ODNC Beacon, February 1, 2004 Editor’s Welcome Wow! There’s a lot going on in ODN Chicago right now! The Future of OD is unfolding now. Bruce Mabee is leading an exploration of how OD is evolving and how we can create the OD future. The January program involved a panel of Impact Award judges and stimulated lots of discussion. See below and on the next pages for how you can get involved. ODN Chicago sponsored its first ever Impact Awards ceremony. It was a big hit. Read about the outstanding OD projects that received recognition awards (page 4) as well as the story of how one Impact Awards judge used the awards as a springboard to bring visibility to OD in his own workplace (page 5). Conversations about OD have gone on-line! Join the MetaNet conversations about the Future of OD—or anything else you’d like to discuss (page 7). The chats are already in progress. Many exciting events are coming up. ODN Chicago’s February program on mentoring (page 9) and March program on Ethics (page 10) should both be stimulating and involving. Dick Axelrod is joining us for a special event in March (page 7). (And see the interview, page 10.) And members have told us about another lively bunch of programs on their way (page 9). More than ever, there are lots of opportunities to get involved with the OD community. See how many you can find among these pages — and find the one that’s perfect for you! It’s a great time to be in OD. I hope you enjoy this quarter’s Beacon! -Christine Buss The Future of OD Is “Alive & Well” and Determined to Talk the Client’s Language Eleanor Alandy of Allstate Insurance summed up two evenings with a campaign quality sound bite: “Keep the humanity. Improve the metrics!” She was capturing a many-faceted conversation among a panel of award judges and a total of 60 OD practitioners as they wrestled with the future. The OD Network of Chicago held two meetings in January on the question, “The Future of OD: Will You Be in It?” Approximately twenty participants at Underwriter’s Laboratories in Northbrook, and forty at the Harris Bank in Chicago, asserted their themes about where the field is headed. “Alive and Well…and Thriving in Chicago.” Peter Sorensen of Benedictine University cited a long list of institutions, from the Academy of Management to global corporations, that are expanding their OD endeavors. Sorensen was asked why OD has been doing so well in Chicago. He and Dick Axelrod, panel members and judges in ODN Chicago’s first Impact Awards, talked about Chicago as a crossroads that connects the East and West coasts of the US. Bruce Mabee, facilitator of the evening, added that the depth of OD graduate programs in the Chicago area gives a base for professionals to agree and disagree about OD issues. This has created energy and high standards of practice. By Any Other Name Not everyone sees the title “Organization Development” thriving even if OD practice is thriving. Mike Herron of the Northern Trust served as a judge in the OD award. He practices OD approaches daily, yet, he is clear: “I never, never call my work ‘OD’ at work.” He’s not alone. The discussion questioned whether OD has diffused and faded into the mainstream of business practice. While Emotional Intelligence and other methods often associated with OD have blossomed in popularity, some felt that OD has risked dissipating itself out of existence. Others defended that OD remains a necessary integration point for the exploding range of change techniques. Speed Axelrod commented that one clearly moving dimension in OD is the pace of change. Panelists noted how award winner US Cellular actively engaged over 2000 people in dialogue and action that made major bottom line impact – in months. They described how winning projects consistently involved large numbers of people in short periods of time – with good tracking of qualitative and quantitative results. “Metrics!” Joe Merton, Co-Chair of ODN/C, shouted out the word that received the most attention in both meetings. Several small group discussions debated whether OD needs to be measuring the details of behavior, or whether the larger- scale “systemic” and “organic” business dimensions must be highlighted, even if they cannot be measured clearly. Many groups agreed that whatever is measured, it needs to be measured in terms that the clients speak. Bob Skoda of AID, a winner of the Impact Awards, declared that he does not ever speak in OD language. “I start with what the client cares about, and that may be in financial language.” Another small group compared the jargon of OD to “hearing your doctor describe all the technical diagnoses of your medical condition, and not having a clue what he’s talking about.” Therese Yaeger, panelist, judge and leader in the Benedictine University Doctorate in OD, added depth to the measurement question. She noted that as the judges evaluated the applicants for the Impact Awards, “We were given clear criteria, but we gave very different scores.” The judges ended up changing their votes, during “almost scary discussions,” reaching solid consensus about the winners. “Our process was itself good OD,” Yaeger said. Mabee added, “We had to get under those criteria to find the strong values we had in common. That is what we applied to choose the winners.” Judges also included Kumiko Watanuki of DePaul University, Mark Lindner of Allstate, Homer Johnson of Loyola University’s OD Master’s and Cheryl Jekiel of Parco Foods. They were chosen by the award committee, Sandra LaMartine, Katherine Nathan and Kathy Nevitt, to bring the perspectives of internal and external