Concurrent Sessions Strand 1
Driving Change in Systems and Organizations
Creating tomorrow’s organizations today is what OD—and the OD Network—are all about. In order to lead successful change interventions, you need a solid grounding and advanced perspective on the methodologies, best practices, and potential pitfalls. This strand provides everything you need to master your role in leading the complexities of change.
Session descriptions are condensed; for full descriptions, see the printed Conference brochure.
DC01: Exploring Multiple Perspectives and Implications in Organizational Change
Brenda B. Jones, Organizational Consultant
Change must occur throughout the organization from the organizational level of system to the individual level of system; from the organization’s culture to issues and key problem areas; and from national or global initiatives to the mindsets and skills of its people. Explore several streams of the organization change process that influence our thinking and practice.
DC02: The Organization Workshop: Creating Partnerships Across Boundaries
Barry Oshry, Power + Systems, Inc.
Back by popular demand! When we examine organizational
relationships using a systems lens, we gain new insights and
intervention strategies for dysfunctional workplace relationships.
Take away strategies for creating powerful partnerships up,
down and across the organization. (Max 50 participants)
DC03: Shaping Our Futures through Conversations that Matter: The World Café
Juanita Brown, Co-Founder, The World Café
Samantha Tan, Partner, The Meristem Group
Two of Sunday night’s World Café facilitators continue the conversation and share their experience. Based on living systems principles, the World Café is an innovative approach for fostering strategic dialogue, knowledge sharing, and committed action in groups of all sizes.
DC04: Change the Game: Repositioning OD into Strategic Change Consulting
Linda Ackerman Anderson, Being First, Inc.
Consulting to large-scale change requires skills beyond traditional OD. This session outlines how to “change the game” so that you are positioned to support senior leaders in creating change strategy and plans that deliver results. Learn what Strategic Change Consulting entails, how to create a Strategic Change Office, and how to transform your own consulting.
DC05: Early Warning Systems: Using Complexity Science to See and Influence Human Systems
Kristine Quade, Quantum Change Associates
Patterns are behaviors or events that repeat themselves over time and space. Working with patterns is a multi-dimensional skill that requires the ability to see and influence a system with awareness. This session will provide an understanding of complexity science as it applies to human systems, and provide innovative intervention strategies and specific tools for consultant skill development.
DC06: Facilitating Social Change: Helping the Upper Midwest Become Leaders in Clean Energy
David Sibbet, President and Founder, The Grove Consultants International
This session will present the story of RE-AMP (Renewable Energy Alignment Mapping Project), an initiative of 30 non-government organizations and 8 foundations to make the upper Midwest a leader in clean energy in the electric sector. A case study format examines the facilitative strategies, virtual organization, communications structures and learning arising from the RE-AMP project.
DC07: Understanding Your Company's Core Culture: A Tool for Achieving Extraordinary Results
Sheila Margolis, Georgia State University and CORE InSites, Inc.
Ava Wilensky, CORE InSites, Inc.
Culture is your organization’s hidden asset. It should motivate and drive members to achieve, produce, and excel. But what is culture and how do you harness its power? At this session, participants will discover an innovative, practical research-based tool for defining your organization's core culture and effectively managing it.
DC08: Building Collaboration within Organizations and Communities Using Large Group Methods: A New Venture in Very Tough Territory
Barbara Bunker, University at Buffalo, Portsmouth Consulting Group
Billie Alban, Alban & Williams, Ltd.
Shifting a culture from competition and mistrust to collaboration is tough work. Based on more than a year of research about how Large Group Methods are currently being used, this session will discuss the problems of interorganization collaboration and describe five successful sustained change efforts in all types of settings.
DC09: OD and Covert Processes: Making the Invisible Visible
Robert Marshak, AU/NTL MS in OD Program, School of Public Affairs, American University
This session will reveal the powerful processes that affect organizations and organizational change, but usually remain unseen, unspoken, or unacknowledged. Learn the five covert dimensions of organizational change that can impede or block even the best planned and managed change effort; and discover ways to reveal and engage these hidden barriers.
DC10: Using Social Network Analysis to Improve Organizational Performance
Edward Shin, Philosophy IB, LLP
Stephen Garcia, NC State University/Philosophy IB, LLP
Structural changes in the workplace—flatter hierarchies, virtual teams, matrixed organizations—are emphasizing the importance of informal social relationships within organizations. This session will provide participants with an understanding of how social network analysis (SNA) can be used to improve performance, collaboration and innovation.
DC11: Use of Self at the Systems Level of Organizations
Tamara Hamilton, National Education Association
Lennell Terrell, National Education Association
Working at the systems level of organizations activates many behavioral skill sets, but none is more important than “the use of self.” Hear how the presenters have applied Carl Rogers’ three principles of the helping relationship and Kurt Lewin’s figure/ground perspective. In particular, we'll share how African-American female practitioners have successfully navigated the waters of turbulent change using this perspective.
DC12: Launching an Innovation Initiative: How to Create Organizational Growth through Innovation
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Jonathan Vehar, New & Improved, LLC
This presentation will focus on how to create a climate for innovation in the organization based on climate assessments, training, facilitated innovation sessions, and ROI assessments. We’ll discuss innovation methods, share organizational frameworks and provide concrete recommendations regarding resources.
DC13: Whole System Change: Navigating through 55 of Today’s Best Methods from Around the World
Steven Cady, Bowling Green State University
Peggy Holman, Open Circle Company
Tom Devane, Collaborative Work Systems
A wide variety of creative processes of systemic engagement are emerging from completely different disciplines, such as street theatre and urban planning. The authors of the newly revised The Change Handbook, 2nd edition, will describe their learnings from fifty-five high-leverage change methods, in an enlightening session designed to support people committed to changing whole systems.
DC14: A Fortune 500 CEO Embraces OD: One Company’s Journey
Robert Catell, Chairman and CEO, KeySpan Corporation
Kenny Moore, Director of OD and Corporate Ombudsman, KeySpan Corporation
Find out what happens when the CEO of a multi-billion dollar NYC Fortune 500 company teams up with an OD Director to help change the company’s corporate culture. Hear about an alternative business model for change and leadership that focuses on both employee passion and the bottom line.
DC15: Do You Have What it Takes to Drive Positive Change?
Roxanne Ray, Sr. Performance Consultant, Advocate Health Care
Eric Sanders, Sr. Account Manager, Human Synergistics/Center for Applied Research
This session is designed to give you “battle-tested” tools to gain leaders’ confidence and build your skills to drive change. Learn to convince leaders of their critical role in driving positive change in their organization; to use assessments to set both baselines and benchmarks to be achieved at individual, group and organizational levels; and to motivate internal or external clients to implement initiatives to positively redirect the cultures of their organizations.