Organization Development Network

Christine Whitney Sanchez, Collaborative Wisdom & Strategy
Julie Murphy, Girl Scouts of the USA

How do you harness the insight and experience of 10,000 Girl Scouts? At the 2008 Convention, the Girl Scouts conducted a large-scale experiment. In addition to the traditional delegate business, all girls and adult members were invited to share their leadership stories and to engage in strategic conversations regarding the future of the Girl Scout Movement. Conversation and story tools such as digital stories, Open Space, Appreciative Interviews, World Cafe, Story Looms, and texting were used to engage the membership and transform the culture in the Girl Scout movement. What emerged was open-hearted community, fluid synergy, passionate ideas, cutting edge use of technology, and innovative ways to overcome obstacles and engage girls.

Anita Sanchez, Sanchez Tennis & Associates, LLC
Christopher (Kit) Tennis, Sanchez Tennis & Associates, LLC

There is enormous energy and potential for change at the intersection of environmental sustainability, healthy human spirit, and social justice. As OD practitioners, we have enormous potential to facilitate the changes our society so badly needs in order to reach our individual and collective potential. This session presents a highly sophisticated symposium that is reaching tens of thousands of people around the world, and generating enormous hope and inspiration to transform our world in our lifetimes. Join us if you are vitally concerned about the unprecedented challenges facing the human race and are ready to become excited about extraordinary possibilities for building community that is sustainable, fulfilling and socially just! Please take a moment to watch this 4-minute preview: http://awakeningthedreamer.org/content/view/115/135/

Frederick A. Miller, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc.
Judith H. Katz, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc.

More than ever organizations need individuals and teams to connect across organizational barriers and boundaries to ensure speed of knowledge transfer and speed of application. Building a Connected Organization enables people to focus on their key work partnerships, their internal networks, and flows to achieve the highest level of results in the quickest time. Inclusion is a necessary condition for the Connected Organization, breaking down the silos that often divide individuals and teams and the walls that limit people’s ability to engage effectively with others. This session will address how to build a Connected Organization with an inclusive culture that drives creative and performance breakthroughs.

Barbara P. Mink, Fielding Graduate University
Jose De la Cerda, ITESO University
Michael Manning, New Mexico State University

As social and ecomonic issues become more complex, they often need the attention and collaboration of multiple profit and nonprofit organizations to accomplish meaningful solutions. This session will look at case studies of two such inter-organizational efforts in Texas and in Mexico addressing sustainable large-scale economic change.

Beverly Scott, Bev Scott Consulting
Frances Baldwin, DesignedWisdom, Inc.

As the "Silent Generation" and the "Baby Boomers" reach our 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, we are entering uncharted territory. Retirement no longer has meaning as we live into our 90’s or longer. We want meaning, fulfillment, and fun in our 3rd Act; we want to make a contribution, create a better quality of life, leave a legacy, or pursue our life-long dreams. This workshop offers an opportunity to reflect on who you are now; explore anticipated shifts ; create a renewed sense of purpose and direction; and imagine and begin to design an alternative future for your 3rd Act.

Angela Doyle, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
Daniel Bustillo, 1199SEIU/League-Labor Management Project
Jeff Cohen, The Mount Sinai Hospital
Yahshaanyah Hill, Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation

It has become increasingly difficult for disadvantaged low-skilled individuals to find jobs that lead to sustained employment, career ladder opportunities, and self-sufficiency. This session examines innovative development efforts that have been jointly conducted in successfully implementing the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ) Career Opportunities in Healthcare (COH) program initiative. The session includes a brief explanation of the program’s goals, as well as the partnerships involved and the cutting edge methods pursued in optimizing the availability of job opportunities for community residents. Attendees will also be provided an opportunity to hear real-life experiences of program participants.

Ann Van Eron, Potentials

We live and work in a multicultural world, comprised of people with divergent backgrounds, assumptions, needs, and interests. This diversity brings great promise of innovation and productivity, but it can also present challenges. This session will share insights from years of experience with cultural change in various organizations around the world. In this workshop participants will first explore the impact of diversity across cultures and how to foster respect. Then, through a cultural change model, they will learn how to unlock organization potential through intervention at the individual and system level, and review the two kinds of conversations that leaders must master for results: collaborative and coaching conversations.

Rachel Lyn Rumson, Pacific Northwest Organizational Development Network
Travis Green, Community Consulting Partnership

DeAnna Martin, Center for Wise Democracy
Jim Rough, Jim Rough & Associates, Inc.

If all people in society could come together in a respectful and creative conversation, where we face our most pressing issues and achieve breakthrough answers, then we would create a new world. By itself, conversation reinvents democracy and starts to unravel seemingly intractable issues like racism, terrorism, and poverty. A strategy for how this might happen involves the "Wisdom Council" process, which is being demonstrated in corporations, cities, schools, co-ops, government agencies, and conferences. These experiences indicate that it works. Join us to discover how the Wisdom Council facilitates all of us to come together as "we the people," take charge of our wayward systems, and open new doors of possibility.

Saul Eisen, Ph.D., Developing Human Systems

The Obama election signaled a transformational turning point for US culture and beyond—from adversarial to collaborative ways of thinking and working. This shift is consonant with the values, concepts and methods of OD. This is our time! We know the benefits of including diverse views, and the tough challenges of resolving those differences constructively. OD practitioners can support the positive changes that are emerging. This calls on our ability to act locally while thinking globally-to maintain awareness of relevant interdependent human systems at the level of individuals, teams, organizations, stakeholder communities, and the global society. We will work with an eight-level Human Systems framework as a tool for seeing through surface symptoms to underlying causes, and for avoiding band-aid responses in favor of using development strategies.

