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Are competition and cooperation at play in your
work environment? The Olympic Games are a great
example of how dynamic forces balance and reinforce
each other in large systems. At the same time that
national pride pushes countries to compete
aggressively from sport to sport, so too is a spirit of
cooperation in evidence as individual athletes
demonstrate sportsmanship and countries agree on
standards regarding everything from scoring practices
to drug testing. When you look around you at work, can
you determine who's winning the medals? Can you
identify who champions the importance of working
together?
| Planting Seeds for Change in Education |
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An Interview with Tim Lucas
by Vicky Schubert
Tim Lucas is a co-author
of the Fifth Discipline fieldbook, Schools
That Learn, and a longtime advocate of
transforming education by applying the tools and
principles of systems thinking and organizational
learning. Now a professor of practice at Lehigh
University in Pennsylvania, he recently spoke with
Leverage Points about his efforts to nurture the
next generation of educational change agents through
a unique teacher leader development program.
Having spent many years working with schools
from every angle, Tim Lucas understands better than
most people that you can't mandate change. "The
worst thing that could happen," he says, "would be for
a state like Pennsylvania to decree that everyone use
a systems thinking approach and incorporate the five
disciplines of organizational learning into their entire
curriculum. It would be the death of us." Instead, he
suggests that the best leverage points for moving
these large, complex systems can be found in the
classroom, where talented, passionate teachers are
discovering their appetite for leadership. Lucas
explains, "If I can show future administrators the
practical use of systems tools, and if they can try them
out in the context of action research projects and see
the results, they're going to be committed to using
those tools not only with their students when they
teach, but in every leadership role that they take."
That belief serves as the foundation for the
teacher leader development program that Tim directs
through a partnership between Lehigh University and
the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit, a regional
division of the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Now in its fourth year, the program is proving to be an
effective feeder system as its systems-savvy
graduates move into assistant principal positions or
become coaches or mentors working across
districts.
Project-Based Learning
The program,
designed with the input of superintendents, principals,
and teachers, is built around cohorts of 14 to 20
participants who spend two years together earning 15
graduate-level credits that they can choose to apply to
a master's degree in education leadership through
Lehigh. Key to the program's success are the action
research projects--not assigned, but individually
selected--that focus the teacher leaders' learning. "I
want these to be projects they are so passionate
about that they're willing to put in hours and hours of
planning, writing, and even just thinking about them,"
Tim explains. "Each teacher leader is looking at a real
problem that is relevant to them because solving it will
make his or her life better."
The projects reflect every imaginable aspect of
school life, and they evolve as teachers make
discoveries and adapt project parameters in
response to feedback. Some projects focus on
curriculum, such as exploring appropriate literacy
activities for kindergartners, or creating an integrated
American Studies course at the high school level in
which students read literature pertaining to the period
they're studying in history. Others center on
community- or family-related activities, such as
investigating the impact of scouting on student
performance in school or designing workshops for
parents on supporting students in their writing.
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| Make Systems Thinking Your Pegasus Conference Focus |
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Synergy at Work:
Gathering Momentum for Meaningful Performance
November 17-19, 2008 - Boston, MA
The diversity of the Pegasus Conference learning
community is reflected in the range of work presented
throughout the program. Depending on where you are
in your learning journey, you may choose to make
systems thinking a more or less explicit focus of your
conference experience. Consider these systems
thinking related sessions, as you plan your own
conference agenda:
Systems Thinking
Climate Change Party Tricks: Games and
Demonstrations to Help Turn the
Tide
with Andrew Jones and Linda
Booth Sweeney
Monday, November 17, 2008-7:30
to 9:00 p.m.
Systems thinking insights are
helping to build humanity's capacity to stabilize our
climate. And physical games, role-playing
experiences, computer Sims, and other
demonstrations are a powerful way to engage others
in these insights. This highly interactive, hands-on
session will help you experience and--with practice--
lead others in 3 to 5 brief but compelling games
and "party tricks" from the field of systems thinking.
Learn more...
Introduction to Systems Thinking
I and II
with Ginny Wiley and Gregory
Hennessy
Flexing Our Systems Thinking
Muscles
with George
Richardson
Avoiding Accidents and Disasters
Through Modeling, Collaboration, and
Courage
with Marc Gerstein
Encompassing Multiple
Perspectives Using Systems
Thinking
with David Peter Stroh and
Michael Goodman
A Group Learning Process for
Enhancing Systems Thinking
with
Gerald C. Swanson
Integrating the Five Disciplines: An
Asset-Based Approach
with Kara
Werner and Jen Hunter
Partnerships and Alliances: Systemic
Tools for Human Synergy
with
Jennifer Kemeny
Team Synergy: Setting the Stage to Learn,
Share, and Practice Together
with the University of Wisconsin
Extension Team
Just a few more days to Register before August 31 and save $300 off the
full conference rate! Teams of ten or more still register
for under $1,000 per person. Click here for pricing details, and call us at
1-800-272-0945 to register your team.
