Innovation from personal mastery
At any given moment all of us, whether in work, personal relationships, or anywhere else in life, are Rote Copying, Surface Understanding, and Personally Mastering many things and many times at many levels.
Problem-solving when you do not know the root cause
In earlier posts, I shared some steps for identifying the problem using creative problem-solving through exploring the current condition selecting a type of problem, Problem-solving is systematic and organized into six stages: Identify the problem Select the type of problem Apply the analytical tools Define a specific problem Apply solutions tools Compile ideas and implement solutions Step … Continued
Process to gather what is and is not working within the organization
The more straightforward and understandable the tool or process within organization development, the more likely it will make a difference. The simpler the tool, the greater the requirement of the consultant or expert to suppress themselves and their expertise. When you remove the translator (the expert) from the results and ask people to gather narrative … Continued
Utopian or idealized planning in organizations does not work
Image Credit “If a terrible simplificateur is someone who sees no problem where there is one, his philosophical antipode is the utopian who see a solution where there is none… [Upotian] extremism in solving human problems seems to occur most frequently as a result of the belief that one has found (or even can find) … Continued
Solution-focused framework for change
“I do not believe that change needs a robust and compelling vision because I do not think that most change efforts have an idea of the endpoint or view until they get there. Also, when you have that clarity of vision it is no longer a change effort it is a project to accomplish someone’s … Continued
Core Values are wasted opportunities
Core Values of an organization – Are all the meetings, time, flip-chart paper, and boredom worth it? When I began a recent contract, Human Resources told me, “We have no core values, and that is tearing this company apart.” After holding 40+ one-on-one interviews and sitting through 55+ hours of meetings, I knew it had … Continued
Workplace Complexity Through Opportunities
“Workplace complexity dwells in set(s) of options about what is possible rather than a set of options about what is probable.” – Simple Habits for Complex Times. Sitting with a senior management team, we talked about how to understand and prepare the company to work through workplace complexity and Change; one of the managers said, “I … Continued
Learning from a challenging organization development process
I shared an Organization Development Case Study and outcomes with the Organization Development Network of Western New York. At the end of the workshop, a friend asked, “What did you, as a consultant, learn from your experience with this client?”… Below is my best effort to share what I learned from working with a challenging … Continued
Psychological Safety is Team Building
The team leader is accountable for establishing comfort with the work and team members. They can establish this early by setting the following conditions for team members to feel comfort in the work and reciprocal helping relationship of the team.
Rumors Backstabbing and Gossip in the Workplace
Some teams and managers create environments where backstabbing, shit-talking, and gossiping are the norm.
They do this, with the best of intentions – and are guilty of hiding their eyes, ears and mouths from the reality they are seeing.
You can do something about it.