David Johnson, Transition Portland Metro to Transition PDX (Portland)
James Newcomer, Transition Portland Metro to Transition PDX (Portland)
Jeanne Longley, Transition Portland Metro to Transition PDX (Portland)

Whole-system interventions have long been used to change communities, from Emery and Trist's work merging businesses, through Lippit and Schindler-Raiman's work with cities, Weisbord's civic groups, and ICA's village transformation work (Bunker and Alban 1997). Normally they represent a paradox: management organizing an event in which grass-roots people can shape their futures. "Transition Towns" is unique in relying instead on self-organizing systems. Using whole-system interventions, often Open Spaces, communities are shaping their own local, resilient futures in the face of energy descent, and it is a true grass-roots effort. In this interactive presentation, members of "Transition Portland Metro to Transition PDX " (Portland, Oregon), two of whom also served on the Portland Peak Oil Task Force, interactively share their journey and how they are turning to OD technology to transform their community and indeed the world. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of cutting-edge, community-level changes that are spreading virally.

Hector Efrain Rodriguez de la Rosa, UNIVERSITY OF GUANAJUATO
Nancy Westrup, UNIVERSIDAD DE MONTERREY

Participants will tap their creativity to discover new ways in which the Appreciative Inquiry approach can be used. They will first find out how the approach has been used in the Mexican culture and what learnings have been obtained through the practice of AI, and they will then be able to integrate these new learnings to compare how the AI approach works in different cultural settings. Finally, they will learn how to integrate the AI approach with other group methods. In addition, participants will experience the "AI way of being" during the entire session.

Amanpreet (Aman) Gohal, MSOD, Booz Allen Hamilton
Carla Dancy Smith, MSOD, Booz Allen Hamilton

The "real world" is abounding with change in political arena, financial markets, government agencies, environment policies, etc., and OD practitioners must help clients manage the complexities of these changes. Practitioners can use the World Café © technology to host "conversations that matter"—those that gain stakeholder buy-in, engage employees, and solicit leadership input. In this session participants will experience an abbreviated version of a World Café©, and then unpack their experience and discuss the underlying theory. Participants will then discuss how World Café© is used with clients and what skills it takes to make each event a success, and presenters will share "real world" case studies about how our clients are embracing this methodology. Meetings will never be the same once you refine your skills and integrate the World Café© technology for action planning.

Gifford Pinchot, Bainbridge Graduate Institute
Libba Pinchot, Bainbridge Graduate Institute
Saul Eisen , Developing Human Systems
Travis Green, TGreen Consulting

What is sustainability? Why should OD professionals rather than other disciplines be concerned about it? This provocative session will bring together thought leaders on sustainability for an interactive learning session to develop a deeper understanding of this issue’s importance to your OD practice. By the end of the session you will have practical tools and powerful insights to apply a ‘sustainability framework’ to a variety of the organizational and day-to-day systems you encounter. The conference committee on sustainability invites you on a learning journey and leads the discussion: Danny Ceballos, Dave Eberhardt, Cynthia Pruitt, Katrina Zavalney

Edward Shin, Philosophy IB
Stephen Garcia, Philosophy IB

In the U.S alone, organizations spend over $300 million annually on diversity initiatives, including diversity training, committees, and networking programs. While these initiatives have increased in number, limited empirical evidence exists on how well they work. Therefore, it is difficult to say which programs are truly effective and which are not. This session introduces social network analysis (SNA) as a tool to measure how well the expertise and knowledge of diverse employees is integrated within an organization. This integration is critical because if organizations do not leverage diverse experience they cannot benefit from it. To illustrate how SNA can assess diversity and inclusion efforts, the session features the real-world case of an enterprise that employed SNA to help preserve its diverse culture.

Edie Seashore,
Gina Lavery, Synchronicity Partners
Tracey Wik, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

This session will provide a new perspective on why building a transformative practice is both interesting and necessary to best serve our clients, communities, and the world. The crisis in the world economy is causing a scarcity mentality, yet there is an increasing demand for practitioners who understand how to navigate and facilitate transformational change. This session will empower practitioners to: 1) Create a successful, transformative consulting practice using the 10 keys; 2) Choose client engagements based upon passion and curiosity, which leverage their unique talents and gifts; and 3). Understand the relationship between choice, social media, and creating a powerful support structure. Participants will be able to validate their own practice development and choices, and they will be inspired to discover new opportunities for expanding and sustaining their consulting practices, even in the face of grim economic times.

Albert Blixt, Dannemiller Tyson Associates

The first meeting with a leader often determines whether that leader becomes a client. In this session, you will explore the key elements of turning a sales call into a relationship building showcase for your consulting skills that will set you apart from your competitors. Learn how to use emotional intelligence principles to maximize the impression you make. Learn how to apply appreciative inquiry to understand what is really important to the leader. Learn how to use simple techniques to help the leaders uncover and articulate their own preferred future. Finally, learn how to close the deal while taking the first steps in establishing a positive working relationship. You will leave with a clear idea of how you can apply these principles on your very next interview.

Rob Schmieder, Microsoft Server and Tools Business
Sue Larson, Microsoft Leadership Development Group

Senior leadership teams have a significant impact on the functioning of the overall organizational system. By working at this level of the organization, OD practitioners can greatly influence a system’s overall effectiveness and organizational climate. In 2007 Microsoft embarked on an initiative to improve the effectiveness of its senior leadership teams. Attend this session to learn about Microsoft’s approach to improving leadership team effectiveness, the resulting framework, methodology, and practices that were designed and implemented, and the impact of this work.