consultants, operational managers, academics and international experience. “Who Ya Gunna Call?” One Northbrook discussion group concentrated on the personal predicaments. Often laid off during the economic down times, experienced professionals find themselves in jobs they never expected. Yet some gain credibility with their abilities to “talk to people” and “understand how the whole system works” – if they don’t let OD jargon obscure their value. A lady in Northbrook said she sometimes feels like Ghost Busters is her calling. Groups in Chicago and Northbrook had many examples of individuals who found clever “back door” ways to build credibility with authoritarian leaders who used weak “involvement” efforts. But at least one practitioner is growing weary of indirect credibility: “I don’t know if I want to keep doing that while other specialists just make promises and get big bucks.” Flipchart Notes: These phrases were offered by those in the small groups, to capture ideas that they found important. Only they know what they meant, but maybe the phrases will trigger something else in you! - Relationship & trust are still essential. - Focus on the problem/pain “What do you want to fix?” - Human Systems Development. Incorporating larger and smaller OD? - How ready am I for “the change”? - Virtual organization, fragmented geographies – creating very different needs. - De-industrialization – massive job change. - “I’m training people to deal with these things.” - My stake in the ground: Strategy & Emotional Intelligence - Need to build alliances to transfer skill between OD and line. - OD has passion, but the field is still a baby. - Who do we serve? What do they need? What do they value? - “Stuck in the beauty of OD.” - Many OD people still just want tools & techniques, when the need is deeper and broader. - How much has the world learned our stuff? - We isolate ourselves if we believe having values makes us special. - Bruce Mabee Inside a Group Discussion... In the group I joined, we had a lively discussion about the definition of OD. Is it clear enough? Have we articulated the boundaries between OD and, for example, HR? We noted that HR academic programs now have OD course work and that, more broadly, the prevalence of business change and self- help books have made everybody “an expert” on OD. Arguments were made that this was: - “Good” – more people understand OD and will know when to bring us in. Our ultimate goal is that OD values and strategies become adopted as a way of doing business anyway. - “Bad” – people who don’t really know how to do OD are doing it anyway, to the detriment of both companies and the reputation of OD - “Not enough” – the people who are learning OD strategies are at the grass roots level; at the highest levels where critical decisions are made and budgets determined, OD is still invisible or misunderstood. Is it job security, job obsolescence, or The End of OD as We Know It? Stay tuned to the OD future to find out! And stay tuned to the Future of OD discussions to help create it! - Christine Buss Get Involved in a Better “Future of OD” ODN Chicago is seeing a number of active projects emerge as the association eyes “The Future of OD.” A not-for-profit organization with a small budget, ODN/C does not have the luxury of decreeing and funding major projects, but it can help a small group tie into actions that others are doing. Here is a current list of projects. Please email or call the contact person if you have an interest: - Online OD Dialogue – The MetaNetwork. www.tmn.com. Neesa Sweet, neesas@aol.com - National ODN & OD Institute Collaboration on the Future of OD. Ross Shifo, HPInnovations@ameritech.net - Research on the Future of OD. Debbie Shearer, Deborahshearer@sbcglobal.net - Promoting OD in the Business Community. Ross Schifo. - Strategic Planning of Chicago’s OD Network. Bruce Mabee, bmabee@aol.com - The Future of Internal OD. West Suburban PDN Program 2/2/04. Sandra LaMartine, Sandra.Lamartine@tellabs.com - 2004 Impact Awards. Katharine Nathan, kandan2000@aol.com More Conversations Want to participate in ODN Chicago conversations about the Future of OD? A great place to start is the MetaNet. (See the article on page 7 about how to log on, and a broader perspective on the purpose.) There are lots of discussions starting up with provocative questions. Here’s a list of today’s snapshot. 1. Welcome--Introduce Yourself Here! 2. The Future of OD - Where To? 3. OD Future Question #2: Will “OD” Cease to Exist? 4. OD Future Question #3: Who Determines What OD Is? 5. OD Future Question #4: Will OD Become "Artificial Intelligence"? 6. OD Future Question #5: Credentials – Who Should Set Standards? 7. OD Future Question #6: What’s Your Plan? 8. What is OD? 9. What would you like from ODNC? 10. Books, techniques, tools... Chime in or add your own! The Future of OD is waiting for you. - Christine Buss Impact Awards Showcase OD’s Bottom-Line Results ODN/C held its first Impact Awards Ceremony at the Gleacher Center of the University of Chicago in November. Hosted by Julie Truck, Deputy Business Editor of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, the event offered a platform for several business leaders who affirmed the value of Organization Development to their business. Connie Lindsey, Senior Vice President - Worldwide Operations and Technology for the Northern Trust, an Impact Award sponsor, noted that OD has permeated her organization. “The benefits and impact of that is certainly bottom line. When we have people who understand the strategic direction of our business, when we are