RGB eProZone

Good Old ProZones Never Die

2011-04-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we received a mystery package through UPS from a well known organization. When we opened it the package contained several dozen cookies and a note from an old friend and clients that we'd not seen in about a decade. The package contained a nice hand written note inviting us to call and get together. We were overwhelmed with the token and the opportunity it presented. The original address was to our business FIVE locations ago. Somehow UPS managed to track us down and deliver. This was the kind of story that makes a fascinating plot in some movies!

We exchanged e-mails and made a "date" for lunch.

Naturally, it took a few minutes for us to get in step, but in surprisingly few minutes we were swapping stories of family and reminding each other of people that were in our lives "back in the day." Frankly, it was refreshing. We were then and remain in the HR/od (small letters - verb for organization development) domain. We did it right then and we're still doing it right. Some of the stories brought tears as we traded stories about doing the right things for the right reasons. It was refreshing. As we filled in the gaps in our ten year absence we quickly found ways that we can serve each other.

The next few days will likely begin an exchange that will continue for a long time. We look forward to it.

This mystical reconnection has called me to think for deeply about the power of ProZones (our od term for intentional relationships). As consultants we often have to depart a client organization either because our work is completed or for a variety of other reasons. As we depart, we often leave behind dozens of valuable relationships that have had deep meaning and significance for us - there is a heavy investment in the work we do, the way we do it. Yet for professional reasons we choose not to muddy the water with lingering emotions or ties. That has always allows a clean break. It has always seemed the right thing to do.

Today, we often wonder if that is the right thing to do as a universal strategy. With a brief passage of time, it seems somehow appropriate to be open and cautious to a renewed ProZone not encumbered by professional constraints.

Persistence - Go Slow to Go Fast

2011-03-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

In 1970 I sat at my desk in Concord, New Hampshire, reading the newspaper and enjoying a cup of coffee before the start of a hectic day. There was a full page ad that resonates with me still. The phrase that has stuck with me and has guided me somewhat was, "persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." You may recognize it as a quote from Calvin Cooledge. Here it is in its entirety.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common that unsuccessful talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race" Calvin Cooledge

As some of you may know, we are in the process of moving our office for the 8th time because of a fundamental "reinvention" in how we do business and with whom. Yet 22 years and 8 moves later we remained steadfast to our purpose. We have invented and reinvented ourselves in the process and avoided the ultimate organizational death that punctuates the life-cycle of many organizations. There have been expansions and contractions with lessons learned in all of them. Trial and error with every course correction that has added agility. Our RGB-CapacityWareTM Technology started with a blank piece of paper and we've expanded it to five Books (which by the way are under constant revision as we learn from every event we've undertaken).

We believe our "calling" has been clear: Help my people! Although it has been tempting to be management consultants and enjoy a category with which most people have a sense of familiarity, we have remained true to the intent of organization development (od) principles and are proud to be alone in our own category as workforce consultants. This might, of course be subtle arrogance or stubbornness, but we think it is persistence and that it is consistent with our brand of od. Too often we encounter those who believe they are Organization Developers (note the capital letters that smack of a noun rather than the small letters that are verbish and smack of action). OD has opened its arms to sister-category of professional development so that it is difficult to tell the difference, but tends to be more about individual training than collective or interpersonal organization learning.

So, what does persistence and determination have to do with going slow to go fast? Sticking with our category of workforce consultants means that we have a complex condition to understand from the perspectives embedded in the workforces we serve. Our interactions with those clients demands empathy and reflection if we are to help them change. That is not a fast thing. We have some answers going in, but are required to slow down and synch with those, for example, who resist change. Only when we adequately understand the personal implications of resistance (going slow) do we have the means to fold that resistance into the progress that enables greater speed toward a more inclusive destination. Clients (usually senior leaders or management) want set answers and speed because slow is more resource intensive. Yet there is a price for getting up to speed too quickly that seems inevitable (lost effectiveness - remember: Rhythm of the Rocks). Persistence and determination does seem to provide a means to that end.

When Decisions Collide

2011-03-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

My wife and I were driving to the office during rush hour (4:30pm - it's great to be semi-retired). Our light turned green and as we moved into the intersection the cross traffic just kept on coming. I drive a BIG truck so I decided to put a little bit of the fear of God into one driver who just didn't make it across, thereby blocking our path midway. I moved ahead slowly confident that I'd do no harm and cause him to think just a bit about blocking traffic in the future. But that's just the prelude to the real story.

As soon as we cleared this intersection we could not help but notice the blue and red flashing lights coming from several police, fire, and ambulance vehicles. It was at least a three-car accident. Emergency crews were prying metal apart and extracting seriously injured folks from their vehicles. Traffic in the accident lane was completely detoured. As we weaved our way around the scene, it struck me that several decisions created this catastrophe. Someone thought they could and couldn't, while someone else thought the same thing and both were apparently wrong. What happened? And what is the message for a less life-threatening situation?

Decisions are made hundreds of times each day that likely have some impact on each of us. Decision-makers in Washington pass legislation. State governments create regulations based on legislation that also impacts our lives. On and on it goes. At work the boss and supervisors make decisions that impact policy and organization culture in ways that often leave us questioning the sanity of those for whom we labor. We just try to get through it all unscathed.

I've been in meetings with 100% confidence that a decision has already been made but input is elicited in a hollow routine. It's just a waste of time. On the other end of the spectrum I've endured endless discussions and back-to-the-drawing-board research to be certain that the decision eventually made will be perfect in execution (a highly improbable notion). Then there are the competing decision-makers, each with a camp following that tend to polarize the process rather than evoke collaboration. Our Congress is certainly a prime and highly visible example of that nonsense (viewed from any angle).

Many decisions are part of a pattern of decision-making that is well known to those who must observe it. By the way, those patterns are often unknown to those who live them. There are plenty of "decision inventories" that will help those who might not be aware of their frozen styles - and the organizational implications thereof. We think a better way is to think not so much about the perfect decision as the involvement of those who must carry it out. Not withstanding the totally urgent decision, typically a bit of hesitation will at least buy ownership or or at most save a life.

Note to RGB Certifieds: This has Q1 through Q4 and RGB written all over it, at minimum.

Defraging the ProZones with Social Media

2011-03-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

As I write this one of our computers is in the process of being defrag'd. As I watched the "analyze" bar it occurred to me that Hubble's Law is at work again and social media offers a new kind of solution to what will be an ever-present dilemma. Hubble's Law generally/loosely states that the universe is expanding and the more it expands the faster it expands. The human behavioral relationship corollary is that the further apart we get in our relationships the faster we move further apart.

Back to the computer defrag that started all this. The more fragmented the drive, the slower the function because the pieces have to spend time and space (clutter) to make connections that they wouldn't have to create if the pieces were contiguous. This seems to have a direct connection to the busy lives we all lead and the added energy and resourcefulness it takes to "stay in touch."

