 |
|
| |
A free e-newsletter spotlighting systemic thinking and innovations
in leadership, management, and organizational development. Please
forward to your colleagues.
April 30, 2003 Issue 37
|
"Even
when change is elective, it will disorient
you. You may go through anxiety. You will
miss aspects of your former life. It doesn't
matter. The trick is to know in advance
of making any big change that you're going
to be thrown off your feet by it. So you
prepare for this inevitable disorientation
and steady yourself to get through it. Then
you take the challenge, make the change,
and achieve your dream."
—Harvey Mackay
|
|
|
 We
are pleased to announce the release of the
second video in our Leverage Points
for Change Video Series. Teams
That Work
is a 6-minute VHS video that provides an
excellent way to introduce key ideas and
practices to organizations seeking to maximize
the effectiveness of people working together.
View
clips
Special introductory
offer—Order before May 15th
for only $195 (regularly $295).
Order
#VLPC02i
|
|
|
Program
Offering
Experiencing Certainty in
an Uncertain World
 In
the last issue of Leverage Points, we
quoted Peter Senge as saying, "To transform
how our larger systems work, we need to get
a critical mass of people doing things differently."
But what enables people to do things differently?
And what facilitates organizations to change?
One answer is—the fundamental "way" we
think.
Dianne Collins and Alan Collins, forum speakers
at the 2003 Pegasus Conference this October,
are offering a series of engaging and accessible
teleconference programs called "QuantumThink
Mastermind," to be held over the next five months
to explore how our lives might change if we
approached challenges from a new perspective,
and to build our learning community. The first
program is Experiencing Certainty in an
Uncertain World, which begins May 27th.
Learn
more
NEW
Learning Fables E-books and Site Licenses
 Now
all four of our popular Learning Fables
are available as e-books in handy, easy-to-read
PDF format. Each of these wonderfully funny
and engaging tales introduces fundamental
organizational learning concepts in a way
that's accessible to everyone in an organization—from
the frontlines to the boardroom.
Outlearning
the Wolves—When the
competition is out to eat you (literally),
your only advantage may be learning faster
than they do! Order
#FT004E
Shadows
of the Neanderthal—Are intractable
mental models keeping your organization
in the dark? Order
#FT005E
The
Lemming Dilemma—How
can a lemming become aware of her own purpose
in life and pursue her deepest vision? Order
#FT006E
The
Tip of the Iceberg—Penguins
and walruses forge a successful entrepreneurial
alliance and learn about systems thinking
along the way. Order
#FT007E
Each fable is $14.95 for individual use.
A set of all four fables is only $49.00.
Order
#FTST04E for complete set.
Site
licenses for making the books
available on your organization's intranet
are available at substantial discounts.
Contact Julie Turner at juliet@pegasuscom.com
for site license details.
|
|
|
Resources
on Personal Effectiveness
 Shadows
of the Neanderthal: Illuminating the Beliefs
That Limit Our Organizations by
David Hutchens, illustrated by Bobby Gombert
Boogie the caveman is on a quest to understand
how his people have become stuck in beliefs
that drastically limit their ability to share
insights and make progress. Join his hilarious
journey of discovery and learn how to surface,
share, and challenge your own and others' hidden
beliefs and to recognize how they inform—and
often misinform—what we do. With its engaging
use of metaphor and detailed discussion guide,
Shadows of the Neanderthal is a must-have
resource for any organization on its own quest
for clear and open communication.
Order
#FT005, $19.95, print version
Order
#FT005E, $14.95, PDF version
Volume discounts available
 Personal
Courage and Effective Change
featuring Cliff Bolster and Thomas Sullivan
The importance of personal courage in driving
significant change processes has gained
little attention. Yet without an understanding
of the link between personal choice and
organizational action, our change efforts
will be significantly hampered. This tape
examines the role that personal courage
plays in our work, and offers a theory of
leadership development based on that model.
Order
#T9645, $19.95, audiotape
Partnership
Coaching Pocket
Guide
by Diane Cory and Rebecca Bivens Bradley
 This
two-sided handy reference tool provides
essential tips for aspiring coaches who
truly want to facilitate others' learning.
It introduces a powerful model called "GROW"—for
"Goals," "Current Reality," "Options," and
"What's Next." Includes guidelines for giving
"edible" feedback, sample questions coaches
can ask to support others' learning, and
questions that coaches can ask themselves
to strengthen their own coaching skills.
Order
#PG14, $5.00, volume discounts available |
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
FACE
TO FACE
Managing
Diversity As a Key Organizational Resource: An Interview with David
Thomas |
 |
PEGASUS
CONFERENCE CORNER
Deadline
Extension, and Why Systems Thinking, Why Now? |
 |
LEARNING
LINKS
Transformation of Ethos at the U.S. National Security Agency |
| |
|
|
FACE
TO FACE
Managing
Diversity As a Key Organizational Resource: An Interview with David
Thomas
by
Kali Saposnick
 David
Thomas, Harvard Business School professor and coauthor of the acclaimed
book Breaking Through: The Making of Minority Executives in
Corporate America (Harvard Business School Press, 1999), is a
recognized authority on mentoring, executive development, and the
challenges of creating and managing a diverse workforce. David will
be a keynote speaker at this year's 2003 Pegasus Conference in October
in Boston, where he will share a new paradigm for managing diversity
that allows an organization to tap into the benefits of differences
and gain a new repertoire of actions for designing processes, reaching
goals, managing projects, building teams, communicating ideas, leading,
and allowing people to do their work more effectively. The following
is a preview of the insights he has gained from his research on
diversity.