living, walking and talking the culture and the values we espouse in the organization the bottom line is we are more efficient. We are goal directed. We are very clear in terms of the message we send not only to our partners but also to our clients and the community we serve.” Diane Kubal, President of Fulcrum Network, also a sponsor, underscored the value of OD professionals stating, “Our clients know they need us but they can’t always articulate why. They continue to call upon us when they’re not clear what they need to craft processes that will lead to workable solutions. More and more organizations are recognizing the value of OD processes and professionals. I think this award is representing something happening in our field, and that is that OD is coming of age.” A distinguished panel of judges drawn from business, consulting and academia was assembled to evaluate applications submitted from the greater Chicago area for the 2003 Impact Awards. Applications focused upon diagnosis and design as well as quantitative and qualitative results. OD values, including respect for and inclusion of organization members, two-way communications, equal access to information, ethics, and knowledge transfer were also evaluated. Judges from the outstanding panel assembled to award entrants noted that, although they didn’t always agree, in the end they came to alignment. “The judges actually had to agree to come up with these awards,” noted respected Consultant and Past-President of ODN/C Bruce Mabee. “I think this is different and effective role modeling.” In the end, what impressed the panel about the projects they evaluated was that they were big, impactful, and fast. For Profit Winner - U. S. Cellular U.S. Cellular carried out organization-wide interviews to grow revenue, drive standards of excellence, improve customer satisfaction and embed the culture of their Dynamic Organization. The project involved almost all of the 2100 associates in their Central Region through a process known as Appreciative Inquiry (AI). The structured process helps an organization build on what they are doing right, rather than focus on what they are doing wrong. Through a team of 250 associates from all levels and all functions trained to use AI, U.S. Cellular was able to conduct personal interviews with 1,978 employees in less than one month. The interviews surfaced thirteen key themes that made it possible to create short and long-term action plans. These themes were honed during a “Summit” at which employees participated in small cross functional groups to plan, organize and prioritize change activities to promote a more effective operational model. As a result of the overall process, associate satisfaction scores have been improved and the organization has demonstrated increased agility. For example, when a request was made to move up a major technology upgrade by two weeks, a plan involving marketing, sales, network engineering and operations was in place and in motion within 24 hours. Impact Awards judge Mark Lindner, Director of Human Resources at Allstate, noted, “U.S. Cellular titled their application ‘Bringing the Dynamic Organization to Life” and I think that is a banner for what Organization Development can do.” Mike Herron, Vice President, Leadership and Organization Development for Northern Trust noted there were “positive interventions inside positive interventions” because the combination of training, interviews and summit enabled improved communications and overall capabilities as well as the ability to address specific business issues. Not-for-Profit Winner: The Greater Chicago Food Depository The Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) launched its “Pantry University” to strengthen the agencies (pantries, shelters and soup kitchens) they work with and to enhance their ability to provide food and services to a population of thousands of hungry Chicagoans. Realizing that many agencies are understaffed, and that workers in these agencies often lack key skills, GCFD involved the agencies themselves in designing a curriculum with separate learning tracks based on level of experience, teaching methods that appealed to a multi-level and diverse audience, and an environment where agencies could learn from each other. Agencies that demonstrated exemplary performance were enlisted to serve as lead instructors, co-instructors, coaches, facilitators or mentors to assure that knowledge transfer was based upon best-case practices. Using large group models, member agencies also created their own ethical standards to which agencies should conform. These will serve as guidelines for all participants in Pantry University. Following OD models of collaboration, GCFD demonstrated an impressive ability to change direction based upon feedback from their agency customers and new information. They also formed additional partnerships with professional volunteers, City Colleges and professional groups. Business structures and processes at participating agencies were addressed. According to Michael Mulqueen, Executive Director, “This effort was designed to improve the effectiveness of our member agencies and develop the human capital that is making a difference in the lives of the people they serve. We did a lot of research; we looked at corporate models such as Hamburger University and Harley Davidson. We hope this program will inspire other non-profits in Chicago, but also that it will be replicated around the country.” Not-for-Profit Honorable Mention: The Association for Individual Development The Association for Individual Development (AID) faced a gloomy financial reversal in 2002. AID is a social service agency that supports individuals with developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders. AID employs 380 people at 30 sites throughout the Fox River Valley. “We had to decide how we were going to move forward in the wake of huge financial cuts, primarily from changes in state funding levels,” said Bob Skoda, AID’s Vice President of Organization Development and Human Resources. “We had to determine whether we were going to look at our people as expenses or assets. We put our employees first in the process of change. Our people shape our clients’ perception of who we are and how we operate. We made the protection of this asset a priority.” Taking a systems view of their dilemma, AID adopted a comprehensive approach to change. The principals they identified to guide the change included: linking organizational change with employee needs (including career development); reducing or eliminating low rate of return tasks (workflow and process re-design); developing a performance feedback process; lowering turnover; and creating a recognition program. “We undertook a series of ‘life-style’ changes,” added Skoda. “We realized that we had to become faster and more flexible as an organization. Opportunities surface throughout the year that require responses. We created a Human Resources Redeployment and Opportunity Management System that makes it possible to adjust the labor structure without a layoff. It also stimulates pro-active planning for the recruitment of difficult-to-fill, critical positions through anticipation of job specific labor market shortages.” Patrons for the 2003 ODN/C Impact Awards program were The Northern Trust Company and Fulcrum Network, with sponsorship by Capital H Group. Academic Partners included the Graham School of the University of Chicago, and Benedictine, DePaul and Loyola Universities. - Katharine Nathan For a videotape ($50) of the Impact Awards Ceremony, including Dr. Denison's presentation, call the ODNC office at 773-561-4919. Impact Awards Net Advancement of OD Many people from across the Chicagoland business community have provided ODN Chicago with feedback about the positive value created by the Impact Awards process and recognition meeting in 2003. One example of this type of impact was recently shared by Mike Herron with Katharine Nathan, a member of the Impact Awards team. Mike is a Vice President at Northern Trust in Leadership and Organization Development, and became involved with the Impact Awards when the idea was put forth at ODN/C’s Appreciative Inquiry retreat in 2002. “As a former Board member of ODN/C charged with responsibility for marketing, I knew a big issue for us was how we can have more impact in the Chicago business community. When the Impact Awards were first suggested I told the planning team they could count me in.” Although a change in jobs forced him to pull back from active day-to-day support, Mike never walked away from that commitment. He played an instrumental role in securing the Northern Trust’s financial backing for the awards. “The executive who had to approve our sponsorship had recently arrived in his position. My request for support for the awards gave me a nice way to get to know him better. Since then I’ve established a solid working relationship that’s partly an outgrowth of that discussion about the value of ODN/C and the Impact Awards.” As the first Chicago business to offer sponsorship, Northern Trust acted on its commitment to serve as a leader in the Chicago business community. While helping ODN/C find its voice in Chicago business was a primary reason Mike supported the Awards, he never lost site of the value the event had in helping the Northern Trust understand OD and his work. “I had a co- equal objective in that I wanted to help my company understand my work and also to help educate my clients about the value of OD. I also feel strongly that the community needs to recognize that Northern Trust is an organization that is committed to OD and OD values.” For the first time, Mike’s job description now also includes continuing his work in the community and his involvement with ODN/C and the Impact Awards. In the days that followed the Impact Awards, one of the Northern Trust leadership teams determined that they are going to do an offsite leadership development and change management event. Mike has been invited to work with them to create that learning opportunity, an opportunity that came about because he took the initiative to help showcase Northern’s support of the Impact Awards and what an OD-type approach can do for this leadership team. And in addition to this, one of Mike’s Northern Trust colleagues has a project that just might find its way to the Impact Awards judges in 2004. Editor’s Note: Other readers are encouraged to submit similar stories about the impact of ODN/C and the Impact Awards on the Chicago business community. Make the 2004 Impact Awards Happen! Want to bring the news about OD value and successes to Chicago business and non-profit arenas? We Need Your Help! Yes, you. Be a part of planning the 2004 Awards. We’re just starting the planning now and you can contribute to the success of this critical ODN Chicago activity. Contact Katharine Nathan, 773-251-3334,kandan2000@aol.com OD Discussions On-Line Want feedback on a plan? A recommendation for a resource? Or do you want to discuss the future of OD with others who are creating it now? All these are at your finger tips with ODN Chicago conversations on MetaNet. Log in and sign on! MetaNet is a conferencing system that has long hosted conversations among OD practitioners and for ODN National events. It is simple to use, available whenever you are, free, and can provide a new dimension to your ODNC membership. The system is very intuitive; directions for logging on follow. Feel free to post the topics you’d like to talk about and then invite the people you'd like to hear from to respond. The software will track the conversation threads, so that all conversation about a topic will stay together. INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Go to http://www.tmn.com. 2. Create your (case sensitive) ID and password. 