To add to the equation (and perhaps the confusion, the less free space available to defrag the longer the process will take and the more commitment of resources. By the way, ProZones are Venn diagrams that graphically show the relationships between people or organizations as they relate to one another.

Is there an undercurrent of diversity-based issues adding to the complexity? You bet! Is this topic worth the effort to unravel and integrate into the RGB technology. I hope so, especially for the more advanced practitioner who might be looking for more depth of understanding! It will provide added insights and connectivity to both diagnostics and remediative strategies. Finally, what in the world does all this have to do with social media? Plenty, I think! This connection is not necessarily a new thought. It may have new ramifications however, just because of the RGB Technology connections. Social media provide a new twist to the traditional ProZone implications.

This simple initial thought tumbled into complexity very quickly - it's a Blue thing I think. These preliminary thoughts and reactions to them will be foundational to some new technological depth.

Normalizing the Chaos of Change

2011-03-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

If a certain amount of change is inevitable, and it is, then it is also true that people need a dose of stability to cope or even recover from what is often a traumatic experience. In the absence of some malady both the chaos of change and the stability of normal are needed to sustain an even keel. Language is a good barometer to evaluate your readiness for chaos or change.

We all refer to police, fire and EMT professionals as "responders" because they have a set routine for every contingency and everyone knows what it is and what the roles and responsibilities entail. These courageous folks are responders because they have and continuously refine their protocols. You can too.

Chaos happens - change is constant! Anticipating that these irritating intrusions into our routine business WILL present themselves, and WILL intrude at the most inopportune times is a fact of organizational life. Even though many businesses do effectively react to necessary unscheduled pressure, this is a continuing problem that is worthy of a better solution. Here's one methodology to accommodate unforeseen change with less workforce turmoil by applying a month by month protocol.

We're recommending a 12-month cycle, just because that's a normal cycle in any organization. Folding change into that existing cycle will go along way to help stabilize the organization. In a subtle way, we also see the four seasons represented in this annual cycle. The somewhat "dormant - winter" season (Months 11, 12, and 1) things are happening that are typically out of sight for the majority of the workforce. Seeds of change are planted in the Spring (Months 2, 3, and 4). Just as seeds become germinated through planting and watering, so to does the workforce absorb what it needs to grow through workforce feeding and collaboration. The Summer growing season (Months 5, 6, and 7) sees real tangible progress toward needed improvements. Participation across the workforce begins to bear fruit and reveals areas that will require attention. Fall harvest (Months 8, 9, and 10) completes the cycle by emphasizing the return on investment of doing the work. What actually happened compared to initial expectations will shift priorities and help establish new patterns for the next cycle.

Before you jump to the conclusion that I'm a "naturalist" I'd prefer you think of me as someone who thinks it has utility to combine a new process into an existing pattern. If gardening works, so be it. What seems appropriate is to synchronize new proposed patterns with existing ones. The folloing month-by-month sequence does not necessarily begin in January. Month 1, to get started, might be NOW and it might linger for a much monger period than 30 days. But eventually, it would be best to stabilize the patterns to the it blends into the routine of your established business calendar.

If, for example, your "busy season" is June, July, and August, those might not be the best months for intensive workforce focus on the change cycle. So, slip somewhat less workforce intensive capacity development to the customer service busy season.

Month 1 - think of a chaos-handling protocol as an integral part of your normal annual cycle. Work collaboratively to develop a system that will identify and respond the unique situations routinely. Obtain the full commitment of the executive management team for the full annual cycle protocol. Set up a tracking system to fully inform key participants.

Month 2 - inform the workforce of this new approach at all-hands meetings. Ask for non-supervisory helpers to fill specific roles as the system unfolds in subsequent months. Broad workforce involvement will be essential to success. Embed this information in all future new employee orientations. Begin training volunteers for their new roles.

Month 3 - collaboratively determine what evidence/data must be collected to inform decision-makers of possible changes.

Month 4 - begin collecting the data needed to better inform decisions in a routine way. Determine how, when, and to whom the data will be broadcast and incorporate those patterns into normal literature/meetings.

Month 5 - set up a scenario-based matrix that will help determine the actions to be taken given the inference of the data collected. Verify that users can properly apply the data consistently in different parts of the organization.

Month 6 - Make the information and potential responses available to the workforce.

Month 7 - integrate this protocol into agenda items for periodic management (other key change agents) retreats. Like any retreat this is traditionally the time to reexamine and alter the established systems of the organization and recast priorities.

Month 8 - form cross-boundary alliances to tackle and monitor changes based on any adjustments made in priorities.

Month 9 - normalize options for recurring decision-points in the organization's routine (regular meetings, retreats, budget cycle meetings, quarterly reports, state of the organization presentations, etc.).

Month 10 - measure the changes that have been incorporated to determine everything from task effectiveness to overall return-on-investment. Apply these results to future decision-making by incorporating lessons learned into the information system began in the first month.

Month 11 - review everything available to help improve the protocols established. Stabilizing the chaos-to-normal routines especially during the first annual cycle has a monster learning curve with potentially enormous payback.

Month 12 - celebrate the successes and the value of learning even if the results fall somewhat short of expectations in the first annual cycle. If there is already a periodic celebration scheduled fold in this capacity development protocol.

Routinely developing increased levels of workforce capacity is every bit as important as any other system in the long run. Starting out with an automated system to carry this information is a critical component that should be initiated early and continuously refined as you go (or acquire one to do the job at the outset).

Although it may not be obvious from the start, this protocol will give any organization an advantage when preparing to become or sustain a top ranking as a Best Place to Work in Hampton Roads. Naturally, it's good for a multitude of other initiatives that may appear to be stand-alone events as well. But think about it. This initiative is good for a lot of alternatives - recruiting, survey integration, reward and recognition programs, workforce feedback, benefit review, organization culture evaluation, training adequacy, etc., etc. - you get the point.

In the months ahead you'll find more details on this system of change in my Experts column in Inside Business. In the meantime just begin where you are and gather cohesion as you go. It's an organizational challenge worthy of any organization aspiring to be a Best Place to work.

Civility and Situation Awareness

2011-03-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm a private pilot and part of my cockpit responsibilities is situational awareness. There are rules for moving an airplane from spot A to spot B, and it is MY responsibility to know and follow those rules and to be responsible for taking actions even when others do not follow the rules. Lives are at stake. It's a rigid form of civility. It includes the communications between ME, the CONTROLLER, and OTHER PILOTS and anyone else on or near the A to B path (in front of me, beside me, and even behind me, above and below me).

So, here's a situation that my wife and I encountered this morning that doesn't take on the magnitude of "life and death" necessarily but certainly causes a "blip" on the civility radar. We were attending a city breakfast for the "Sister Cities" organization, which in this case included cities in Japan, China, and Germany. There were several hundred attendees. The current chapter president is an old friend and asked us to attend the fundraiser - which we were certainly pleased to do.