Look inside your organization today. How many people who are not
from the dominant culture are employed there? How have their different
approaches to the work you do contributed to improvement of the
organization as a whole? If there's a wide variety of people but
little impact on your organization's culture from the different
perspectives they bring to the table, your organization is typical
of many companies today trying to understand how diversity influences
overall performance.
Part of the failure to tap into the benefits of diversity comes
from a lack of understanding of what it is and how to manage it.
To address this misunderstanding, in 1990 David Thomas and his colleague
Robin Ely began to examine how U.S. organizations successfully achieve
and sustain racial and gender diversity in their executive and middle-management
ranks; how diversity affects an organization's practices, processes,
and performance; and how leaders influence whether diversity enhances
output or distracts people in an organization. As a result, they
identified two predominant diversity paradigms used by many companies
as well as a new model for effectively managing differences.
Read
the complete article.
Listen
to an audio recording of interview excerpts.
Learn
more about or register for the 2003 Pegasus Conference.
|
| |
|
|
PEGASUS
CONFERENCE CORNER
Deadline Extension!
Because of the uncertainty caused by recent world events, we have
extended the $1095 conference price—a $500 savings off the
full conference rate—until May 30. Register
today.
Why Systems
Thinking, Why Now?
by
LeAnne Grillo
 I
woke up in the middle of the night from a restless sleep and turned
on the BBC News on National Public Radio to hear more about the
war in Iraq, SARS, and the economy. As reporters described the unintended
consequences of our actions in all areas of human affairs, I recognized
yet again the vital need for getting more people to think systemically
RIGHT NOW.
As the complexity of our world's issues grow, the tools we use to
address them must be up to the challenge. A hammer cannot do a power
drill's job. Systems thinking—understanding the relationships
of the parts to the whole, looking at issues with an eye to the
long view, penetrating stubborn problems by changing deep patterns
of behavior—is the power drill.
Some people know how powerful the tools of systems thinking and
productive conversation can be and embrace them—but there are
even more who don't. And I realize that, in addition to our community
of supporters, I want people to come to this fall's Pegasus Conference,
Changing Our Organizations to Change the World: Systems Thinking
in Action®, who don't automatically understand the importance
of thinking and acting in holistic ways. I want people to have the
chance to give systems thinking "a try."
I am convinced that the more "systems thinkers" we have working
in organizations, the better the world will become. If you come
to the 2003 Pegasus Conference in Boston on October 8-10, I am confident
that you will walk away with new insights, new tools, new ways of
thinking about critical organizational issues, and deep connections
with people who are committed and passionate about making a difference.
We must join together to effect real, systemic change—in ourselves
and our organizations—so that change ripples out and up into
the world at large. Be a part of the conference, build new skills,
and join a committed network of change agents. Together, we can
make the world better.
If
you're a past participant, bring a first-time attendee with you
this year, and we'll take $50 off your registration fee. Just be
sure they either list you as the referral source on the checkout
page if they register online or write your name on the brochure
registration form. You'll be credited after the conference.
Register online,
or contact Julie Turner at 1-781-398-9700 or juliet@pegasuscom.com.
Team discounts and scholarships are available too! |
| |
|
|
LEARNING
LINKS
Transformation
of Ethos at the U.S. National Security Agency
by Rebecca Owens Pille
For the
past several years, the U.S. National Security Agency has been undergoing
fundamental change as it reorients itself to the challenges of the
21st century. This transformation is occurring in two dimensions—mission
(the tasks involved in providing and protecting vital information)
and ethos (the way NSA employees feel, think, and act as
they take on that mission). Leaders championing the change effort
have recognized that in order to move away from a traditional hierarchy
and model new behaviors for others, they must transform themselves
by acquiring different skills, such as the ability to lead change,
foster collaboration, and empower employees.
To develop these skills, NSA leaders are working with reflective
partners, usually internal consultants or change agents who
volunteer to support an executive in learning new ways of leading.
The goal is to create time for leaders to reflect on how they interact
with their peers and subordinates. Partners act as mirrors, helping
executives gain insights into their actions and encounters with
others. For instance, a reflective partner might accompany a leader
to a meeting to observe and take notes on the interactions. The
partner later provides feedback about the dynamics he or she observed
and helps the leader learn from the experience.
Over time, as leaders learn behaviors that can help them lead more
effectively—and unlearn those that interfere with performance—they
invite reflective partners to work with their direct reports and
then the larger organization. In this way, by modeling productive
new ways of thinking and acting, and helping others adopt those
same behaviors, leaders create a spiral of change at NSA.
Read the complete article, or see
The Systems Thinker,
Vol. 13, No. 2 (March 2002).
Subscribe
to The Systems Thinker.
If you liked this article, go to Pegasus Highlights on the right
for additional resources on personal effectiveness.
|
| |
|
| |
Copyright 2003 Pegasus Communications. Leverage Points®
can be freely forwarded by e-mail in its entirety. To obtain rights
to distribute paper copies of, reproduce, or excerpt any part of Leverage
Points, please contact permissions@pegasuscom.com.
|
| |
|
|