3. The first time you enter "MetaNet Center", go to question 4 and enter "Odn Chicago Conversations. ”After the first time, this will be part of your list of conferences. There are other conferences on MetaNet that are of interest to OD as well and you can add as many as you like. 4. You will then see a list of topics. You can read each item individually by clicking on "new" for each item. 5. You can add your own contribution by typing it in the empty text box and pressing one of the "Post" buttons. 6. You can join any of the other conferences. A lot of bright and interesting people are in this “community” and they have a lot of interesting things to say. There's also a lot of prattle, particularly in "seasonal" conference. You can easily "join" a conference by clicking on its name in the list of all conferences and "resign" just as easily. We look forward to seeing you on-line. A Note from Our Sponsor The ability to set up the Caucus conferences was made possible by the generosity of Lisa Kimball of GroupJazz. You can visit their web site at www.groupjazz.com. Dick Axelrod: Terms of Engagement, April 30—Hold the date! Dick Axelrod is giving a special presentation entitled Terms of Engagement for ODN Chicago on April 30 at Northern Trust. Hold the date! Dick says, this workshop is most effective when you bring your client(s) with you, so get it on their calendar as well. The one-day workshop will explore: The Problem and the Solution * Why Change Management Needs Changing * The Engagement Paradigm Producing the Engaged Organization* Widening the Circle of Involvement: People and Ideas * Connecting People to Each Other * Creating Communities for Action Getting Started * When Engagement Disengages: Some Words of Caution * The Power of Engagement Participant Comments Dick's workshop confirmed for me the on-going transformation we are seeing in large group interventions. Models such as Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search, Open Space, Whole Scale Change, Real-Time Strategic Change, the Conference Model, etc. have all been key learning steps in our development of the CORE PRINCIPLES that need to drive any large group intervention. And it is the core principles, not the specific models, that must inform the way we design large group work for each of our unique clients and their business needs. See excerpts from an interview with Dick on page 10. Assessing And Creating An Ethical Climate—February ODNC Program, Feb 25 and 26 K.T. Connor brings this stimulating topic to our February programs in the city and suburbs. For more information, go to odnetwork.org/odnc/Meetrev.htm Collins (Good to Great), de Geus (The Living Company), Kouzes and Posner (The Leadership Challenge) and others have reminded us that ethical companies can be high-performing companies. Yet recent events remind us that organizational ethics is in crisis. What can the OD professional do to help organizations create a climate of ethical thinking and behaving? This session takes a scientific approach to ethics, moving it from “soft” to “hard” considerations. It explores: · Ethics as a “hard” science · The 9 pathways to ethical performance in an organization · The challenge of measuring ethics in an organization · How to escape the measurement traps: o espoused vs. lived theory o unidimensional definitions of ethics o managerial myopia · Preliminary research demonstrating the gaps that can be addressed by the OD practitioner · Implications for us, here, now, tonight K.T. Connor, PhD, a Social Psychologist, has degrees from the University of Southern California and Case Western Reserve University. She has been involved in organizational development work for over 25 years, working with such companies as IBM, GTE, Motorola, Ford Motor Company, PSEG Power, and Merrill Lynch. She has also worked with health care facilities, school systems, volunteer and paid boards, and the Army Corps of Engineers. She recently completed a five year term as President of the Creative Education Foundation--home of the Creative Problem Solving Institute and legacy of Alex Osborn, formulator of “brainstorming” and founder of the global ad agency BBDO. She is currently a Director of the Product Development & Management Association. She is a member of OD Network, ASTD, ISPI, and ATP. Figuring “somebody has to do it,” she is living on Spanish-moss-magical Saint Simons Island off the coast of Georgia—when she’s not on an airplane off to see a client. Upcoming Event Opportunities in Chicago Each quarter, we invite members to advise us of events of interest to the OD community. We hope you enjoy these excellent opportunities. Midwest OD Learning and Practice Symposium Instant Rapport, with Jim Accetta, Midwest NLP Location: Benedictine University, Krasa Center, Room A, B, C Date: Saturday, February 7, 2004 Time: 8:30 am - noon Cost: Members-No Charge -$15.00 Contact: Skyring Price, skyring.price@comcast.net, 630-325-1790 Staying Up in