 |
|
| |
A free e-newsletter spotlighting systemic thinking
and innovations in leadership, management, and organizational development.
Please forward to your colleagues.
February 24, 2005 Issue 59
|
"For
fragmentation is now very widespread, not only
throughout society, but also in each individual;
and this is leading to a kind of general confusion
of the mind, which creates an endless series
of problems and interferes with our clarity
of perception so seriously as to prevent us
from being able to solve most of them."
—David Bohm
"Humans
are allergic to change. They love to say, 'We've
always done it this way.' I try to fight that.
That's why I have a clock on my wall that runs
counter-clockwise."
—Grace Hopper
|
|
|
NEW
LEARNING FABLE!
Listening to the Volcano: Conversations
That Open Our Minds to New Possibilities
by David Hutchens, illustrated by Bobby Gombert
Pegasus Communications is pleased
to announce the release of its newest book—Listening
to the Volcano. The fifth in our Learning
Fable Series, Listening to the Volcano
illuminates the truth that how we communicate
something is as important as what we say.
"This lovely fable helps all of us become more
aware of the importance of dialogue in shaping
the way we live our lives—in our families,
in our communities, and in our organizations."
—Juanita Brown and David Isaacs, co-originators,
The World Café
What's the story about? Rumblings from a long
dormant volcano provoke a crisis in the village
of Smoldering Pines. Desperate to escape the
flow of molten lava, the inhabitants meet to
create a plan--and are soon at each other's
throats! But led by Milo, a group of neighbors
discover a new way of talking and listening
that taps fresh sources of creativity and unleashes
the magic of collective thinking.
While everyone knows how to engage in conversation,
few of us practice the kind of meaningful dialogue
that is crucial to leveraging an organization's
best thinking. The story and discussion guide
will help readers implement conversation as
a disciplined workplace practice for sparking
generative thinking, improved decision-making,
and effective action.
Order
the new fable now and take
15%
off the regular price! When you place
your order, simply use Priority Code LPFT008.
Offer good through April 15, 2005. (This discount
will not appear in your web shopping cart total,
but will be reflected in the charge to your
credit card. Discount is not applicable with
any other discounts. Books to ship the week
of March 7.)
Order
#FT008, book, softcover, 82 pages, now $16.95
(regularly $19.95)
Order
#FT008E, e-book, PDF format, 82 pages, now $12.95
(regularly $14.95)
Order
the digital slides or transparencies:
Order
#FT008D, 14 b&w slides, PowerPoint® format,
$69.95
Order
#FT008T, 14 transparencies, $69.95
Order
the complete set of 5 fables:
Order
#FTST05, 5 softcover books, illustrated, $74.00
(volume discounts available on orders of 5 or
more sets)
Order
#FTST05E, 5 PDFs, illustrated, $62.00 (site
license discounts available on orders of 5 or
more sets)
The
set includes:
• Outlearning the Wolves (Order
#FT004)
• Shadows of the Neanderthal (Order
#FT005)
• The Lemming Dilemma (Order
#FT006)
• The Tip of the Iceberg (Order
#FT007)
• Listening to the Volcano (Order
#FT008)
|
|
|
Explore
Pegasus's Celebrated Learning Fables Series
The
five fables in this series, written by David
Hutchens and illustrated by Bobby Gombert, both
entertain and make key concepts and practices
of organizational learning immediately accessible
to workers at all levels.
Each book:
•
features
hilarious (and thought-provoking) plot lines
and character illustrations
•
concludes with a group discussion guide that
encourages you to apply the ideas from the story
to issues you face in your own organization
•
comes in softcover or PDF format
•
is available as a slide
presentation
Volume
or site license discounts for each
book are also available on orders of 5 or more
books.
Come meet Otto the sheep, Boogie the caveman,
Emmy the lemming, Sparky the penguin, and Milo
from Smoldering Pines, and see how they master
the disciplines of organizational learning!
The set includes:
Outlearning
the Wolves: Surviving and Thriving in a Learning
Organization
Discipline: team learning
Order
#FT004 (softcover)
Order
#FT004E (e-book)
Shadows
of the Neanderthal: Illuminating the Beliefs
That Limit Our Organizations
Discipline: mental models
Order
#FT005 (softcover)
Order
#FT005E (e-book)
The Lemming Dilemma: Living with Purpose, Leading
with Vision
Discipline: personal mastery
Order
#FT006 (softcover)
Order
#FT006E (e-book)
The
Tip of the Iceberg: Managing the Hidden Forces
That Can Make or Break Your Organization
Discipline: systems thinking
Order
#FT007 (softcover)
Order
#FT007E (e-book)
Listening
to the Volcano: Conversations That Open Our
Minds to New Possibilities
Discipline: dialogue
Order
#FT008 (softcover)
Order
#FT008E (e-book)
Order
the complete set of 5 fables!
