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February 12, 2002 Issue 22

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."
—Albert Schweitzer
 

"In a real sense all life is inter-related. All persons are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality."
—Martin Luther King Jr.



Special Offer!
The NEW Systems Thinking Playbook
by Linda Booth-Sweeney and Dennis Meadows

Linda and Dennis have just completed Volume III of this unique text. The new material comprises 130 pages of instructions for introducing, conducting, and debriefing the games. It doubles the size of the original book and adds 10 extremely useful new games and exercises to this tool kit for those who teach others about systems, causality, dynamics, and paradigms. Normally the Playbook is $65, and Volume III alone costs $25. However, through a special arrangement with Pegasus, until March 30, 2002, subscribers to Leverage Points can order this wonderful reference at a reduced price. We encourage you to take advantage of their special offer.


Books and Resources by Dialogic Leaders

Order any of these items.

Dialogue at Work: Skills for Leveraging Collective Understanding
 by Glenna Gerard and Linda Ellinor
Describes how dialogue can support innovation and large- scale transformation, showing how this conversational style goes beyond information exchange to help teams build shared vision, work creatively with diverse perspectives, and forge alignment and trust during times of change. Highlights the core skills of dialogue, shares workplace success stories, and offers initial steps for transforming organizational cultures. Order #IMS017, $10.95. Volume discounts available.

A Guide to Practicing Dialogue
by Glenna Gerard and Linda Ellinor
A two-sided quick-reference tool that differentiates dialogue from discussion/debate conversation. Offers tips for practicing dialogue skills and suggest ways to use dialogue in problem-solving and decision-making. Order #PG20, $5.00. Volume discounts available.

Private Conversation: The Left-Hand Column
by Action Design
Illustrates the public and private dialogues that we continuously have. Includes a diagram of the format developed by Chris Argyris; an exercise example and comments on the tool's benefits and risks; and guidelines for using it in a group. Order #PG04, $5.00. Volume discounts available.

Productive Conversations: Using Advocacy and Inquiry Effectively
by Action Design
Presents a handy diagram for understanding the impact of various ratios of advocacy to inquiry during a conversation. Includes suggestions for improving the quality of both as well as guidelines for productive dialogue. Order #PG06, $5.00. Volume discounts available.

Reflective Conversation: Art and Possibility
by Robert Putnam
Discusses how "undiscussable" topics hinder team and organizational learning and offers possibilities for creating reflective conversation. Available in audiotape (Order #T9623, $19.95) or videotape (Order #V9623, $99.00).


The Shambhala Institute for Authentic Leadership Summer Program, June 15-22, 2002, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
This program will bring together leaders in organizational theory and practice within a week-long learning community. The daily schedule will include mindfulness meditation, creative process, reflection circles, networking opportunities, celebrations, and presenter-initiated conversations that will explore what "authentic leadership" may mean—both personally and collectively—in today's complex, uncertain world. Featured are Margaret Wheatley, Fred Kofman, and Peter Senge. For more information or to register, call 1-902-425-0492, send an e-mail, or go to the Shambhala Institute web site.


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Pegasus Communications provides resources that help people explore, understand, articulate, and address the challenges they face in the complexities of a changing world. Since 1989, Pegasus has worked to build a community of practitioners through The Systems Thinker® Newsletter, books, audio and videotapes, and its annual Systems Thinking in Action® Conference and other events.
FROM THE FIELD
Patriots Model the Power of Teamwork
FACE TO FACE
Opening Creative Channels in the Competitive Workplace Through Dialogue: An Interview with Glenna Gerard
LEARNING LINKS
Fixes That Fail: Why Faster Is Slower
AT ANY RATE
When Smallpox Becomes a Threat Again
 



FROM THE FIELD
Patriots Model the Power of Teamwork
by Kali Saposnick

In the sports industry, where star athletes absorb the public's attention, the New England Patriots' first pro- football championship offers a refreshing example of the power of true teamwork. Hired two years ago as head coach, Bill Belichick revamped the languishing Patriots, eliminating self-seekers and retaining team players. Ignoring criticism from pundits and fans, he brought in little-known athletes who were passionate about football, understood his system, and hungered to contribute to an overall effort. Next, Belichick identified leaders who could strengthen all facets of the team, continually stressing that winning required everyone to play well together, not just individually. His message resonated with the players, who performed with extraordinary synergy throughout the season.