a Down Market Comprehensive job search process covering all tactics and marketing materials. Location: Kellogg School of Management, 2001 Sheridan Road, Donald P. Jacobs Center Date: Thursday, February 19, 2004 Time: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Cost: $140 Contact: Sandy Mitsch, LSMitsch@aol.com, 847/274-4981 HeartMath - Inner Quality Management Workshop Learn how to Prevent, Manage and Reverse Anxiety and Stress to Achieve Peak Performance while Optimizing Health, Vitality, and Work/Life Balance. Location: Sponsored by: SolutionPeople - Thinkubator 6A - 312 N. May, Chicago, IL 60607 Date: Saturday, February 21, 2004 Time: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Contact: John Bishop - johnhbishop@earthlink.net See http://www.emotionalmastery.com under Programs. Civilized Assertiveness, with Dr. Judith Selee McClure Concrete techniques to communicate with "backbone, not bite," to increase effectiveness, influence, and leadership. Book signing follows. Location: Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Boulevard. Date: Saturday, February 21, 2004 Time: 9:30 am - noon Cost: $25 Contact: Judy Feldman, Judyfeldman@earthlink.net, 312-649-9587 Profit vs. Cash - What's the Difference? Learn how strategic decisions and goals and impact cash flow vs. profit. Location: Hyatt Lodge at McDonald's Campus - Oak Brook, IL Date: Friday, March 5, 2004 Time: 7:30 - 9:00 am, with continental Breakfast Contact: Laurel Johnson, laurel@dennistonconsulting.com, 630-719-1368 Three Workshops That Can Change Your Life Take Control of Your Life & Your Time Networking Starting Your Own Business Location: McDonald's Corporate Campus, Hamburger University, 2715 Jorie Blvd., Oak Brook, IL 60523 Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Contact: ncSolutions01@yahoo.com or 708-784-1634 or 630-820-3575 Chaordic Mentoring: Mentoring in the Context of Culture—The March ODNC Program Mentoring can be: (A) One of the life’s most rewarding acts for a mentor (B) An invaluable gift for a protégé (mentee) (C) A priceless experience for both (D) All of the above (E) None of the above The response that best completes the above statement is “Yes.” In terms of desired outcomes, chaordic mentoring can be an effective organizational and personal intervention… or not. Chaordic processes exist on the boundary of chaos and order. Surprising lessons learned around the viability of mentoring programs & processes will be shared. You are invited to participate in experiential learning and to test the presenter’s hypothesis that one may derive benefit from mentoring, even without a clear understanding of what “mentoring” is. Come investigate the differences between mentoring, training, coaching, and counseling. Explore whether a mentoring relationship makes sense for you, or for those in your organization. Facilitator Ross Schifo, RODP, comes to us with a MS-Mgmt and Org Behavior (with OD Concentration) & OD Certificate from Benedictine University, a BS Electrical Engineering from Bradley University, and over 25 years of success as a leader, manager, and change agent. Come participate in this rewarding interactive session, in the suburbs on March 24 or in the city on March 25. For more information see www.odnetwork.org/odnc/Meetrev.htm. Coming Soon Polarity Management Consultant Development Intensive with Barry Johnson March 16-17, 2004 and May 13-14, 2004 Tuition $1,500.00 Chicago Location:to be announced Information 616 233-3291 Mention ODNC Designed to develop internal and external resources skilled in teaching and helping others address critical organizational issues through Polarity Management. Limited to 12 people to allow concentrated attention on the individual needs of each participant. An Interview with Dick Axelrod Dick Axelrod will be presenting a special event for ODN Chicago on April 30. (See page 7 for details). The following are unedited excerpts from an interview with Dick by Roland Sullivan for the Minnesota ODN. It can be viewed in its entirety on the Minnesota ODN website, http://www.mnodn.org/axelrod.htm RS: If we define an OD competency as any characteristic that influences one’s personal power to create positive change. Moreover, if we divide characteristics into Be, Know and Do. What is the number one competency in your mind in the category of Being, Knowing and Doing? DA: For Being. It is knowing one’s self. It is important when you are working with groups to know what is your stuff and what is the group’s stuff. For Knowing. I believe it is knowing and understanding group dynamics. For Doing the number one thing we do is model the behavior and attitudes that we want among the participants. We must be congruent with what we are espousing. If we are trying to establish collaboration then we must be collaborative. If we are attempting to establish trust then we must be trustworthy. What is the saying? Be the change you are attempting to create. RS: Give us a precise of what you are teaching us in your new book. DA: With Terms of Engagement I tried to set forth a set of principles for bringing about organizational change: widening the circle of involvement, connecting people to each other, creating communities for action, embracing democracy. What I found was that some people were able to operate at principle level and others needed more concrete steps. We are trying to do two things with Terms of Engagement: first to provide a set comprehensive yet simple steps for including others. The second thing is to put these ideas in the hands of wide variety of people, from people concerned with the