When it was time for breakfast we headed to the line which divided into two lanes as we approached the main course (eggs, bacon, etc.). This made the service faster. Both sides of the self-serving table could be used - smart and typical. At the other end of the main course line the division ended and we simply had to join into a single line again to pick up fruit and beverage.

Two gentlemen in the line to our left were fully engaged in a discussion and didn't notice that my wife and I were together, so when she moved to the single line configuration, one of the gentlemen abruptly edged me out. I audibly said to my wife, "I'll see you back at the table." She responded. It was apparent that we had been separated by two gentlemen with an appetite for fruit and conversation before any thought of civility. Their situational awareness had evaporated. There was no incident. Others around us noticed and smiled at me with minor apology in mind. We were all gracious about it.

I thought about the many times I've been rudely cut off by a driver and said, occasionally out loud, "Guess he went to a different driving school than the rest of us." On occasion I've added other words with special meaning! But really, these too have been potential "life and death" situations and, although I've survived them so far, I know that not everyone has. I know that somewhere every day a home gets a knock on the door from an unwanted messenger delivering a unwanted message.

The breakfast line was really no big deal by comparison but it does offer food for thought (pun intended) from an organization development perspective. Do we even talk about situational awareness, and is there a need for it to be talked about. Is it an empathy thing, a survival thing, a civility thing, or can it be bigger yet and prevent the catastrophe that looms just out of sight as someone, somewhere takes it upon himself to restore equity from dozens of situations where an imbalance might have gone unnoticed. Will it be resolved by extending a open hand of reconciliation rather than extending a hand filled with Smith and Wesson as sometimes tragically happens.

"Civility and Situation Awareness" deserves some airtime on the agenda of specific events (again with the intentional pun - can't seem to help it today). So, give it some thought and weave it in where appropriate. Everyone has stories. Whenever I hear about violence in the workplace I'm relatively sure that it likely could have been prevented somewhere along the line. It's our job as od professionals* to find the perfect place for this topic and get after it.

A Note for the RGB Certifieds: We'll be modifying our CapacityWare(TM) Technology to incorporate the topic of this post in the near future. If we don't find a better place for it, the subject will be included within the ProZone Model in Book 4, Tab 2. From this "location" the information will then be included in both Residency Certification programs and Leadership, Management, and Supervisory (LMS) Training events. It's an ideal topic to be included in events that strike at conflict as well.

*od professionals - od is used as a verb rather than a noun.

The Leadership and Followership Gap

2011-03-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Today I listened to the most recent of what is likely to be hundreds of lectures on the art and soul of leadership. That's just half the organization capacity story and I'm tired of the same old refrain and burden about the glamour of leadership. Something's wrong with all the spotlights! I once bought into the notion that you must be a good follower before you can even give a thought to the "rise" to leadership. I still believe it after 40 years and that's the topic of one of our most popular workshops: Leadership + Followership = Organization Capacity!

First, let me tell you what I mean by the notion of "organization capacity" as a foundation for what follows. Capacity is the result of finding and fixing whatever prevents an organization from reaching optimal potential to deliver capabilities. Capacity depends on relationships, both internal and external. It is different from organization capability yet is often confused with that term. Capability is a set of deliverables (products and services) to those who exchange value (normally revenue at minimum but also loyalty) for the value received. If the value received is low, the equity transfer cycle declines. If the value is high, the cycle is sustained or increases. The most destructive capacity phenomena is the no-fault withholding of information between those on the front line and those in a leadership position to make better decisions that will eventually impact stakeholders adversely. This just isn't hard to understand and frankly, is beyond denial.

Back to the initial formula: if leadership contribution is HIGH and followership contribution is LOW the capacity is less than optimal and will eventually be reflected in the capabilities delivered to stakeholders - that includes paying customers. Anyone who has ever worked for any organization for at least one day knows that leaders are not always held in high esteem by those across the depth and breadth of the organization. Guess what, the equation works both ways. Rarely have I talked with anyone in a leadership role (regardless of legitimate authority vested by the organization) who did not lament the condition of the body of followers with whom they had to contend. The myth is that the "best" leaders will miraculously create a body of "best" followers. The amount of energy that would take in most cases would be astronomical.

Our current model of leadership is a leftover from the European eastern monarchy. There is a reality that I have come to embrace - not everyone wants to become that ideal leader to which many aspire - AND - not everyone wants to become that ideal follower which every leader prays will come her way. Compensation systems often demand that more pay requires a promotion to the rank of supervisor of manager. The playing field is NOT level.

That doesn't mean that we should not do our best, but is does mean that a good healthy collaborative effort to determine what "best" means might be is in order. Throw away the checklist and create a new one. On one of my Alaska RoadShows the title of the session turned into ASK! The simplicity of straightforward questions around expectations of those with whom we work would serve us all well. I've certainly failed to do so when it might have been appropriate and I'm sure others have fallen short as well. "What do you really expect of me? What are the most important expectations you have of me in our relationship? What would your "perfect" employee look/be like?"

Be careful. Here's just one true story of many. In a highly frustrated federal workforce I began to encounter front line employees who consistently told me (my words), "Every time I ask what it will take to get ahead around here, I hear the same thing. ""Just do your job!"" the boss tells me. But it never matters. As hard as I do my job the bosses favorites get ahead." I had occasion to meet with the supervisors alone and asked them, "What does it take to get ahead around here? How do people get promoted?" The answer was unanimous. "We're looking for people who go beyond the limits of their job description." They actually had a checklist that they used at promotion time and didn't hesitate to list some of the items on it. When it was time to consider candidates for advancement they were all looking for someone who did more than just their job. Who wouldn't be looking for that?

So, in this situation, which I believe is more common that one might think, it illustrates the point I'm trying to make. From this bit of common evidence the gap between leadership and followership is widening. The supervisors favorites were doing more, which caused more dialog between the supervisor and favorite, which fed the notion that the supervisor had favorites. The general belief among workers at this facility was that all supervisors played a deceitful game telling two stories instead of one. Do you suppose a worker having been in this kind of dysfunctional environment and then transfers to a new supervisor will ask or believe the answer in that new relationship? It seems highly unlikely. The new supervisor will have to work much harder to gain the level playing field the second time around.

Summary

Members of the non-supervisory workforce talk to each other far more often than do those who have to condend with the necessary isolation of supervisory trappings (offices, cubicles, distance, etc.). The chatter creates a culture that is difficult to penetrate. The cultural bond that forms is often created for a kind of self-protection against many obstacles, perceived or real. To break down barriers with questions is far more easily done than with statements. ASK questions. Close the gap from either end.

At The Edge of Responsibility - Rows 20 and 21

2011-03-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

We recently took an AirTran Flight from Atlanta to our hometown in Virginia. Our seats, as is customary were in the emergency exit rows - higher price, more legroom, some added potential responsibilities, the best of both worlds.

Before departure we got the usual lecturette about our added responsibilities to jettison the over-the-wing door in the event of an emergency if told to do so - and by the way, do anything else asked us to aid the other passengers in an emergency. We nodded our heads and said, "Yes!" to validate our seats. Before this flight I had focused almost entirely on the door jettisoning responsibilities, as I believe most people do. But this particular flight caused me to have some angst. Here's why.