Order
#FTST05, 5 softcover books, illustrated, $74.00
(volume discounts available on orders of 5 or
more sets)
Order
#FTST05E, 5 PDFs, illustrated, $62.00 (site
license discounts available on orders of 5 or
more sets)
|
|
|
•
Contact
us at Pegasus Communications, One Moody Street,
Waltham, MA 02453-5339. Send an e-mail to info@pegasuscom.com,
or call 781-398-9700. Web site: http://www.pegasuscom.com.
•
Send
comments about Leverage Points to
levpts@pegasuscom.com.
•
To
learn more about Pegasus go to www.pegasuscom.com.
•
Leverage
Points
on the web
•
Archives
•
To
subscribe or unsubscribe, please go to our
subscription
management page.
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.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
FACE
TO FACE
Meaningful
Conversation to Create Something New: An Interview
with David Hutchens
|
 |
LEARNING
LINKS
The
Downside of the "Prevent Defense" |
 |
PEGASUS
CONFERENCE CORNER
Theme
Announced for 2005 Pegasus Conference
Register by March 31 to Save $600
2005 Conference Call-for-Proposals
|
 |
FROM
THE FIELD
World
Economic Forum Ranks Sustainable Corporations |
| |
|
| |
|
|
FACE
TO FACE
Meaningful
Conversation to Create Something New:
An Interview with David Hutchens
This March, Pegasus Communications is releasing the newest book
in its popular Learning Fables Series—Listening to the Volcano:
Conversations That Open Our Minds to New Possibilities. In 1998,
when the first fable, Outlearning the Wolves, was published,
readers were delighted with author David Hutchens's wicked humor
and illustrator Bobby Gombert's artful drawings. Since then, the
two have collaborated with Pegasus to create an engaging set of
books that help people implement key organizational learning tools
in the workplace.
In their most recent endeavor, Listening to the Volcano,
Hutchens and Gombert take on the challenge of conversation, illuminating
the truth that how we communicate something is often as important
as what we say. In the following interview conducted by Leverage
Points editor Kali Saposnick, David Hutchens shares some observations
about why productive conversation is a core issue in organizational
settings today and how we can better interact with each other and
strengthen our work environments by improving the ways we talk together.
Leverage Points: What inspired you to write Listening
to the Volcano?
David Hutchens: I wrote the book to provide a tool to help
people access some new conversation skills and hopefully begin building
new possibilities together. In my work with many different organizations,
I've observed that it doesn't matter how big or complex the business
challenges are. Inevitably, the core issue is simple and universal.
The same problem that creates tension in my family is the one that
creates conflict in a company with many thousands of employees:
Disintegration. That is, the parts of the organization are disconnected,
and people aren't talking to each other in purposeful and meaningful
ways. They aren't looking beyond their own piece of reality to inquire
into the perspectives of others for a view of the greater whole.
Conversation of a more disciplined and productive variety is an
important way to repair the fracture. That's why I wrote Listening
to the Volcano. It's an introduction to this important capability.
My hope is that this book can contribute to helping people interact
in more productive ways.
LP: What kinds of dynamics in organizations do you feel
present the biggest challenges to growth and change?
DH: I'm currently working with a Fortune 100 organization
with a global presence that is reexamining every aspect of its business:
Its culture, strategies, processes—everything. It's a massive
undertaking. Based on this company's comprehensive internal data
gathering, one of the recurring—and most critical—findings
is that many parts of the organization are not integrated. The organization's
many business units are not communicating, sharing knowledge, or
collaborating. Rather, each piece is fragmented, pursuing its own
best interests without enough consideration for the larger organization.
Sure, in a global organization, communication can be more difficult
because of the geographic separation. But that can be resolved through
the purchase of some plane tickets, really. The core challenge is
much harder. Each member has to say: "Am I willing to take the courageous
step of putting my own views, beliefs, and mental models out there
for consideration ... and at the same time am I willing to deeply
understand the views of another—and perhaps even be changed
by them?"
Read
the complete interview
Learn
more about Listening to the Volcano
|
| |
|
|
LEARNING
LINKS
The
Downside of the "Prevent Defense"
by Barry Brownstein
In the American game of football, teams often employ a strategy
in the last quarter—the "prevent defense." If their team is
ahead, some coaches shift their defensive and offensive play to
an ultra-conservative mode in an attempt to run out the clock and
win the game. But quite frequently this "safe" strategy backfires.
With breathtaking speed, the leading team often allows the other
team to score, sometimes even giving up their lead.