boardroom to people concerned with the bake sale. It is all about how to: • get clear on how to involve others • get clear on the work • determine who needs to be present. • invite and involve participants in the work and • how to finish the job. RS: What do wish to accomplish in your workshop with us? DA: My purpose is for all of us to learn together. Every time I work with a group I learn something. I don’t know what it will be, but I know I will learn something. I wish to get the ideas we discussed above into the hands of more and more people. Because we will have clients in the room, I want to advance the back-home work of the people who come. Therefore, there are two things, to learn together and to do meaningful work. Welcome to New Members! We’d like to welcome those members who joined recently. Some are board members of organizations that have recently joined the Alliance, including ICF and CISPI. Please take the opportunity to get to know... Nina Adams Adams I-Solutions, Inc. 3952 Western Ave. Western Springs IL 60558 (708) 246-0766 ninaa@adamsisolutions.com Christina Barr 1733 West Irving Park, #305 Chicago IL 60613 (773) 248-2277 christina.barr@comcast.net Sarita Bhakuni Midwest Regional Consultant Consulting Psychologist Press Inc. 3642 N. Keeler Avenue #2 Chicago IL 60606 (773) 205-5194 snb@cpp-db.com Art Bingham 421 S. First Street, Apt. 15 DeKalb IL 60115 (630) 336-7938 ozbing@msn.com Carey Bongard Strong Financial Corp 100 Heritage Reserve Menomonee Falls WI 53051 (414) 973-6981 cbongard@strong.com Gerald D. Bouey Bank One 55 W. Monroe Chicago IL 60670 (815) 790-3266 boueyge@lewisu.edu Alexis Coughlin 722 W. Buena Chicago IL 60613 (773) 339-2306 alexisandkevin@ameritech.net Janie L. Cross 253 Surf Drive New Lenox IL 60451 (815) 485-8899 jcross@toast.net John Grobe Chicago Management & Carrrer Consultants Inc. 7238 West Franklin Street Forest Park IL 60130 (708) 771-2445 johngrob@ripco.com Tom Horne 2434 W. Greenleaf Avenue, #3 Chicago IL 60645 (773) 764-7646 tom@todaysleadership.com April Kenfield 1814 N. Wilmont Chicago IL 60647 april_kenfield@hotmail.com Patricia (Tricia) K. Krohmer Independent Consultant (847) 687-5658 (cell) pkrohmer@aol.com Jodi Lanis Global Performance Manager Proudfoot and Parson Consulting 333 W. Wacker Dr, 16th Fl Chicago Il 60606 (312) 606-5178 jlanis@parsonconsulting.com Pat McCann 617 Hunter Road Wilmette IL 60091 (847) 256-8608 pmc617@aol.com Gary Moss 1920 Washington Ave. Wilmette IL 60091 (847) 251-6140 gmoss8823@aol.com Cindy Nappi Solution Source Coaching & Consulting Services, PO Box 1874 Evanston, IL 60204 (773) 932-5203 coachcindy@cnappi.biz Jennifer Noll 315 N. Pershing Ave. Mundelein IL 60060 (847) 949-0234 chicago@acpinternational.org Cindy Oehler J.J. Oehler Corporation 6382 Hastings Lane Lisle IL 60532 (630) 355-5490 cindy.oehler@trng.com Deborah Oelerich 219 Blueberry Libertyville IL 60048 (847) 367-0332 d.oelerich@att.net Lisa Padden Manager, Talent Development United Stationers 2200 E. Golf Road Des Plaines Il 60016 (847) 699-5000 x2342 lpadden@ussco.com Skyring Price Accenture 17 Camberley Court Hinsdale Il 60521 (630) 325-1790 skyring.price@comcast.net Francesca Ranieri Accenture Learning 161 N. Clark St. Chicago IL 60601 (312) 693-2245 francesca.ranieri@accenture.com Peg Rowe 1448 Lawrence Ave. Lake Forest IL 60045 (847) 234-3754 pegrowe@aol.com Christine Schager Training Consultant BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois 300 E. Randolph, 22nd Fl Chicago IL 60601 (312) 653-8189 schagerc@bcbsil.com Carol J. Semrad President C. Semrad & Associates 1366 N. Dearborn #9B Chicago IL 60610 (312) 440-4366 carol@csemrad.com Alexis Sermeno Director of OD Consulting McDonald's, Co. 2111 McDonald's Dr. Oak Brook IL 60523 (630) 623-3153 alexis.sermeno@mcd.com Dr. Al Spicer 2154 W. Hubbard Street Chicago IL 60612 (312) 455-0908 al@extraordinarylife.com Cindy Spivack 1563 Suzann Terrace Northbrook IL 60062 (847) 562-0030 csspivack@aol.com Karen Szymanski Gateway Learning 330 Newman Court Lake Bluff IL 60044 (847) 735-1431 kaszymanski@comcast.net Matt Vosmik Manager, Global Learning & Development Northern Trust Co. 50 S. LaSalle St M-6 Chicago IL 60674 (312) 557-3374 mv17@ntrs.com Tamico Washington Disability Learning and Development Consultant MetLife 1660 Feehanville Drive Mount Prospect IL 60056 (847) 391-1930 twashington@metlife.com PDN Update OD Interventions Learning Community Convener: Eleanor Alandy (847) 402-2013 This PDN focuses on OD interventions of particular interest to the community. It will be a forum to share our knowledge, experience, and expertise. Next Meeting: Feb 12, 6:00 to 8:30 PM Topic: Large Systems Change Location: Allstate Insurance Co., 2775 Sanders Road, Northbrook, J2A conference room Corporate University PDN Conveners: Naomi Berkove (773) 247-3663 This PDN provides a forum for professionals involved with corporate universities to share information and network. Next Meeting: TBD, contact the convener Topic: Competencies and Curriculum Design Careers in Transition Convener: Rose Ann Pastor (630) 243-8667 Careers in Transition-Chicago is facilitated by seasoned career management professionals who offer sound career management consultation, information and resources Next Meeting: Tuesday, Feb 24, 6:00 to 7:30 PM Location: Crossroads Center at the Career Transitions Center (room 21), 711 West Monroe, Chicago Topic: Re-writing Your Resume - Marketing Yourself Effectively Careers in Transition - West Convener: Mike Baker (630) 653-5600 Next Meeting: Monday, Feb 16, 10:00 to 11:30 AM Location: 4320 Winfield Road in Warrenville