In the row just in front of me was a woman obviously nervous about this flight. She clutched her handbag tightly in her lap. The attendant asked her to place the bag on the floor under the seat in front of her. I've heard the request a hundred times over the years. What I've never heard was her response. "No!" The flight attended struggled with a polite, "May I stow the bag in an overhead for you?" Again came the straightforward and slightly louder, "No!" The passenger and the attendant passed the moment with some friendly conversation - all smiles and warm. Then the attendant went on with her duties leaving the woman in 20A with a bag on her lap. I thought to myself, That's strange, but I guess there is some discretion. The woman was nervous, after all.

Then I started to think. If something went wrong might I be asked to help this woman. In an emergency, I'd agreed to do as much. This was thought provoking.

A few minutes went by and I began to take notice of other things going on around me. The next situation emerged from 20D, just across the aisle. The woman was unable to fasten her seatbelt. The belt was about 10 inches too short to clip. She pretended to fasten it and quickly covered her lap with her coat so that the attendant wouldn't detect this situation. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep to complete the deception. Four times attendants walked past the woman in 20D and not once did any of them pause to investigate further. It might have embarrassed the woman to be discovered and to have to use a seat belt extension. The likelihood of crash landing after all was remote.

Now my thoughts go deeper into my agreement to help if requested to do so. If this woman ended up on the floor it would be a bottleneck catastrophe of high proportions. A blocked aisle with frantic passengers trying to exit would be more than anyone could cope with - certainly it was well beyond my strength and ability. What had I gotten myself into? Not quite done yet!

We'd taxied to the hold line - we'd be next for take off. As I usually do, I looked out my window and looked across the aisle to see out the window across the aisle from me. I couldn't believe my eyes. The man in 21D was quietly on his cell phone nestled on his left shoulder to completely conceal it. We got clearance to take the runway. Still talking. We began to roll, still talking. We were rotating, still talking. I couldn't believe it. This was one of the most high angle takeoffs I'd ever encountered. Had his cell phone messed up the navigation?

Given these three separate situations an arms length apart I couldn't help but wonder how prevalent these kinds of situations were aboard this aircraft. Where and when did my responsibility begin and end? Why were the attendants so lax? Why were my fellow passengers so self centered that the thought of the rest of us was so remote?

The man is 21D with the cell phone it turned out was an Assistant Pastor in a large Houston, Texas congregation. Was he contending with an emergency? Was it a trade off for him? Perhaps he saved a parishioner, at the potential expense of the safety of over 100 fellow passengers. No one died or even knows about it but my wife and I. But we got off the plane exhausted and disillusioned with the apparent lack of personal and professional responsibility. Though this is a sad testimony, I sadly believe it is prevalent.

So, what does all this have to do with the wonderful world of organization development that we have made our life's interest and the object of our life's work. Plenty!

People in organizations break the rules constantly. Self interests prevail over organizational interests all the time. In a strong organization culture, which is our specialty, self interests can take a second seat to tight culture if the actions of a person are observable by others that might influence that behavior. But in the midst of strangers or in the seclusion of darkness or hidden by a outer garment self interests will often win. Add a bit of anxiety and people will embarrass their most substantial comfort zones (their dominant RGB color, for example).

In an organization culture individuals will bend and break cultural norms to serve their own interests when they can get away with it. They will endanger their temporary commitments to those around them to serve the needs of closer relationships that may not be present. They will be secretive about anything that will preserve their self-image and well being. These and similar characteristics place a burden on an organization's leadership, management, and supervision, and stretch to a breaking point the peer (without authority) relationships of those around them. The cost is lower capacity - the ability of people to identify and solve problems of mutual concern that impact an ability to achieve an organization's purpose, missions, goals, etc. Ultimately, low capacity robs the organization and the people in it of profitability and the security that goes with it. This is an oversimplification, of course. Lots of other things suffer, too.

To fix these kinds of conditions requires a steadfast commitment to change at all levels, not something easily achieved. Just talking about it will likely make the situation worse, at least temporarily. In the long run, it is not the change through communication that will make the difference but a root change of heart that precedes the earnest communication that will be an essential first step.

Shifting from Old to New - Dramatic and Dynamic Change

2011-03-06T03:11:00.000-08:00

This might be as much a progress report on our shift to a new business structure as a reality check.

Old Traditional Way (1976 to 2010)...
We have been a traditional od consulting firm since 1976. We found and serviced end clients with our own proprietary brand of technology - CapacityWare(TM) RGB Technologies.

Preparation for Transition (2000 to 2010)...
The most significant initiatives of this decade have been the programming of unique software, the creation and refinement of the client library, and the residency certification of an extended and independent network of client-service consultants. This effort has taken place at our home location - Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Transition to the New Consultancy Model (2010 to 2015)...
Here is the two-fold approach: extend certification to a national and global presence primarily with National Roadshow and global Internet connections, while shifting our service base from end-clients to those who have been certified to service end-clients. We've been doing it for some time with increasing success and we're ready to intensify the effort.

Transition Actions

Commercial Office Space - Close (March 31, 2011).
We are no longer in the event production business and the need for commercial office space with the new consultancy model (serving those who serve) is no longer needed.

Web Sites - Continue.
LTODI will continue to be the repository for CapacityWare(TM) RGB Technology.
QualityofWorkLife will continue to be the client data entry port for the network.

e-mail, AOL - Continue.
The AOL address is well known and documented.

Remote Access - Continue.
This enables the entry into all IT resources from virtually any remote location.

Advanced Cell Phone Availability - Continue.
Everything needed for e-connectivity from anywhere at anytime.

Twitter - Continue and Escalate.
Notify user practitioner followers of happenings and receive feedback.

e-ProZone Blog - Continue and Escalate.
Inform potential and current practitioners on current and topical matters of interest.

LinkedIn - Continue and Escalate.
A platform for the practitioner base to connect professionally to a broad audience of potentially interested users.

Facebook - Continue and Escalate.
Publish RoadTrip and RoadShow results to a user/practitioner base.

YouTube (Guru account - RGBFounders) - Continue and Escalate.
Make available a wide range of video products (currently over 3 hours and over 50 videos) to assist practitioners with illustrations of how the technology is applied.

Skype - Continue.
Use for remote visual connection with the practitioner base as needed.

e-Bay - Establish.
Use as a global platform for the convenient identification and sale of RGB Technology.

Summary

So, there you have it. The sift is by no means complete, but it has begun and with sufficient evidence of pay-back that it will continue and escalate. We are only two, but our approach to the new model is that we have a significant multiplier for our efforts. RoadShow engagements appear to be doubling in 2011. There has been firm interest in success in remote certification options that have only recently been offered. We have not arrived, but it is the journey toward an ambiguous destination that is the current thrill of our efforts (Blue statement for sure).

Got a comment? Have a suggestion? Post it, please.

