technique. It was clear that this is effective in building relationships particularly in teams and organizations.

Nicely, the evening wrapped itself around this year’s theme of building relationships.

Background...

Playback Philadelphia was founded four years ago by artistic director Sarah Halley. The organization provides this dynamic approach for organizational retreats, visioning and planning sessions, team building programs, and conferences. Selected clients include: The American College, Continental Airlines, Philadelphia Corporation on Aging, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Building Youth,

Building Neighborhoods...

Building Organizations

Program Summary - by Jean Haskell and Chris New

"I knew what I had to do, but I didn’t know how to do it," said Department of Recreation Commissioner, Michael DiBerardinis, speaking to a crowded room of PRODN members and guests assembled to hear the story of the Department’s remarkable transformation.

When DiBerardinis took over, the Recreation Department was a hierarchical bureaucracy staffed by long-time civil servants who had been demoralized by a decade of hiring freezes, budget cuts and scandals. They were resistant to change and hostile to new ideas. Michael knew things had to change.

After trying unsuccessfully to develop a mission statement and involve employees, Michael hired The Napier Group, with work to be done by Pat Sanaghan and colleagues.*

Pat began his work with the Department in the Fall of 1992, with a series of interviews with the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioners, and Senior Management Team. This was followed by three 3-day sessions with the team. Content included team building, meeting design, collaboration, decision making, group dynamics and 360-degree feedback---most of which had never been done before in the organization.

Next, came a pair of work sessions for forty-eight managers at a level down, meeting in two separate groups over a period of one and one-half years. The content was similar. Repeatedly, the important message was that it’s essential for top management to understand what’s on people’s minds and what’s got them upset.

Following this was a phase for employees that became known as the SAMP Camp, or the Strategic Action Master Plan. Again, the content was similar, but the activities were done differently.

What are some of the most notable changes that have occurred and continue to occur in the department?

• The department now uses lots of flip charts---to run small and large meetings. When Pat first started work with the Department, he couldn’t find a single easel, so he bought Michael his first. In addition, the Department has developed an orientation/training session for new employees.
• The department now has its own OD staff.

One of the most exciting developments is a new, multi-department collaborative effort to reduce violence and handguns in the city. This is being led by the Department of Recreation. Twenty-four department members, formerly demoralized long-time civil servants, have volunteered to be trained as "peacemakers," key personnel in the program.

What made the change work? Michael was loud and clear that organization development expertise is essential for any change process to succeed. Pat was loud and clear that leadership, vision and consistently strong commitment are equally essential. "He’s the visionary," said Pat, "I’m the hands-on person who can get the work done." Together they have developed an effective process for organizational change.

What keeps it going? A precedent set for open communication and feedback, clarification of expectations and continually doing the work to build good relationships. Also, perhaps there is the satisfaction gained when press and public notice dramatic improvement in the availability of recreation facilities and programs.

This was an excellent and encouraging program!

* For those of us who wonder how consulting firms get selected for these interesting projects, Michael DiBerardinis was candid. "I’ve never been very enthusiastic about consultants," he said, "and that’s an understatement. However, I had attended a five-day retreat for activists and former activists like myself. Facilitator for the retreat was Rod Napier. During the first day, he led us through a series of activities which, frankly, had no relevance for me or most of the other people there. At the end of the day we let him have it---in very straightforward terms we told him that this was not meeting our needs. "…’Hard to believe, but Rod stayed up all night re-designing his plan for the rest of the week. I was so impressed by that, I thought, ‘here is a consultant who really listens......and responds to the client’s needs.’ So when it came to selecting a firm to work with my department, I was clear about whom to choose."

“I exist through you and you exist through we.”
[rough translation of the Zulu word – Abuntu]

Program Summary - by Gerry Kaufman

At our September program we engaged in a real life PRODN self organizing process in the context of the 4 principles of living systems. At the summer retreat of the Steering Committee we selected “Meaning, Relationships and the Search for Interdependence” as our theme for the year. The Steering Committee developed the mind map reflecting that theme.

Cheryl Kuchler assisted by Fred Bryant, Gerry Kaufman and Chris New designed and facilitated a process to engage the members to begin a process of reacting to and refining the mind map which had at its core the following:

Striving for wholeness and congruency as individuals, professionals and as an OD community by making connections, building relationships and learning together.

The objectives were:

• Experience some of the elements of the retreat and introduce them to what has emerged and continues to emerge.
• Participate in the ongoing creation of shared meaning in PRODN.