David Price, Bank of America
Michael Arena, Bank of America
Sandy Pentland, MIT Media Lab

Honest Signals are subtle patterns that describe how we interact with other people and how we reveal our attitudes toward them. These unconscious social signals are not just a back channel to our conscious language; they form a separate communication network. Biologically-based "honest signaling," which evolved from ancient primate signaling mechanisms, offers an unmatched window into our intentions, goals, and values. If we understand these "honest signals," we can accurately predict the outcomes of complex human interactions. This session presents the outcomes of a project at Bank of America that used specially designed digital sensors, or "sociometers," to monitor and analyze patterns of signaling among groups of people in a banking call center. The results of this investigation are interpreted using ground-breaking information from MITs Media Lab and Sandy Pentland’s book, Honest Signals.

H. Terry Smith, ROI Consulting and Implementation
Lisa Zweber-Smith, ROI Consulting and Implementation

Although just about anyone can call themselves an external consultant these days, what exactly does it take to establish an effective and profitable consulting practice? There’s more to starting a successful practice than having some business cards printed. Developing a launch plan is critical, it should include such basics as clarifying your niche, setting yourself apart from others, defining your value proposition and developing name recognition. Once the practice has been launched, there are on-going challenges such as sourcing clients, developing effective client relationships, generating repeat business, setting appropriate fees, and writing effective proposals to ensure that the practice remains viable. Back by popular demand, and lengthened to a full day session to provide more insights, this session promises to provide not just strategies and tips, but also tools, case studies and practical application to help you develop a dynamic and self-sustaining practice.

Denise Morris Kipnis, ChangeFlow Consulting
Rob Ziegler, Lumina Partnership

Once the diagnosis phase ends, the role of the OD practitioner can become less clear. Organizations often adopt a "we can do this ourselves" attitude without a true understanding of the methods and discipline required to achieve success on one or more change initiatives. Part of the problem can be owned by OD practitioners, who often channel much of their time and energy into diagnosis, without a legitimate understanding of the mechanics of an organizational change initiative. We propose that principles from project management methodology can be adapted by any organization, and they may very well enable organizations to execute change initiatives in less time and with the most efficient use of resources—a value-add during the recession.

Pat Kenner, The University of Iowa
Teresa Kulper, The University of Iowa

Organizational Effectiveness at The University of Iowa advocates for a healthy, humane, and competent work environment. After a couple of years of providing organizational development services on campus, it became clear that to achieve large scale systems change, we also needed local partners working on OD initiatives. The Partners in Organizational Effectiveness Team (POET) program was created to recruit, train, and empower Senior Human Resource professionals in systems thinking, conflict resolution, and organizational development. Using this example of an ongoing project at the University of Iowa, we will show how this OD intervention resulted in reduced turnover, improved productivity, and reduced grievance procedures. We will also share tools and methods to measure how this translated into bottom-line improvements.

Doug Silsbee, Doug Silsbee, PCC

It is well-established that self-awareness and presence are key elements of practitioner success. Given this, it is surprising that so many competency-based development programs focus on techniques (the Doing) rather than on presence (the Being). This highly experiential workshop explores the critical nature of presence in promoting real, sustainable change. We will experience how presence becomes the basis for producing generative new actions, and then learn specific practices for developing signature presence in order to be as resourceful as possible with our clients. Lastly, we will explore how orienting, holding a relational field, and extension can be used to evoke presence in clients.

Julia Geisman, Millennium Learning, Inc.

ROI is a hotly debated topic amongst OD practitioners and one that has become increasingly more important during this economic downturn. Projecting ROI prior to developing a solution justifies the investment; measuring ROI post-implementation justifies future budgets. There are important questions we need to ask ourselves as OD professionals: How do we reposition our activities as a valuable investment rather than an expense? How do we quantify our contribution to the bottom line? How can we protect our budget in cost-cutting times? During this session, we explore topics such as intangible vs. tangible benefits, and the balance between cost savings and revenue-producing results. The session combines theory with hands-on exercises. At the end of the session, participants will have a working familiarity with the methodology.

John Bennett, Ph.D., Lee Hecht Harrison
Kittie Watson, Ph.D., Innolect, Inc.

Partnerships and collaboration are increasing in popularity and practice. As internal and external consultants, we often work with other consultants and consulting firms. The working relationships tend to be "great" or "challenging"; however, what makes the difference? How can we establish, build and experience positive dynamic collaborations with other consultants and consulting firms? In this interactive session, you will learn about various forms of collaborative partnerships, challenges and pitfalls, a framework for partnering, and best practices for establishing, sustaining, maintaining, and growing relationships to support your work with clients. Our facilitators begin more than 30 years of experience as consultants. They will share their experiences—good, bad, and ugly.

Travis Green, TGreen Consulting

Organizations are discovering the strategies and processes of the past century are not equipped to address the complex,interdependent issues and opportunities of the 21st century. The emergence of a Green Economy encourages organizations to determine how sustainable principles and practices benefit themselves and their stakeholders. This session will explore how the tools and methods of organizational change are deployed to integrate sustainability as a core value and practice into organizational life. Key questions for discussion will include: Why are participatory processes essential to the implementation of "sustainability solutions that stick"? Where do intersections between a Green Economy and OD fall? And, how do OD practitioners play a part in the paradigm shift towards a sustainable world?

Edwin Nevis, Gestalt International Study Center (GISC)

Three major theoretical models now play a major role in determining how organizational leaders typically manage personnel and organization issues, and thus create organizational culture: formal organizational models, from Roman times to the Weberian Model of Bureaucracy; familism/relationship models (family, clan, tribe ); and participatory democracy. This presentation will show how these three models have prevailed in practice by organizational leaders and practitioners, and how a significant number of organizational problems can be resolved by balancing or integrating these three approaches. Participants will be introduced to, and then apply, a diagnostic framework that they can use in their work and also teach to their clients.