Reinvention, Step 3 - the NEW Work Regimen.

2010-09-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

The third and final element in the Organization Realignment Model is to rethink and document the Work Regimen to align with the new Beliefs Set and new Strategy Bridge. There are five categories to be considered in this step: Organizational Goals, Programs, Individual Objectives, Priorities, and Tasks. The specific information provided here is offered to achieve two purposes: acquaint the reader with the broad features and benefits of the Realignment Structure, while providing some insight into the current Realignment Structure of the authors' organization - QWLC.

Work Regimen
September 2010

1. Organizational Goals. Without goals any organization is likely to whither. Goals sustain a future-focus and, for many, provide the motivation to strive to achieve those things the organization has judged as essential. Goals are typically collective in nature, so that failure to achieve a goal is normally attributable to more than a single individual. Three primary QWLC organization goals are:

Client Practitioner Retention: Retain 100% of past clients allowing for dormant periods.
Practitioner Expansion: Annually double the quantity of RGB Certified Practitioners that consume license "counters."
Profitability: Sustain a positive revenue stream sufficient to cover all costs and sustain a reasonable contingency fund.

2. Programs. Programs are well documented sequential steps that must be completed to achieve a specific outcome(s) that result in a product or service deliverable for customers (internal or external) on behalf of organization stakeholders. There are always "start" and "stop" cues, at least one "process," and at least one "decision." Process steps need not all be completed by the same person. Although there are many programs in any organization there normally only a few critical programs that support mission accomplishment (see also the posting on Beliefs Sets). The following core programs support QWLC missions.

Client Care: engenders loyalty by serving current client needs while exceeding expectations.
Marketing: creates customers and clients for QWLC services and products.
Roadshow: stimulates interest in RGB Certification among workshop participants.
Finance: accounts for expenses and revenues to inform decisions.
Technology Maintenance: develops written guidance to help organizations.
Web Presence: provides Internet access to technology for users and potential users.
RGB Practitioner Certification: expands practitioner availability to users.
Event Production: designs and implements capacity improvement events.

3. Individual Objectives. Organizational goals are achieved by attaining individual objectives that contribute to them. Objectives are assigned to a specific individual and are measurable as to quality, quantity and period of time (daily, weekly, monthly, for example).

Joseph...

Green: 100% functionality from anywhere.
Blue: Update CW Library, blog, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and LTODI monthly.
Blue: Produce one viable Roadshow monthly.

Elizabeth...

Red: Fiscal and Calendar stability with 3 to 6 months reserve.
Green: Visit one selected Preferred Practitioner (counter-consumer) monthly.
Red: Lead one viable RGB Workshop monthly.

4. Priorities. When tasks compete for time and attention there must be a clear set of priorities that allow people to make consistent choices among potential tasks. This sustains a healthy balance between effort directed toward urgent and important tasks. This is certainly true for employees, but it is also true of those clients being served.

Client Support: provide support needed to contribute to the success of clients in their efforts impacted by our product and service delivery.
Practitioner-base Expansion: offer RGB Certification options that grow the network of preferred users.

5. Tasks. Tasks are specific actions taken by an assigned individual using a combination of skills, abilities, knowledge, and requisite talent within the context of program requirements defined by the organizations structure. Tasks are most effective when aligned frequently with Goals, Objectives, and Priorities.

Joseph...

Blue/Red Tasks: IT, Software, Library, Videophotography, Proposal Creation, Technology Development and Lead, Local Transportation, Transitions, Internet, Storage, Event Production.

Elizabeth...

Red/Green Tasks: Data Entry, Office Management, RGB Lead, Client Connections and Lead, Communications, Shopping and Purchasing, Publications Production, Calendar and Scheduling, Finance and Accounting.

Summary

Most effective work gets done when it is well aligned with elements that comprise the Work Regimen explained here and are also consistent with the Beliefs Set and Strategy Bridge posted previously. It only makes sense that efforts across any organization structure be aligned so that synergy has a chance to make a contribution to output, and cultural capacity, as a measurable asset, contributes to the effective and efficient delivery of products and services to valued clients and customers. One recurring problem in many organizations (that is solved by this Realignment Structure) is the practice of making corrective action when things go wrong in isolation. The broader view that can only be achieved by reviewing the entire Realignment Structure (Beliefs Set, Strategy Bridge, and Work Regimen) is the best solution to a "tinkering" method traditionally applied.

Reinvention, Step 2 - the NEW Strategy Bridge

2010-09-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Once the rethought (or original) Core Beliefs Set had been adopted, it calls for the immediate review and recreation of the new Strategy Bridge element of the Realignment (Model) documentation set. The realignment documentation set is highly flexible in that a single set may be used to connect the Beliefs Set with the Work Regimen. In the alternative, however, multiple Strategy Bridges may be needed to assure clarity. There are five strategic categories in the Strategy Bridge that must be rethought (or created originally): Advantages, Scenario, Initiatives, Standards, and Products and Services.

Overarching Roadshow Strategy Bridge

September 2010

1. Advantages. The advantages section provides a short list of the most significant conditions that provide a more beneficial condition than may have existed previously. For some, as an example, the current economic downturn may be an advantage because of the abundance of qualified potential laborers. Current conditions provide advantages for QWLC at this time:

The reasonable availability of highly qualified RGB Certified Practitioners.
The maturity of the RGB Technology lends itself to replication.
The proliferation of Internet systems such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
The availability of "how to" videos that foster distance learning with realistic scenarios.
The constrained revenues of organizations that can benefit from internal RGB Certified Practitioners as a cost saving measure.

2. Scenario. The scenario depicts the current conditions so that stakeholders have a unified understanding of those conditions. This unity concerning a realistic scenario a cascade of thinking into unified courses of action that make good business sense. The QWLC scenario is simple:

The Founders have worked diligently to create an informal network of users based on a common technology - the RGB Technology! This informal network permits one practitioner to support and assist another when help is needed, yet operate independently in the interim. Both internal and external practitioners use RGB Technologies on a routine basis and are able to quickly adapt that experience to suit any client organization with minimal effort. This means a fast and economical solution fora wide range of user organizations is now available. The Founders plan to expand this informal network and the user organization base through low cost Roadshow events that "recruit" new practitioners and expand the user organization base. This steady expansion will perpetuate the growth and strength of the technology well beyond the mid-Atlantic region toward a national and potentially international audience.

3. Initiatives. Initiatives include new activities (even if "new" means stopping something that previously was ongoing). QWLC intends to start and sustain the following activities while curbing direct user organization service:

Travel that includes conference showcase workshops for potential user organizations.
Streamlined RGB Certification processes for practitioners performing simplified workshop templates that expand with experience and confidence.
Provide low-cost starter kits included in a program of FastTrack RGB Certification.
Increase reliance on the Internet options for distant learning.
Engage available experienced RGB Practitioners in new user organizations as required.