Topic: Job Clubs: An Ideal Way to Network to Your Next Job Consulting Convener: Stephen Harap (630) 852-0223 The Consulting PDN was created to provide a forum for anyone in independent practice or considering independent work to meet, discuss issues and network. The easiest way to become a member is to join the Consulting PDN virtual forum at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PDN. Creativity/Innovation (Virtual) Convener: Gerald Haman (312) 829-2852 Do you have a situation in which you feel stuck, or just want more options? We discuss a variety of methods and tools to generate ideas/alternatives to help participants address real situations, problems, and issues. Meeting Date: Meetings every 4 - 6 weeks - Contact Convener Location: "Thinkubator" in downtown Chicago HRDI - Alumni Convener: Jim Krueger (312) 578-8275 x5023 This PDN is open to HRD Institute (HRDI) students, instructors, mentors and friends, to network with our fellow HRD Alumni and friends, and to develop our skills through quarterly programs. For more information contact Jim Krueger. Instructional Technology (Virtual) Convener: Mike Kemmler (847) 530-2399 This "virtual" PDN will use an eGroup to investigate and share resources and ideas in the areas of distance learning, web-based training, on-line collaboration, and other cutting edge topics. To Join: Send an e-mail message to tech-pdn- subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Internal Consulting Conveners: Mike Herron (312) 444-3409 Get professionally connected. Learn survival tools and tactics for the Internal Consultant’s critical role. Next Meeting: Friday, Feb 20, 7:30—9:00 AM Location: Northern Trust, 181 W. Madison, 7th Floor Topic: Listening into Action, with David Jewell Internal Consulting - West Convener: Sandra Lamartine (630) 798-2554 Next Meeting: Monday, Feb 2, 7:30—9:00 AM Location: Tellabs, Naperville Topic: The Future of OD: What about Internal OD? Lake Forest/LakeBluff/Northern Suburbs This group is organized to connect with HRD professionals in the northern suburbs to explore, discuss, and share resources with one another. Conveners: Howard Prager, hprager@lfgsm.edu Ken Phillips & Kristin Phillips Next Meeting: Contact Conveners Leadership & Coaching Convener: Ed Johnson (847) 705-0498 Assist in the development of leaders within organizations; assist in identifying emerging leaders within organizations; transform leadership capabilities of organizations; increase the sales performance of organizations through inspired leadership. Next Meetings: Chicago - 2nd Thursday of each month, 12:00 to 2:00 PM Argosy Univ./Chicago, Two First National Plaza, 20 S. Clark St., 3rd Fl. (312) 201-0200 Rolling Meadows - 1st Thursday of every other month; next meeting is in March, 12:00 to 2:00 PM Argosy Univ./Chicago Northwest, One Continental Towers, 1701 Golf Rd., Ste. 101, Rolling Meadows, IL (847) 290-7400 Ongoing Learning Group Convener: Don Sandel (847) 700-5125 We investigate and share performance improvement information and personal experiences with other practitioners in order to improve the individual, team and organizational performance of those attending and the organizations they serve. Next Meeting: TBD, 6:20 networking; 6:50 - 8:30 meeting Location: Contact Convener Professionally Speaking & Facilitating Contact the Convener: Deb Kowalczyk (773) 784-3052 What is ODN Chicago? Our vision is to be known as a dynamic center for renewal for Organization Development (OD) practitioners. Operating since 1975, ODN Chicago is an independent network committed to helping its members develop their effectiveness in improving organizations. We offer opportunities for professional education and development, as well as the active exchange of experience, support and new ideas. Our members include internal and external consultants, corporate managers and specialists, trainers, academics, human resource personnel, and other professionals interested in making their organization, department, or team more effective. We work in a wide variety of environments including business, academic, government, and non-profit. Similarly, our members bring an array of industry and work experience from banking to utilities and from corporate conglomerates to local community organizations Be a Contributor! Have something you’d like to share with the OD community? Maybe you have some great work you’d like to celebrate or some idea you’d like to socialize. What do you know that we’d all benefit from? Send stories between 500 and 800 words as text or Word file to the Editors. Feedback Please! We’re always eager to hear what you think about the Beacon. Please send us verbose email with lots of feedback! We continue to improve with your help! Send comments to: Christine Buss at Christine@cmbuss.com And Neesa Sweet at NeesaS@aol.com 2003/2004 Board of Directors Co-Chairs Neesa Sweet, (847) 266-2677 Joe Merton, (773) 399-8945 Secretary Deborah Shearer, (630) 910-8604 Treasurer Marilyn Carter, (630) 821-2084 Directors Learning Team Barbara Golden, (773) 702-1723 David Jewell, (312) 240-7135 Dennis Kleper, (847) 677-5353 Wayne Kriemelmeyer, (630) 623-3803 Lori Muehling, (847) 576-3343 Communications Team Christine Buss, (630) 416-6210 Svea Christensen, (773) 395-6200 Kathryn Nathan, (773) 251-3334 Jim Picard, (773) 531-7188 Membership ParticipationTeam Malcolm Fraser, (847) 291-6092 Don Kumler, (708) 386-0653 Ross Schifo, (708) 837-0105—Mentoring Jim Sweet, (630) 416-6058 Gina Wylie, (773) 281-4392—Comm. Service Past President/Advisors Dee Burman, (847) 432-4117 Bruce Mabee, (630) 960-0425