Eric Sanders, OD Economist
Robert Ebers, Knowing Point Partnership, LLC & Workplace Stars, LLC

OD practitioners frequently ask questions about the development of soft skills, and yet we often fail to ask those critical questions that are necessary to show our ability to produce hard results. This session addresses that conundrum directly. Practitioners often face three problems in connecting OD to business results. First, we neglect to confirm with our clients what results are required when we contract to do our work. Second, even when we know what results are required, we might not have access to the data necessary to show those results. Third, we are afraid of the numbers, so we avoid them. We will address all three of these problems as we identify the right questions to ask that will show our value before, during and after OD interventions.

Deborah Pagel, The Boeing Company
Denise Tegel, The Boeing Company
Robert Hessler, The Boeing Company

In most companies, particularly during a tight economic environment, functions must be able to demonstrate their value contribution. Organization Development (OD) is no exception. In this session, we will present a value-focused peer review process used in a leading aerospace manufacturer’s Organization Effectiveness (OD) group to demonstrate return on investment from projects and client-consultant experiences as a contribution to the overall performance management process. Participants will learn first, how a peer review process provides feedback to OD professionals and their leadership, ultimately demonstrating and documenting OD value to the corporation; and then, how to create value measurement for OD interventions. The session is relevant to internal and external OD practitioners, highlights a best practice with methods and tools, and is adaptable to any OD group function.

Sylvie Marie Heroux, IC FORMATION

Faced with the pressures of rapid growth, the software division of a global corporation located in India asks for a development program for its first-level supervisors. The chosen intervention consists of a few days of training on leadership, communication, conflict management and change management, coupled with individual development objectives and mentoring by the division VP. The challenges of designing the intervention and delivering the training to an Indian audience were both stimulating and baffling at times. Come share my voyage of discovery and think through what other alternatives could have been used to meet the business needs of the division. Discover how our differing ideas about how cultural differences influence our work and the choices we make.

Laura Hauser, Leadership Strategies International
Leni Wildflower, Fielding Graduate University

Successful executive coaching facilitates growth, positive change, and improved performance. As the coaching field explodes, many OD practitioners hang out an executive coaching shingle to capitalize on this trend. Yet executive coaching lacks the standards, research, and metrics to ensure efficacy. Executive coaches need evidence-based practices to demonstrate not only skill and knowledge, but also effectiveness. Based on a case study article published in the Winter 2009, OD Practitioner, the presenters will provide an overview of an evidence-based approach to coaching. The presentation will recap a recent executive coaching engagement with a U.S. middle manager, that serves as an exemplar for linking theory, research, practice, and results.

Alejandro Morales-Jimenez, American Airlines
Leah Mouton, American Airlines
Sarah Glass, Assess Systems

American Airlines is a 78 year old company with well-established core operating principles and an historical pride in the methods and processes that have worked for decades to make it a successful organization. In no area in the organization is this truer than in the maintenance and equipment (M&E) business unit. This session will focus on a revolutionary initiative that has driven a culture change in the way the M&E business unit structures, evaluates, hires and develops their people by using competencies and objective assessments as instruments for change.

Fred Nader, NTL Institute
Katherine Farquhar, AU/NTL MS in Organization Development Program

Scenario: A new executive requests OD support in making her entry to the role effective and not a disaster. The stakes are high. Failure would be costly both to the firm and to the executive. During this crucial transition, what unique and effective techniques and wisdom does the OD practitioner offer the executive within his or her stakeholder system? How does this support contrast with that proposed by a search firm, for example? Designed for aspiring as well as seasoned OD practitioners, this session includes presentation, video, armchair case consultations, and dialogue among professionals. Participants will leave with a theoretical framework, illustrative cases, OD techniques to apply in their work, and a desire to put this learning into action.

Anita Bhasin, Sage Ways
Shannon Wallis, Microsoft

High Potential (HiPo) development is a specialized form of leadership development. HiPos set the standard for performance and demand no less of their development experiences. , This session addresses the challenge of designing, developing, and executing a globally consistent high potential development experience to meet the needs of an ever-changing business model and its future business leaders. Through this session, participants will learn how to: 1) use the Five Drivers of Accelerated High Potential Development as the foundation for a robust development program; 2) utilize internal resources, instead of external consultants, to design and implement a "leading high potential development" program; 3) integrate Experiential Learning, Executive Coaching, Mentoring, and Learning Circles (peer coaching groups) into a seamless development experience with measureable outcomes; and 4) embed a "Leaders Building Leaders" philosophy into a HiPo development program.

Thomas Thakadipuram, St. Claret College, Bangalore, India

Are you seeking wholeness in your personal and leadership life? How do you see the connection between personal wholeness and organizational wholeness? It is important to realize that we are born as whole human beings but we are socialized to lead fragmented lives. This interactive session, based on a phenomenological research of the lived experience of top ten spiritual leaders across the globe and across traditions, will provide profound insights into how leaders can return to wholeness. In this presentation, you will learn unique ways to: 1) recognize and understand dimensions of leadership crises today; 2) embrace strengths and weaknesses in personal leadership; 3) touch the deeper spiritual dimensions as a leader; and 4) foster an ethic of co-responsibility to lead wholesome lives. In addition, you will learn to apply a recent leadership wholeness model, based on the latest research, in your personal and professional life. This interactive session will also include audio and video presentations compiled from top spiritual leaders’ quest for wholeness across the globe.