The Meg Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers formulation of the 4 principles of living systems around which self organizing occurs are:

1. Participation is not a choice.
      Who else needs to be here?
2. Life always reacts to directives, it never obeys them.
      What just happened?
3. We do not see “reality”. We each create our own interpretation of what’s real.
      Can we talk?
4. To create better health in a living system, connect it to more of itself.
      Who are we now?

The Steering Committee at our retreat were aware how these principles are always operative whether we recognize it or not. #1, We all participated, often in unexpected ways. #2, we very early reacted by suggesting that we did not want to follow the agenda. #3, We each had our own interpretation of the mind map, of what was happening in the room. and although not everyone was in strong agreement, we decided that we would go forward with each element only if no one strongly disagreed. #4, we decided that PRODN would be much healthier as a living system if we put out the mind map as a work in progress and connect to our members throughout the year.

The facilitators asked the group to react to the mind map first by each person noting her or his reaction and then sharing it in triads, with a focus on Principle #3- everyone has their own truth. We asked the members to note their own reactions on paper and later these were hung on a sticky wall. Our expectation was for everyone to consider their own differences/uniqueness and only over the next year can we hope shared meaning will emerge.

Next we asked people to examine what beliefs were suggested by their reactions, what did your reactions say about you and your beliefs, noting Principle #2, life always reacts to directives. Again the members considered this question alone and then in triads, noting their beliefs on paper which were then posted.

A sampling of reactions from the sticky wall:

• Relationships are key to everything, meaning is formed in relationships.
• Where is the link between relationships and wholeness and congruency?
• Needs to be grounded.
• “Abuntu- I see you”. Best take away from the map.
• Glad to see the values haven't changed, but where is the meat?
• Boring model, interesting questions.
• Yah, yah, yah. Same old, same old.
• At first I experienced simplicity and then the more I took it in, the more dimensions, shape and complexity I experienced-which started to become overwhelming to me.
• The challenges are both from me in as well as from me out. An inside and outside focus.

The reaction most mentioned was the importance of relationships, reflected in the first bullet above.

We then asked people to share, what ah-ha's did people have. We were looking for any insights into the unexamined self. Here is a sample:

• A few simple questions took us to a real deep level.
• I came through emotional, visual and a wide variety of reactions.
• Taken by the richness and difference of perspectives. We connected in our own way.
• Taken by the limitation of language. Use words to frame our experience and then had to explain what the words meant.
• We need to look at ourselves. Is change not working because of us?
• This is a P not a J process.
• Principles describe a way of being as a way to get to the goals. Process can accommodate Js.

Cheryl then shared some thoughts and raised some questions:

• The shift to self organizing arises from the learnings from quantum physics, biology and complex systems and the understanding that organizations are complex living systems.
• Despite knowing these truths, why do we still operate as if principles don't apply?
• The image/mind map is not as important as the process that gets us there-through our interactions we create shared meaning, life emerges.

Relating to principle #4, we asked the group to notice what is in the system right now. Some reactions:

• Issues of control.
• How do we take this and apply it.
• Concern/danger here-ethereal way of being, losing the dark side of this. Needs to be more grounded in application.
• Fear-lose some of our members.
• Tendency to hear either pole as a judgment. Challenge is to hold what appears to be polar and explore it.
• It's a continuum. Some places where higher control is necessary.
• Struck by how we use “practical application”. These principles and self organizing is how life is.

The Steering Committee will take all of the reactions that we gathered and bring the next iteration forward as it emerges. As we go forward through the year we will continue to reflect on the principles of self organizing. We will try to integrate the principles into all future programs. In January we will continue and deepen our search for shared meaning, building on what we did in the September meeting.

We urge all members to engage with us in this exciting process.

Invitation to the Program

Meaning, Relationships and the Search for Interdependence – A real life experiment in implementing self-organizing theory.

The Philadelphia Regional Organization Development Network Steering Committee would like to invite you to a very special evening. After a day and a half at a very moving retreat, we have chosen a theme for the `98/'99 year of Building Relationships.

Actually, those words don't quite express our thoughts. The mind map above is a better representation. And...the best way to begin experiencing this theme innn action will be during our September program.

To give you a little background, the theme of relationship is deeply embedded in self-organizing theory. Self-organizing theory was popularized by Meg Wheatley in Leadership and the New Science, but supported by and written about by many others. One of the major foundations of this theory is that organizations are living systems. Wheatley asserts that to create better health in a living system, connect it to more of itself – build relationships. This principle is where the theme that you see illustrated in our mind map has its roots.

Two other principles of change in living systems are 1) That life only reacts to directives, it never obeys them and 2) Participation is not a choice – it's a requirement. In keeping with these principles, the Steering Committee will offer the work of our retreat to you the membership as an invitation to react. We know that through our interactions and growing interdependence the PRODN community will grow and flourish.