Also, receive a FREE
copy of one of the books authored by our
keynote speakers when you register for the
conference between now and August 31. Choose from among the many books we have
available, and mention this special when you call
1-800-272-0945 to sign up
today!
If you haven't received a brochure, please send us an
email with your mailing address, so we can make
sure you are on our list, and/or download a copy in PDF format.
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| Value Creation and Business Success |
|
|
 by Paul O'Malley
Many
managers who view themselves as the heroic
guardians of shareholder interests--the no-nonsense,
tough-as-nails guys who run their businesses by the
numbers and who think that "organizational culture"
and "shared values" are irrelevant fantasies
concocted by out-of-touch academics--may be
inadvertently running their companies into the ground
and systematically destroying their investors' wealth.
Why? Because in today's information economy, it is
the intangible assets, such as employee satisfaction,
learning, R&D effectiveness, and customer loyalty, that
drive revenue growth and profitability.
The most successful organizations understand
that any business's purpose is to create value for
customers, employees, and investors, and that the
interests of these three groups are inextricably linked.
If managers define the organization's goals too
narrowly--for example, to maximize this quarter's
reported earnings--they may stumble into a
downward spiral of poor decision-making that is
difficult to reverse. They may choose to reduce
employee training and compensation, which could
lead to low employee morale and poor performance.
Or they may scrimp on R&D, allowing product lines to
age and customers to become dissatisfied and begin
to defect.
Alternatively, if managers define their company's
interests broadly enough to include customers and
employees, an equally powerful spiral of value
creation can occur. Highly motivated, well-trained,
properly rewarded employees deliver outstanding
service, while effective R&D investments lead to
products that enjoy a significant value-adding
advantage and generate higher margins. Satisfied,
loyal customers (and new customers responding to
word-of-mouth referrals) drive revenue growth and
profitability for investors. In an environment of
accelerating change, and given the nature of the
emerging information economy, this course is
increasingly the only viable approach to business
success.
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|
Leap, Dive, Boogie into Learning |
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Introductory
Prices on Two New ANIMATED
Learning Fables
Since its debut two years ago, our Outlearning
the Wolves animation has been charming viewers
in offices and classrooms around the world. Now you
can incorporate both The Tip of the Iceberg and
Shadows of the Neanderthal into your e-
learning curriculum or use your laptop and a projector
to present these memorable stories in a group
setting.
The Tip of the Iceberg:
Managing the Hidden Forces That Can Make or Break
Your Organization
by David Hutchens, illustrated by Bobby Gombert
Enterprising penguins and clumsy walruses
demon-
strate how organizations can be trapped
by systems when they fail to understand them. The
Tip of the Iceberg animation includes a discussion
guide and "The Iceberg Game" to reinforce the
lessons that will help your group sort through the
complexity of surface-level events to create the results
you desire.
Shadows of the
Neanderthal: Illuminating the Beliefs That Limit Our
Organizations
by David Hutchens, illustrated by Bobby Gombert
Follow Boogie the caveman on his hilarious journey of
discovery into his own and others' hidden beliefs
(mental models). With its engaging use of metaphor,
detailed discussion guide, and reinforcing "Cave
Game," the Shadows of the Neanderthal
animation is a must-have resource for any
organization on its own quest for clear and
open communication.
Outlearning the Wolves:
Surviving and Thriving in a Learning
Organization
by David Hutchens, illustrated by Bobby Gombert
As a flock of sheep overcome their anxieties and
complacency to build a culture for learning, the
contributions of each individual are utilized in new and
productive ways. The Outlearning the Wolves
animation, with its discussion guide and "Sheep
Game" quiz, simply and powerfully communicates
how organizations can develop the capacity to
learn.
E-Learning Module Consultant's
License
A consultant's license allows a single user to utilize
the module on one computer for display in group
presentations. Regularly...$499.00
Introductory rate through
December 31...$349.00!
The Tip of the Iceberg, Order
#FT007EM
Shadows of the Neanderthal,
Order
#FT005EM
Outlearning the Wolves, Order
#FT004EM
E-Learning Module Site License
Site license pricing is based on an initial licensing fee
($199) and number of users. Per-user cost starts at
$25 and decreases as the number of users
increases, so enterprise-wide deployment is very
economical.
Call 1-781-398-9700 to
request a preview or discuss detailed pricing
information.
 Check out
more great Summer Specials available through
August 31!
"The capacity to blunder slightly is
the real marvel of DNA. Without this special attribute,
we would still be anaerobic bacteria and there would
be no music."
--Lewis Thomas
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