Michael Arena, Bank of America
Sharon Benjamin, Alchemy
William Kirkwood, William Kirkwood & Associates, LLC

Conventional leadership models are not evolving quickly enough to keep pace with leadership demands in today’s hyper-connected world. Leading in complex adaptive social systems requires shifting dynamically to respond to unpredictable change. This session explores a networked leadership perspective that closely resembles humans’ central nervous systems and integrates existing, conventional cause and effect leadership models. We explore this model using three case studies: the Center for Future Banking; an adaptive approach to disease control; and emerging positive deviance in healthcare and education. The session will conclude with a sense-making activity to encourage practitioners to deepen and strengthen their own personal leadership models. See http://leadingnetworkmaps.ning.com

Larry Ackerman, The Identity Circle LLC

Autonomy. Differentiation. Change. Stewardship. Purpose. Alignment. Brand. Sustainability. These are strategic needs leaders must meet to be successful, and meeting each poses unique challenges. But what if there were a way to address these seemingly diverse needs in an integrated manner? In short, what if one system could be as personally relevant to employees as it was economically relevant to executives? There is. That system is the Identity Discipline. In this session, participants will learn how to use the Identity Discipline to 1) blend these eight needs into a coherent, value- creating platform; 2) marshal the organization’s value-creating potential to drive change; 3) tap the unique capacities of companies and individuals; 4) capitalize on the differences between identity and culture; and 5) leverage identity to create sustainable competitive advantage

Gloria Burgess, Jazz, Inc.

Given the multiple roles that practitioners play in supporting organizations and their leaders, how do practitioners focus on our most critical role—our own role as leader? Specifically, what role do we play in providing legacy leadership—the work of catalyzing the future and creating a worthy legacy while building a sturdy bridge for others to cross? This session explores legacy leadership in a way that will benefit practitioners and their clients. We will explore the key principles of legacy leadership, learn the critical few things practitioners must know to support themselves and their clients in the midst of ambiguity and change, and walk away with a practical tool kit you can use anytime, anywhere, for yourself and with your clients.

John Dupre, Mattel, Inc.
Scott Wimer, Wimer Associates

We live in an age of "Organizational ADD," e.g., short attention spans, intense deadlines, and multiple, changing priorities. Technology is fast. Competition is fierce. And change is constant. In the short term, results can happen fast. But ultimately, this pace can exact a price—for both individual and organizational well-being. How do we help people survive in a system characterized by ADD symptoms? And how do we help leaders caught up in a frenzy of activity? We will use a case study to demonstrate how to coach a leader with ADD, and we will look at strategies for coping with life in a turbocharged world that sometimes seems to be spinning out of control.

Jane Rosensweig, W. L. Gore and Associates
Michael Broom, Center for Human Systems

Inculcating the perspectives and values of diversity throughout a large, decentralized organization takes significant, skilled person power. Learn how this was done at W. L. Gore & Associates via an extensive OD-based action learning program that focused heavily on conscious use-of-self and working with emotions.

Carol Jenkins, Assess Systems- A Bigby Havis Company
Charlotte Gomez, Texas Instruments

Founded in 1930, Texas Instruments is a venerable company whose products power the Internet Age. Long an innovator in development programs for upper level managers, TI leaders decided in 2006 that the war for talent was daily being won or lost at the front line supervisor level. This session is about the program that TI created to develop front line supervisors in the 12 countries and 6 languages in which they work. We will take you from concept to impact, and describe the challenges, their solutions, and the lessons we have learned in the process.

Donna Glanvill, Worldsview Consulting
Louise van Rhyn, Symphonia Consulting

Conversations are spaces in which we build shared understanding, explore complexity, and reach decisions—a powerful space for change and transformation. And yet, we have re-engineered every business process except that of the conversation. As practitioners, we need to understand how conversations operate in organizations and claim our role in generating structured, courageous conversations for real change. In this experiential session participants will have an opportunity to experience these methodologies, and to practice conversational skills required to transfer learning. Case studies from two conversation-based interventions—the Nine Conversations in Leadership(tm) and Purposeful Teams(tm) will showcase the challenges and impact of conversations in organizations.

David White, Microsoft
Katy Jo Meyer, Microsoft

What are the intervention options for driving culture and business change in a company that continues to benefit from success and lacks a burning platform? The answer? Dev eloping career path profiles for all employees, while directly linking strategic business change to employee behavior. The result is a groundbreaking, sustainable, and aligned infrastructure for managing talent that increases employee engagement, provides a platform for integrating all talent management, and drives real business change.

Lisa DeSanti, Brandes Associates; People Process Technology Resource Group
Rianna Moore, New Dynamics Consulting

There are some dynamics unique to flatness or the absence of hierarchy in small groups that traditional theories and models of group dynamics do not explain. Power Equity Group (PEG) Theory explains the group dynamics unique to flat, non-hierarchial structures. It has been applied by a self-directed and self-managed team of OD professionals working in a branch of the US Navy for over six years. In this session, the consultant and members of the OD team will discuss how PEG Theory has helped them operate effectively, while also maintaining flatness within the context of a command-and-control culture.

Linda Ackerman Anderson, Being First, Inc.

In times of economic strain, leaders need to focus their organization’s attention and resources on their highest priorities--the changes most critical to their business imperatives. Leaders may intend to focus, but few go so far as to establish a stream-lined, enterprise-wide Change Agenda that names what is at center stage, and what work must move backstage. Too few consultants, internal or external, are positioned today to assist executives with this all-important work, let alone consult directly to the most strategic efforts. This session describes how to create a Change Agenda and what it takes to become a strategic change consultant to it. It establishes the importance of consciously setting up the organization to succeed at its most critical changes, and how to consult at this level.

Imre Lovey, Concordia Organization and Mgt. Development Ltd.

The presenter has developed this model of organizational vitality with an Indian colleague, based on their 60 years of combined OD consulting experience on five continents, including the Unites States. During this highly interactive session, we’ll explore the relevance of joy in organizational settings, linking it with organizational health. Along the way we’ll present a robust, practical model of organizational health, and identify 20 of the most typical organizational diseases. Participants will then have an opportunity to apply this profile of20 health-disease dimensions to their own or a client organization. Finally, using diagnoses of over 50 organizations of different sizes and sectors, we’ll explore different, possible patterns of organization heath and disease, and we’ll discuss how a leader’s belief system can either sustain or undermine healthy organizations.

