“As little as one-third to one-half of most companies’ stock-market value is accounted for these days by hard assets such as property, plant, and equipment. The growing share of measurement lies in intellectual or ‘invisible’ attributes not traditionally viewed as assets at all—such as customer satisfaction, internal business processes, an organization’s ability to learn and grow, and the effectiveness of corporate culture. It is within this realm of invisible factors that spirituality in business lives.”
—Brenda Rarey

“All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.”
—John Kenneth Galbraith

Leading in a Complex World: Systems Thinking in Action®
September 30–October 2, 2002
UPDATE!

Nick Pudar, director of GM Strategic Initiatives, is an additional keynote.

In many real-world business settings, the toughest leadership calls involve decisions that allocate significant resources when outcomes are highly uncertain. A flawed decision that moves hundreds of millions of dollars into a doomed venture can have devastating results, while a systemic and well-reasoned assessment of a new project’s positive potential can vault a company into an industry-starring role. Backed by a confidence based on an understanding of system dynamics, systems thinking tools, and options theory principles, senior decision-makers at General Motors have made the right tough calls and taken industry-leading steps in auto-leasing, vehicle communications, and entertainment systems. More cutting-edge innovations are in the works. With reference to a questioning process based on Russell Ackoff's concept of “idealized design,” Nick will speak candidly about how leaders reach their decisions and give us an insider’s look at actual examples of leadership and strategic change at General Motors.

Nick Pudar, director of GM Strategic Initiatives, has been with General Motors since 1981. He manages an internal consulting team that works on GM’s enterprise strategic issues. Nick holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from General Motors Institute and an M.S. in management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Get all the latest conference details.
See you in beautiful San Diego!

Books and Resources on Organizational Change and Learning

Organizing for Learning: Strategies for Knowledge Creation and Enduring Change
by Daniel H. Kim


New technologies, global markets, and the growing importance of knowledge assets over capital are forcing us to rethink what has long been taken as fact. The most important challenge for organizations is to develop the capacity for continuous learning—that is, to go beyond managing existing knowledge to creating new knowledge. Accomplishing this requires that we not only think differently, but also frame problems in whole new ways. This collection of lead articles from The Systems Thinker® newsletter opens a new dimension of insight into dilemmas that confound many organizations.
Order #OL017r, $24.95
Order

“Emergent Learning in Action: The After Action Review”
by Charles S. Parry and Marilyn J. Darling

This article describes one of the best examples of emergent learning—the “After Action Review.” An iterative practice of reflecting, planning, and acting around a central performance challenge, the AAR helps to evolve a team’s implicit and explicit knowledge into new practices and standards of excellence. Developed 20 years ago by U.S. Army leaders as a way to use on-the-ground action as the crucible for learning, today it has been adopted by many companies, such as Harley Davidson and Power Construction, seeking to develop ongoing learning practices.
Order #120801, $6.00
Order

Organizational Learning at Work: Embracing the Challenges of the New Workplace (Pegasus Communications)

The practical wisdom evident in this volume is a powerful reminder that the success of an organization's journey is determined as much by the way pivotal obstacles are traversed as by the vision of the final destination. These distinguished authors use the potent approach of systems thinking and organizational learning to tackle prevalent organizational challenges, pointing the way to specific steps that can effectively move people toward their goals.
Order #OL010, $24.95

See more resources on organizational learning.

Systems Thinking 101: New Approaches to Organizational Challenges
July 15, 2002, Waltham, MA

Enjoy a midsummer day’s dream in Boston—a workshop with Ginny Wiley, systems thinking educator, organizational consultant, and president of Pegasus Communications. Find out why systems thinking—and not Puck’s supernatural power —is an essential tool for organizational success. Systems thinking helps us understand the causes that underlie persistent problems, recognize the highest leverage points for systemic intervention, formulate effective short- and long-term strategic plans, and make decisions with greater clarity and foresight. Participate in this hands-on session and familiarize yourself with some of the powerful tools that systems thinking has to offer. To learn more or to register, please call 1-781-398-9700, or go to our web site and complete and fax the registration form to 1-781-894-7175.