How did the Patriots put these learnings to work to defeat the much-favored St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl? First, they emphasized the group over individuals—when the team was introduced, they ran out together rather than one by one. Second, they supported each other—when Willie McGinest fouled an opponent, nullifying a potentially game-winning touchdown, his teammates didn't berate him, but rather encouraged him to look forward. McGinest later contributed a strong defensive play. Third, they always sought to improve their game—even as they were playing it. After being beaten earlier in the season by the Rams' potent offense, the Patriots prepared a new defensive strategy that kept the Rams in check most of the game. Based on this year's accomplishments, these overachieving underdogs may offer a new model for successful "completion" on and off the playing field.

Source: Based on a conversation with an avid Patriots fan.

Readers who wish to discuss this topic are invited to The New Workplace forum.
 



FACE TO FACE
Opening Creative Channels in the Competitive Workplace Through Dialogue: An Interview with Glenna Gerard
by Kali Saposnick

Most organizational leaders place a high premium on cultivating creativity. Yet the competitive nature of many work environments often stifles employees' willingness to share their ideas. Glenna Gerard, coauthor of Dialogue at Work: Skills for Leveraging Collective Understanding (Pegasus Communications, 2001), points to a strong need for dialogue skills to close this gap. "If I think you're going to take my idea and not give me credit, or my idea is not going to be popular, or sharing my idea might get me in trouble with my superiors sitting in the room, I'm probably going to edit what I say and who I am," she says.

In order to open up avenues of communication in competitive situations, we need to establish an atmosphere where people feel they can put any idea out there and look together at whatever ends up on the table. This does not mean identifying our similarities or becoming homogenous; rather, it's about cultivating relationships that honor and appreciate our differences and capitalize on those differences in creative ways. For example, imagine a conversation where some people want to evaluate, make choices, and move quickly to action, while others want time to reflect on and play with different possibilities. When both conversational styles are encouraged, a group can generate enormous creativity and make effective decisions. Typically, however, we choose evaluation because reflection takes time that we don't feel we have. But decision-making that's partial to speed generally produces replication of old ideas, not innovation.
Continued

Learn more about books and resources by Glenna Gerard in Pegasus Highlights (see right column).
 



LEARNING LINKS
Fixes That Fail: Why Faster Is Slower
by Daniel H. Kim

Why don't we have time to do things right in the first place, but we have time to fix them over and over again? From a systemic perspective, the "Fixes That Fail" archetype highlights how we can get caught in a dynamic of continually implementing quick fixes to solve recurrent problems. Many managers fall into this trap, because they fail to recognize that the same pattern of events keeps repeating.

How does this archetype work? Suppose a problem symptom gets bad enough to grab our attention, such as a slump in sales. We might respond with a slick marketing promotion. Sales then temporarily improve, but with an unintended consequence: We divert our attention away from the real problem—our aging product line. As a result, after some delay, the original symptom appears again, perhaps even worse than before. Because of delays in the system, the person who "saved the day" often gets a promotion while the hero's replacement gets the blame for the eventual fall in sales.

How can we recognize and intervene in such vicious cycles? First, we need to acknowledge that short-term solutions are merely stopgap measures to buy us time to determine the root cause of the problem. Second, we need to anticipate delays in the system that mask the unintended consequences of our short-term "improvements" and then review performance after the delay period. With a more accurate picture of the actual "progress" being made, we increase the likelihood that we're taking the most effective approach to problem-solving.

Read the complete article online or see The Systems Thinker, Vol. 10, No. 3 (April 1999).

Readers who wish to discuss this topic are invited to the Systems Archetypes forum.

 



AT ANY RATE™
When Smallpox Becomes a Threat Again
by Chris Soderquist and Bill Harris

In their latest column, Bill Harris and Chris Soderquist describe how a model structure can help readers explore effective public policies for dealing with a smallpox threat, as well as assist us in evaluating governmental decisions regarding this dangerous virus. To read the column and explore the model, go to the At Any Rate page on the Pegasus web site.
 



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