Elaine Jennerich, University of Washington Libraries
M. Sue Baughman, University of Maryland Libraries

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a powerful tool to help employees create a shared image of the future of an organization. After a brief overview of the eight principles of AI and the 4-D cycle, you will focus on the dream/envisioning stage of the cycle. Learn how to develop an environment of excitement and engagement by using interactive techniques that encourage participants to imagine that anything is possible.

David Maxfield, VitalSmarts

Everyone wants to be an influencer. And yet, in spite of the fact that we routinely attempt to do everything from lose weight to improve quality at work, few of us can articulate a model of what it takes to exert influence. For the first time, Influencer brings together the breakthrough strategies of contemporary influence masters. By drawing from the skills of hundreds of successful change agents, and combining them with five decades of the best social science research, Influencer shares both a model and the techniques for changing behaviors—techniques that nearly anyone can apply to nearly any problem.

Rick Maurer, Gestalt Institute of Cleveland

It’s tempting to look for "the" cause of a problem. For example, some think they know "the" reason (or person to blame) for current worldwide economic problems, but the reasons are complex, diverse, and the playing field is constantly changing. To work with complex issues, we need to know the field conditions., Gestalt field theory looks at situations from a broad perspective—without rushing to judgment. This can have a profound effect on our work, especially since we are always a part of that field. This session provides a foundation for beginning to apply field theory in your work. We will discuss how it applies to change management, leadership training, and coaching, and you’ll have an opportunity to apply field theory principles during the session.

Carlos Venegas, Straus Forest
Jeff McAuliffe, Leadership Institute of Seattle

What is "Lean?" How does it relate to organization development and the "traditional" OD approaches to work redesign? And how does it move organizations toward sustainability? From manufacturing to health care, insurance to education, Lean is quickly becoming the method of choice for quality, engagement, and performance improvement. What has this approach got that leading organizations are buying? What is the unique value proposition of this methodology cultivated by Toyota? In this session, the presenter will share his experience integrating lean thinking with organization development, action learning, and sustainability.

Barbara Rosen, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network

What does eradicating a virulent infectious disease have in common with transforming an organization? At the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, we found that both require the ownership, engagement, and collaboration of the "touchers"—frontline folks who do the work. How we engaged them and used their wisdom is an interesting story, involving the development and use of a new tool—discovery and action dialogues (DADs)—where the group is the "expert," and where seemingly intractable problems are getting solved everyday. What’s unique about this tool is the emphasis on both dialogue and action. Come hear our story and experience a DAD for yourself.

Emily Lewis, Ralston Consulting
Gabe Singer, Booz Allen Hamilton
Mel Hudson-Nowak, Bowling Green State University
Steve Cady, Bowling Green State University

This session draws from the best methods from around the world with a history of successful application on a large-scale. We uncover the patterns in these approaches to provide you with a concise kit of models, tools and techniques, data, and case studies. Our purpose is to equip you with the means to quickly bring people together to achieve inspired results—in meetings, large-group events, change initiatives, strategic roadmaps, and more.

Tom Devane, Tom Devane & Associates, Inc.

Today’s economic climate demands extraordinary team outputs. Organizations experienced with teams understand foundational success elements like clear goals, talented team members, and management support. But what really breaks teams free of pesky performance plateaus? It’s members’ ability to play off each others’ strengths, openly explore different points of view, have frank and non-defensive conversations, and think together. Join us as we collectively explore the use of five proven group methods (also known as "large group interventions") to dramatically improve team performance. Operations people favor these methods because they’re focused on business, not "touchy-feely" outcomes. But the brilliance of these methods’ designs addresses both business and human elements.

Jim Bolton, Ridge Associates, Inc.

In recent years Jack Welch, Jim Collins, and others have written passionately about the need for greater organizational candor. It is a critical variable in promoting employee engagement, change management, and work group performance. These issues are at the center of our work as OD professionals, and the practice of candor is core to the essence of OD. But how effectively do we walk our talk when confronted with a "candor moment" ourselves? In this session each participant will explore and articulate a personal "candor commitment," learn how to foster candor in others, and develop strategies to champion candor in the organizations in which we work.

Carolyn T. Thompson, CTThompson Consulting

Anyone who has worked in nonprofit organizations will attest to their unique qualities, strengths and challenges. For years, those of us working with nonprofits have had to rely on adaptations of for-profit organizational models that omit essential aspects of 21st century nonprofits, such as an organization’s mission, funding, and cultural competency. The Nonprofit Organizational Model is the first organizational model designed specifically for nonprofit organizations. This easy-to-use model is designed to guide organization development professionals in collecting, analyzing, and presenting data, conducting organizational assessments, and strategic planning.

David Jamieson, Jamieson Consulting Group, Inc.
David Shechtman, Tru Progress Consulting
Matthew Auron, DaVita

"Self-as-instrument" is one of the most critical but least understood aspects of OD consulting. As OD practitioners, we are the primary instrument for sensing (taking in), meaning-making (understanding) and action-taking (doing something) in human system settings. Thus, the better we know ourselves, the more we can leverage our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. We can also make better choices as we seek to influence others, keep our issues out of the way of the "help," and be more present to the situation to create an effective result. This workshop aims to deepen understanding of this concept, as well as to create a developmental opportunity for OD practitioners to expand their use-of-self. Using a large body of self-as-instrument theory (including that of Charles Seashore and Bob Tannenbaum), this session will engage participants in the theoretical, conceptual, and applied aspects of self-as-instrument, using both didactic and experiential instruction methods to create a learning atmosphere of high engagement.