4. Standards. Standards clarity the one acceptable methodology or results in product and service delivery. All necessary resources are dedicated to achieving standards so that performance is consistent and measured. QWLC will engage the following standards to achieve the stated initiatives:

RGB Certification will only be extended to those who meet or exceed performance criteria.
Support of RGB Practitioners in achieving stated user organization outcomes is paramount.
RGB Technology will continue to be based on experiences gain in actual applications.
The RGB Client Library and CapacityWareTM Software will be continuously revised to incorporate learnings posted by experiences RGB Certified Practitioners.
Additions to the informal RGB Practitioners network will be approved by the Founders.

5. Products and Serices. These products and services clarify deliverables to clients and customers. The current QWLC mix is:

Products will include: technology publications, software, videography, and tangible mementos.
Services will include: recommendations, mentorship, Internet connectivity, and learning experiences.

Summary

The Overarching Roadshow Strategy Bridge is a means of achieving an expanded informal network of user organizations and RGB Certified Practitioners well beyond the mid-Atlantic region that potentially includes an national and international structure. It will be achieved by the travel and showcase activities in major metropolitan markets conducted personally by the Founders. The RGB Technology has proven to be an effective classical organization development system that deserves a broad-base of users achieved through carefully designed exposure in this highly personal manner.

Reinvention, Step 1 - the NEW Beliefs Set

2010-09-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

In the natural course of an organizations' cycle - birth, maturity, and road to death, it is critical that a time be set aside to judge the need for a fresh start, a renewal, a reorganization, a reinvention, a new beginning - call it what you will. Signals may include a lag in profitability or in the case we'll discuss here, the "need for posterity," the notion of legacy. Our business, Quality of WorkLife Consultants (QWLC) is a little over seven years old. The business before that, based on the same technology, lived for eleven years. Before that, again based on the same technology, it was embodied in a yet different form but lasted for nine years. Those were all great runs. Yet each began to take a toll in the lack of innovation and enthusiasm of the founding partners. We were not immune from the laws governing this life cycle. In each case, however, we recognized the trends, the unmistakable patterns that would lead us to a rebirth, again applying the same technology with fresh wiring!

Beliefs Set

September 2010

The following five elements of an organization constitute the core of what drives people toward completing the organizational tasks to fulfill the core reasons for its existence. In both theory and practice the words and "soul" of what is intended are the Beliefs Sets unique meaning to the people in the organization that created it. It is not uncommon for several Beliefs Sets to be nested in a cascade from top to bottom of the structure in large organizations.

1. Purpose. The singular reason for the existence of the organization expressed in clear and concrete terms is a statement of its purpose. The organization purpose must justify all tasks, directly or indirectly, undertaken by the workforce. Although some core elements of purpose remain constant, the general elements may vary. As organizations are reinvented, the purpose requires a fresh examination and is subject to change because of the shift. The QWLC purpose has shifted over the last few decades but at its core has been the RGB Technology registered as CapacityWareTM - the body of written guidance as well as the parallel software. When the business first began the purpose was to achieve a sufficient revenue stream, next there was a concentrated effort to expand services and products while concurrently Certifying a cadre of RGB Practitioners, and now the purpose is focused on further expansion and preparation of the RGB Technology to survive a gradual retirement of its founders with a younger cadre. The newly evolved purpose, therefore, has become:

CapacityWareTM Practitioner Support.

2. Missions. Missions are those disciplines that result in a product and/or service that are designed to generate revenue for the organization from customers and clients. There is always at least one internal mission (frequently the generation and use of capacity) and at least two external missions. In many organizations of sufficient size, missions become a primary catalyst for organization structure. The new purpose at QWLC is supported by three missions:

Stimulate - a steady stream of prospects, that yield a growing number of RGB Certified practitioners.

Educate - users and practitioners to meet demands from potential organizations.

Support - users and practitioners in their efforts to serve their clients and customers.

3. Values. Values guide decision-making consistency - they establish priorities among alternatives. Value sets normally come in groups of five, three of which are normative and two of which may be aspirational. Values shift over time as people and organizations mature. Value sets may effectively cover an entire organization, but may be nested in each work group and team in a cascade from the board room to the loading dock.

Innovation - implements increasingly more effective technology based on experiential learning.

Fun - results when ways to make our events are light-hearted for participants and for us.

Balance - brings to our work the ideal amounts of work and leisure in an acceptable mix.

Respect - accepts alternatives and those who espouse them as equal and essential contributors.

Profitability - aims for positive revenue flow in all endeavors given some initial investment.

4. Vision. A vision is a systemic (see Unifying Human System) articulation of a future state of the organization and its interaction with a defined environment. It is highly desirable that a single vision statement be articulated, but that it may have alternatives that account for most likely, most desirable, and least desirable scenarios. The following are from the current QWLC Beliefs Set:

Most likely - Probable. Leisure travel with the right amount of stimulating showcase event(s) included at desirable locations that also fit with personal interests. The initial scheduled events in each Roadshow tour are arranged by the Founders and augmented by interested RGB Practitioners and others. Events are conducted primarily at regional conferences and in-house training workshops that incorporate potential RGB Certification options. These showcase presentations provide potential client organization decision-makers with a live sample of RGB Technology options designed to recover or develop internal capacity across the workforce. Long-term results include an organization culture resulting in an improved quality of worklife for leadership, management, supervision and non-supervisors as well.

Most Desirable - Optimistic. Create a cadre of qualified Senior RGB Practitioners that are fully capable of executing the most likely vision independent of the Founders.

Least Desirable - Pessimistic. The Founders create limited local opportunities that focus on conferences held in the Hampton Roads area with minimal travel advantages.

5. Customers/Clients. Customers and clients exchange revenue for products and/or services provided by the organization. The most profitable exchanges become a higher priority. Clients include:

Local Government Organizations.

Large Corporate Organizations at Multiple Locations.

Independent Consulting Organizations.

Summary

The material above is both an explanation of the RGB Beliefs Set as part of the Organization Realignment Model as well as current the QWLC Beliefs Set. By its context it is the Blue body of work best accomplished in a large group environment over a lengthy period (several months) with numerous small groups chartered to validate and augment the central group effort. At QWLC the effort has been repeated every year or two with complete revisions in 7 to 11-year cycles. Key indicators that signal the need for revisit include but are not limited to the failure of missions to attract sufficient revenue or the imbalance in revenue attraction of one or more missions over others.

Monitoring Change Effort Progress - IT Solutions

2010-08-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

In July, Elizabeth and I asked for some advice of a few of our associates. We wanted some feedback on our Roadshow ideas, but we got more than expected (see our blog entry on July 17. 2010). Simply put, it was to enter the new age of e-commerce with a high priority. Our intent was to "come of age" as a business with a drastically modified Internet presence. We knew a bit, but not nearly enough. It seemed that the first step was to decide what media we would use, do some "get started" research and begin to experiment. We bought Dummies books for the most popular services and signed up.

Twitter - LinkedIn - Facebook - YouTube - our two web sites (ltodi and qualityofworklife) and this Blog, all up and running to some degree. None to the depth and breadth we had in mind at the beginning. But we keep making small progress.