Similarly, many of us live as though we are trying to run out the
clock. Instead of using our strengths to achieve what we desire,
we take the safe route and vainly attempt to prevent failure. For
instance, in our personal lives, we delude ourselves into believing
that we will do work we really care about after we achieve the next
milestone—a promotion, a larger house, a college education
for our kids. But what often happens is what a participant in one
of the poet David Whyte's seminars poignantly described: "Ten years
ago I turned my head for a moment and it became my life."
This individual understood that she had not taken advantage of the
fact that our lives are emergent. One step leads to the next. An
authentic life is like going up a darkened staircase. The third
step is visible only after we step from the first to the second
step. When we insist on being able to see the third step from the
first step, we become paralyzed and fossilized.
But if we give up our defenses for just a moment, new possibilities
begin to reveal themselves. These are treasures of which we have
not yet dreamed, waiting to emerge in our lives, in our organizations,
and in our economies.
Read
the complete article on which this summary is based, or see The
Systems Thinker®, V14N7 (September 2003)
Subscribe
to The Systems Thinker® Newsletter
|
| |
|
|
PEGASUS
CONFERENCE CORNER
Theme
Announced for 2005 Pegasus Conference
 We're
delighted to announce the theme for the 15th Annual Pegasus Conference
(Systems Thinking in Action®) to be held in San Francisco,
California, on November 14–16: Embracing Interdependence:
Effective and Responsible Action in Our Organizations and the World.
Interdependence binds us together in a single destiny, yet
we aren't always aware of the web of connections that shapes our
world. As we gain understanding of the systems we are a part of,
we become both more effective in responding to challenges and more
accountable to others for the current and future results of our
choices. Participants will:
• Gain skills for leveraging the interdependencies in your
organization and beyond
•
See and think differently about the complex systems in which you
work and live
•
Experience how systems thinking and new ways of talking and listening
can improve outcomes
•
Network with a community of people dedicated to designing sustainable
solutions instead of quick fixes
•
Learn how to make a difference on a personal, organizational, and
global level
At this year's event, we will engage in methods that contribute
to the accomplishment of our mutual goals in an increasingly interdependent
world. When we embrace new ways of seeing and thinking about the
complex systems we live and work in, and learn to transcend the
boundaries that limit our ability to collaborate, we can not only
improve our organizational effectiveness but also contribute to
the well-being of the larger systems we are a part of.
Register
by March 31 to Save $600
Register now through March 31 for only $995 (a $600 savings!). Take
advantage of significant team discounts by calling Carrie at 1-781-398-9700.
Also, get a special subscription price for The Systems Thinker
Newsletter—only $89 for a one-year subscription when you register
(regularly $109). Register
on our web site, or call 1-800-272-0945.
2005 Conference Call-for-Proposals
We are looking for presentations, both application case studies
and skill-building workshops, that explore how we understand and,
in turn, leverage the interdependencies we're a part of—in
our organizations, with outside partners, within and between communities,
and with our natural systems, among others. If you would like to
submit a proposal, please
read the submission guidelines on our web site.
The deadline for preliminary applications is March 7, 2005.
|
| |
|
|
FROM
THE FIELD
World
Economic Forum Ranks Sustainable Corporations
The 2005 World Economic Forum, held on January 26–30, 2005,
in Davos, Switzerland, launched a new global business ranking: the
Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. Underpinning
this new ranking is the growing awareness that how companies perform
on environmental, social, and strategic governance issues has a
significant impact on their competitiveness, profitability, and
share price performance. While the definition of "sustainable" corporation
is still under considerable debate, these companies were selected
because they stand the best chance of being around in 100 years,
as demonstrated by their performance and strategic ability to manage
the triple bottom line (society, environment, and economy).
One winner is U.K.-based BP PLC, the world's second largest oil
and gas company. Recognized for its leading-edge solar power business
and for introducing lower-emissions fuels such as natural gas at
its retail outlets, BP has also invested in renewable energy technology
(fuel cells, wind energy, and photovoltaic) and entered cross-industry
R&D sustainability partnerships.
Another winner is Japan's Toyota Motor, one of the world's leading
automakers. Toyota was chosen for developing and successfully commercializing
the hybrid-drive vehicle. Its Prius model was the U.S.'s fasting
selling car in 2004.
Also on the list is U.S.-based Alcoa, the world's leading primary
aluminum producer. Set to save $100 million in environmental and
energy costs, Alcoa is also positioned to benefit from the auto
industry's adoption of lightweight aluminum to create more fuel-efficient
vehicles.
To view a complete listing of companies by country,
go to www.global100.org.
Source: "100 Most Sustainable Companies Named at Davos," GreenBiz.com,
January 31, 2005
|
| |
|
| |
Copyright 2005 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.
|
| |
|
|