Yael Schy, Dramatic Strides Consulting

Today’s organizations often operate in "silo" mode. People have become so specialized and focused on their own work that they forget to look at the big picture and see how their actions impact the entire system. This interactive workshop will give both internal and external OD practitioners some new, kinesthetic tools for creating healthy human systems and for developing systems thinking habits in teams and organizations. You will learn the basic principles of improvisational theater and will explore how they apply to organizational systems theory. Learn some creative, new tools to use with teams and organizations!

Diana Marino, Wellstar Health System
Susanne Diggs-Wilborn, Wellstar Health System

All human beings experience the four sufferings of life: birth, sickness, old age and death. No where is that more evident than in the Emergency Department of a hospital; no where is there a greater need for the skilled practice of change management. Like physicians, OD practitioners have a tendency to treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause. In this interactive session, participants will have the opportunity to discover and model the key aspects of successful change management as demonstrated through an engaging case study from the seventh busiest ER in the nation. They will learn the power of bringing the change process to life: from assessment through cultural integration; from an intellectual concept to a life changing reality.

Bonnie Cooper, Team Management Systems (Americas)
Tom Gibbons, Team Management Systems (Americas)

The work of Ralph Stacey and the concepts behind "complex responsive processes" challenge the accepted value of systems thinking. While it has been an effective and powerful approach to historical analysis and archetypal pattern recognition, systems thinking has very real limitations in explaining (and may, in fact, constrain) novelty, innovation, and even learning. This interactive session explores the connections and disconnections between the two disciplines and demonstrates specific strategies to leverage their respective, individual value.

Heather Hanson, Kaiser Permanente
Jason A. Wolf, HCA
Mark J. Moir, Sanford Health

Join the co-editors of the upcoming Handbook on OD in Healthcare in this open-space session where contemporary issues will be raised and real practices discussed. Participants will share stories of lessons learned and explore new areas of interest. Be prepared to engage in an interactive learning process focused on strengthening our practice and building future possibilities for OD in healthcare.

Klaus-Stephan Otto, Dr. Otto Training & Consulting

The speaker will introduce the concept of Evolutionary Management—how processes in organizations mirror processes in evolution and neurobiology—that can be applied to complex change processes in organizations. Using the example of the current economical crisis, it will be shown what can be learnt from the up’s and down’s in nature’s evolution. Evolutionary Management focuses change by regarding simultaneously both the entire organization and the individual. You will acquire new tools to 1) understand and manage the evolution of organizations; 2) deal with resistance to change processes by using the intuition and emotions; and 3) foster and perpetuate innovation using the Diversity-Selection-Preservation-Tool (DSP-Tool), along with 15 processes of innovation in nature. The speaker will also provide process flows and instruments, and share examples from companies like Volkswagen or Bayer.

Sam Magill, Sam Magill Coaching and Consulting

Many of our tools in OD focus on expanding our clients’ systems, but sometimes systems have to shrink or decline. In this session we will explore a complete perspective on cycles of life which can guide the consultant in times of both expansion and contraction. Special emphasis will be placed on practices to use when things are not going well. In other words, we will explore how to add genuine value during tough times. Through metaphors offered in stories, photographs, and poetry, we will explore life cycles and our place in them as OD practitioners.

Nancy Southern, Saybrook Graduate School
Todd Slingsby, Risk Management Solutions

In this session you will learn a collaborative inquiry approach to working with organizational challenges that will help you explore assumptions, more fully understand the complexity of a situation, and support individuals and teams in taking effective action. The session, which features a description of the inquiry process, its uses and benefits, an opportunity to practice, and insights from a leader, is geared for people of all levels who want to learn collaborative approaches to addressing complex problems. Coaches will find this session insightful as a means to use work with inquiry to support new thinking and new action. Consultants, and organizational and team leaders will find this a great resource for engaging people in new ways to build a collaborative culture.

Candace Cabbil, Camille Group Consulting
Christine Sherman, Booz Allen Hamilton
Svenja Leggewie, Johnson & Johnson, Global Strategic Design Office

OD education is at an important crossroads. Designers of OD curricula are stretched between teaching the foundations and a rising tide of new theories, techniques, and models. Session attendees will learn about the existing key streams of OD education and the emerging challenges in the educational system and the industries it supports. They will participate in a dialogue on the proposed framework to help OD program directors and faculty craft a powerful consensus about essential knowledge and skills needed in 21st century OD practice. They will begin to pinpoint priorities for learning: the contact, content, and context of knowledge and skills.

Arthur Jue, Oracle
Jackie Alcalde Marr, Oracle
Mary Ellen Kassotakis, Oracle

Technology enablers, coupled with a rising trend toward fostering more social connections, are giving relationship-building new character and inspiring the use of vogue idioms such as "social networking." This session will present applied insights and practical advice that can help OD professionals leverage the power of social technologies to improve business results, and assist leaders to build high performance organizations that harness the energy and passion of employees. Attendees will engage in interactive reflective learning that collectively yields new insights about the value of social networking within OD, and solutions that can inform current and future practice.

Helen Starkweather,
Nicole Stragalas,

Embodied differences: Implications of queer theory and disability for OD practice- Helen Starkweather Queer theory, which arose from lesbian feminist studies in the 1990s, suggests that gender and identity cannot be easily categorized. A critical lens through which to view disability, this model challenges “normalcy” as created by organizations and society. Participants will learn about queer theory and its parallels to disability and other differences; what it means; how to apply it to organizations; and possible results. Updating Kotter’s Change Management Model: Using Research Findings to Develop Practical Action Steps- Nicole Stragalas Corporations often focus on change process models when preparing managers and employees for transformation, addressing the individual. Kotter’s Change Management Model emphasizes change implementation, addressing the organization as a whole. To improve the accessibility of Kotter’s framework, findings from other research studies have been incorporated into the design, revealing essential action steps related to each stage in the transformation.