These are fragments on a half dozen services of our early entry into this new form of doing business. It's been hard at best to break the mold of doing business as usual - the good old fashion way. But we've started and learned a bit. There have been a half dozen attempts to set up a monitoring system that would allow us to keep track of our progress. Thus far, we've not achieved what we set out to accomplish - and it appears to be more complex than originally conceived. Old habits die hard, new habits form with difficulty. It has been a labor of some frustration to be sure but we see glimmers of success that have helped us learn what to do differently.

Stimulate Organizational Change with Natural Metaphors

2010-08-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

We have been using the metaphor as a catalyst for understanding complex change issues for years. But our recent travel has exploded our use of this linguist multiplier (ability to use language to convey our understanding of change quickly). This new approach uses our Facebook site - Quality of WorkLife Consultants - to bring many of these insights to our practitioner network by linking a picture to an appropriate metaphor.

So, what's a metaphor? A metaphor is a way of associating something familiar with something that might be relatively unknown or unfamiliar using a specific language structure. Here's an example: "Learning something useful is like a breath of fresh air." The word like is critical because it links the familiar "a breath of fresh air" with something unfamiliar "learning something useful."

To multiply the impact of the metaphor, we:

Generate metaphors from participants in our RGB Foundational Workshop. One exercise common to all RGB foundation workshops concludes with a challenge, "So, how is playing SPOONS like working in your organization?" By answering this question, participants create a metaphor that can be easily used to show that all organizations have common issues. A common answer to our question is usually, "Some people don't play by the rules." The unstated metaphor is, "People breaking rules playing SPOONS is like people breaking rules in our organization." This is a common issue that now gets validated attention. Some organizations have these issues more prominent than others, but human systems have commonality. It is useful for people to know that they are part of a pattern of humanity rather than a uniquely negative oddity. As long as all organizations have these oddities to some degree and some organizations are far more productive than others, one can draw a reasonable conclusion that less-than-ideal conditions can be improved with well designed effort. That concept is often refreshing to participants that may not have the hope they need to make improvements.

Locate metaphors in our RGB Roadshow travels. We try to visit sites in our Roadshow travels that have a connection to other collections of interest to us. For example, we collect: coins (that attest to a specific time period), photographs of Colonial historic sites (that have meaning in the quest for Liberty), celebrity autographs (that capture a character(s) being played that dramatize specific points), and other special memorabilia (that helps to connect with our classical organization development work). When these interests can be combined, there is even more synergy. For example, when we visit a colonial historic site such as the Minute Man Memorial in Concord, Massachusetts and link that to the State Quarter from Massachusetts, we've really hit a home run. There are connecting stories here that can be fresh to the realities of work today - "Sometimes it's important to take a stand like the Minute Men in Massachusetts did when they launched a revolution."

Embed metaphors in our RGB Technology with CODE WORDS. When we use the CODE WORDS "Council of Colonels" we are using a shortcut metaphor that represents a group of senior officers that report directly to the commander in a military unit. In addition to being effective gatekeepers, they also perform the function of filtering information, often to the degree that there is an undercurrent of subversion to their activities. In it's worst case scenario their loyalty is to the commander rather than to their oath of office and the very military culture they are sworn to defend. These same characteristics are often found in civilian organizations. When this happens those deep in the organization get to the point of futile subjugation. There are many more CODE WORDS in our technology used as shortcut phrases between practitioners. Some are linked to sites we visit and are referenced on our Facebook site. Can you imagine what the CODE WORDS "Carpet Land" referenced in one of our client systems?

Link metaphors with our ongoing user Educational Mission. Many of these metaphors are used in our educational literature and occasionally constitute at least one item on RGB Certification examinations. Many of those in our informal network of RGB Practitioners depend on each other for reciprocal support when larger teams are needed for specific work. Being able to use a language unique to the specific work we do for clients has enormous time saving utility. It also puts that language into a formally universal context.

Reward users with gifts as part of a fun Metaphor Scavenger Hunt. Users are eligible for significant gifts, such as week-long vacation condos or network computers, if they are able to answer questions about our CODE WORDS shorthand metaphors. This adds one dimension of fun to the equation as well as continues the education even after Certification. The real benefits reside in the work we do for our client organizations. The more in sync we are as practitioners, the better the quality and consistency of the services we offer. Over 15 years ago a small contingent of practitioners worked hard to design and install a SERVUS program (now a CODE WORD) that has evolved into a specific meaning - customer service in a public school system.

Beliefs, Rules, Evidence and Stories - Leverage Points!

2010-08-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

For over a score years the BRES mental model has provided insight into organization behavior, but our most recent 10-D intervention of nearly two years brought this insight into sharp new relevance.

Beliefs. Whenever we encounter pervasive beliefs like, "We can't be changed. Others have tried and failed," we've taken it with a grain of skepticism. Underlying this challenge is the knowledge that change can happen, it just takes a reliable system to get it done - and the time to let the system work. Beliefs are a strong mental superhighway to progress or an equally defiant roadblock to movement of any kind. When an organization repeatedly states the belief that "change can't help them," it is a message worth heading. Find a reliable methodology that will work and be persistent in whatever it takes to overcome the roadblock. Pay attention to the rules the organization has constructed to survive any change. The following are just a few of the beliefs that keep whole organizations hostage:

There is no real commitment to change at the top.
The leadership team is not united in this effort.
The boss will never force this effort on those that matter.
Our jobs are protected.
There's no benefit to change.

Rules. Rules are created to sustain the status quo under the most severe circumstances. In this respect they guide our decision-making through a firm conviction that some deep truth is guiding our destiny. When people behave in accordance with rules, for example, established by their religion, they have a fundamental belief that they will be held accountable for misdeeds by their benevolent God. The rules support the deeply-held belief. In organizations, the same is true. If there is a deeply held belief that things can't change for the better, people begin to create the rules they need for their own survival. These self-destructive rules might include the following examples:

You might have to show up, but don't really participate.
Be less than encouraging of others' participation to stay clean.
Spin behavior at least two ways to show both engagement and distance.
Don't take a stand on important issues of change.
Create an illusion of going along to get along.

Evidence. The police have a difficult time when comparing the impressions of witnesses to any incident. People often see or hear what they expect to see or hear. Evidence is difficult to compile when it comes to organizational change efforts because "believing" the evidence being presented has compound and complex filters in each observer. If numbers can be applied to any significant element in a change effort, so much the better. This is especially true if the internal change agent team creates the numeric model and applies it. Numbers, although the best in many ways, is riddled with it's own underlying skepticism.

Numbers can say anything you want them to say.
Statistics can't be trusted.
Truth is elusive - I have one truth, and you have another.
We've done this before and nothing happened - nothing changed.
Those who made it this way, aren't about to change anything.