Anita Bhasin , Pepperdine University
Fonda Na'Desh, Fielding Graduate University
Steve Upham, Fielding Graduate University

Participate in sessions in which OD program graduate students present their most intriguing research projects and field work. Converse with these budding practitioners as they report the results of their latest cutting-edge inquiries, and learn how you might apply those results to your practice. Learn what's engaged students' attention and energy and identify which theories are practical and relevant enough to help guide OD practice in the future. Anita Bhasin -- An Exploration of Adaptive Leadership Practices and Their Impact on Organization Effectiveness Steve Upham -- Is There Magic in Measurements? Case Study: Reimbursement Time Process Improvements Fonda Na'Desh -- Gen-Y in the Workplace: Perceptions from Their Boomer and Gen-X Coworkers

Earon Kavanagh, Tilburg University/ Netherlands: Organization Studies
Joyce Langenegge,
Nuala Campany, Pepperdine University, Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Participate in sessions in which OD program graduate students present their most intriguing research projects and field work. Converse with these budding practitioners as they report the results of their latest cutting-edge inquiries, and learn how you might apply those results to your practice. Learn what's engaged students' attention and energy and identify which theories are practical and relevant enough to help guide OD practice in the future. Joyce Langenegger -- Lewin's Force Field Theory: Revisited and Revised Nuala Campany -- The Application of Stevens-Long's Theoretical Construction of Bion's Experiences in Groups Earon Kavanagh -- Resituating Communities of Practice: A Human Relations View of Organizing, Power, and Possibilities in Situated Learning

Karen J. Davis, Karen J. Davis
Victoria G. Axelrod, Axelrod Becker Consulting

Sustainable globalization is not an oxymoron. It is a holistic, integrated approach to a world of mass complexity and speed. Learn how to frame and leverage global opportunities and perspectives to increase your organization’s sustainability. Sustainable globalization uses a Six Lens framework to enable everyone (from individuals, to organizations, to governments) to succeed while being conscious of economic, social, and environmental impacts. Drawn from a chapter in The Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook, OD practitioners will learn to differentiate the six lenses: economic, technology, poverty and inequity, limits to growth, movement of talent, and geopolitical. They will also experience the Six Lens tool for evaluating their organizations, and consider the implications of the results. Participants will also have an opportunity to add to the questionnaire database supporting the Six Lens tool.

Anitah Draimon, Crafting Transitions
Bill Huffaker, Visa Inc.

The presenters offer insight into the growing importance of fostering spirituality in the workplace from both a theoretial and practice perspective. Using Fowler’s Faith Development Theory, session particpants are offered an overview of the stages of spiritual development, a comparison showing how religion and spirituality differ, and practical and appropriate applications of these concepts. We discuss case studies and offer suggestions to address the spiritual development needs of both individuals and organizational systems of all sizes.

Ilene Wasserman, ICW Consulting Group
Placida Gallegos, ICW Consulting Group

The current "Global Economic Crisis" may be an opportunity to rethink business and leadership issues. Organizational initiatives to foster diverse and inclusive cultures have become portals to strengthening individual and team performance by enhancing learning and higher levels of communication. Leaders at many levels are seeking coaching to enhance their capacity to respond to complex challenges. They are learning that they need to take the perspectives of others, demonstrate authentic empathy, and build relationships across a wide range of differences. This interactive, multi-media session provides a model of integral inclusive leadership, which is grounded in the principles and practices of Positive Organizational Scholarship, Relational Theory, Integral Theory, and CMM, a communication approach. You will have opportunities to apply these principles to your current work and practice situations.

Henri Lipmanowicz, Plexus Institute
Keith McCandless, Social Invention Group
Sharon Benjamin, Alchemy

Like Internet entrepreneurs and political strategists, organizational change practitioners are learning to unleash decentralized, self-organized action to get results that are better-than-expected-or-imagined. The presenters are using a large array of self-organizing change methods—Liberating Structures—in grass-roots initiatives in Latin America, Europe, and the US. Multinational businesses, hospitals, and NGOs are now developing more like "starfish" than "spiders" (Brafman, ODN 2008, Keynote). Similar to Positive Deviance (Sternin, ODN 2007, Keynote), these methods are easy to learn, spread quickly peer-to-peer, and require limited coaching. This mash-up of methods introduces new ways for people to work together. Novel patterns of interacting are transforming leaders and stimulating innovation and productivity organization-wide. This session will build your confidence in working creatively with uncertainty, diverse participants, less ego, and more surprise.

Gervase R. Bushe, Clear Learning, Ltd.
Robert J. Marshak, American University

This session explores the growing bifurcation in premises and practices between dialogic and diagnostic forms of OD. Instead of being based on theories of change that emphasize data-gathering and diagnosis prior to intervention, dialogic forms of OD place greater emphasis on creating containers of inquiry in which increased system awareness leads to new social realities and agreements. Examples of dialogic interventions, their underlying premises and practices, similarities and differences with traditional forms of OD, and implications for practitioners will be discussed. Come dialogue with us about this growing trend in OD theory and practice.

Anne Litwin, Anne Litwin & Associates

To tell the truth, there are both positive and negative patterns of relationship between women in the work place. As a consultant, coach, and trainer, I see supportive relationships between women, and I see competent and capable women who, after being promoted, are undermined and/or driven out by their female colleagues. I hear complaints about female bosses being tougher on women subordinates than on men, and about hurt feelings and resentments between women colleagues that create barriers to their work relationships years after the offending incident. In this session we will explore recent research that explains these patterns and consider interventions that can increase women’s capacity to support each other as colleagues in the work place.