Stories. People will tell a variety of stories that support whatever position they have had in the past UNLESS they are committed to change that will benefit their own situation. What's needed even more than the right evidence are the "right" stories to support that evidence. In one client system recently, an over-zealous supervisor, convinced that change just couldn't happen, was overly vocal in refuting the survey results we had offered as evidence that change was possible - and actually happening. This scene took place in a public area of the annual Data Fair where it was overheard by a reasonably large group of coworkers. But presenting the evidence was not enough to make the difference. The supervisor left the room, but returned about an hour later with an apology and a commitment. She had been approached by one of her team members that had overheard her remarks and taken the risk to let her know that she had been off the mark. As the stories continued, our supervisor was informed with numerous stories about the change effort that had been working and had fed into the increased survey scores. She came back to us with an apology and a pledge to renew her effort to help make this change effort realize it's potential for her part of the organization. Stories as a transmitter of evidence seemed ultra important to us. Here's a few of our conclusions:

Once you have numerical evidence, search for stories that support the shifts.
Design and implement specific strategies that will produce changes to the believes that are encountered on initially entry.
Stories told to you by the formal change agent team are far less credible unless supported outside that group.
Do things that will foster the creation of off-line stories such as forming front-line groups for one-time outcomes.
Wander around deep in the organization and listen carefully for stories that support progress and (with permission) publish those stories widely.

Summary

BRES is a mental model that permits a practical approach to diagnosing what is going on and designing a potential course-of-action to overcome lost capacity. Never underestimate the power of stories transmitted between people deep in the organization. The credibility of stories will vary significantly between those responsible for change and those non-formalized-change-agents that must contend with the new "state" after the change has taken place. Finally, these informal stories that are transmitted deep in the organization are the most powerful leverage point in any organization.

10-D High Capacity cod Annual Development and Recovery Cycle

2010-07-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

DOCUMENT - DECIDE - DISTRIBUTE - DIAGNOSE - DISCLOSE - DESIGN - DELIVER - DEVELOP - DISSECT - DO-IT-AGAIN

Preface - it would be appropriate to explain what WE, Quality of WorkLife Consultants (QWLC) RGB Certified Practitioners, mean by some of the terms we use. 10-D refers to an established 10-Stage System of Change and describes the ten distinct steps that are both sequential (taken generally in turn from beginning to end), BUT may also overlap (a step can before the previous step is concluded) and be less than contiguous (different parts of the organization can be in different steps at the same time depending upon their needs). Capacity is a condition that an organization is in that pertains to internal culture and describes the degree to which it can find and fix problems without regard to boundaries. cod is an abbreviation for classical organization development, as a discipline provides intentionally in lower-case letters, because it is used here as a verb rather than a noun. Development is a term that characterizes the installation of new skills and processes that improve an organization's ability to meet its purpose and missions. Recovery is a term that characterizes the a process of regaining skills and processes that were once working well but have fallen into cultural disuse through the withholding discretionary effort. Cycle (Annual Cycle) means that all 10-Stages are generally completed over each twelve-month period commencing from initiation and accommodating some slippage to account for external customer demands.

1. DOCUMENT - all critical information in a central and available repository.
One of the most valuable is the monthly Rate-of-Engagement Index which provides valuable "intervention pace" guidelines. At the outset the current set of documentation is established as the Standard Technology to be followed throughout the intervention until replaced. In addition, we use a sophisticated software system - CapacityWare(TM) to aid in all stages of 10-D. The system is fully integrated with MS Office as an added level of seamless processing. Every Event along the multi-annual track is captured to aid in the analysis that fosters continuous improvement. The system processes RGB Inventories, creates automatic RGB Individual, group composite and Task and Talent Profiles using advanced RGB Technology, processes organizational surveys with a full range of potential presentation options, and even helps in the design of integrated course-of-action "sets." The system tracks attendance at key events, helps create periodic and annual Transcripts of Participation and calculates valuable Return-on-Investment projections, as well as a critical Cohesion Index for decision-making and decision-implementation groups. In other words it tracks the development of culture as a determining factor in capacity conditions.

2. DECIDE - the degree of clarity, commitment, depth, and breadth to employ.
Primary leaders, managers, and supervisors (LMS) meet early-on to discuss and decide on the level of intensity the stages will take. With a reasonable level of agreement among the top "direct reports" the stages can begin to unfold with an understanding of what will lay ahead. These early-on meetings also set themes and goals to be achieved as the initiative gains momentum.

3. DISTRIBUTE - to the workforce a projection of what lies ahead.
Depending upon the size of the organization, one or several means of communication (workshops for some, briefings for others, newsletters, videos and web publication for all the remaining members, for example) may be needed to inform the workforce about what will likely be happening over the next year and beyond. In addition, the distribution of this information may engage them in some preliminary data collection, such as the RGB Inventory, and call upon them to volunteer to be a part of a preliminary team structure.

4. DIAGNOSE - the workforce preference, cultural capacity, and related conditions impacting the organization.
The data collection design is normally created by a team of non-supervisors using the client as the Team Sponsor. Data is collected and interpreted to surface trends, both positive and negative. This data is combined with the RGB Inventory results to create a clear "picture" of what is likely to unfold as the change system gains momentum. The data is processed by CapacityWare(TM) Software to assure integrated availability of multiple data results.

5. DISCLOSE - all relevant information to the full organization workforce.
Everyone in the workforce is presented with the data collection results, albeit in differing levels of detail depending on the size and needs of the organization. Under ideal conditions, everyone gets to view and discuss all the information at a series of Data Fairs designed for this purpose. At these Events a second invitation is extended for people to join teams that will help conditions improve. This time, however, the volunteering may be for a specific team directly based on the priority issues to be tackled.

6. DESIGN - courses-of-action that have an excellent chance of achieving pre-defined goals.
Now the design process begins with the full involvement of those who will have to create and bring potential courses-of-action to life in order to achieve those goals established during early-on planning sessions. These individuals will include Team Sponsors made up of senior and middle management as well as Implementation Teams made of of supervisors and non-supervisors alike. This stage will likely result in several "sets" of courses-of-action that, used simultaneously, will achieve optimum results.

7. DELIVER - continuous experiential learning and structure to those who will need it.
The first order of delivery is to prepare those internal assets for the vanguard tasks they can best perform. Next, the prioritized "sets" are implemented for those participants identified by the design based on greatest needs. In some cases multiple design "sets" may be used by more than one implementation team at multiple events. In this case teams will have to follow the design agenda carefully to deliver consistent material across organization boundaries to diverse participants. The objectives here are to change thinking as a gateway to new behaviors that yield improved cultural capacity.

8. DEVELOP - capacity by identifying and developing learnings that expand successful experiences.
As designs are implemented in sequence, each implementation team learns and passes that information on to subsequent designs using CapacityWare(TM) Software at minimum. In addition, material delivered at an Event for a single group will require follow-through to assure objectives are being met in each instance. Subsequent development or recover contingencies will likely be necessary to assure both continuity and continuous advancement through objective milestones toward overall goals.

9. DISSECT - all facets of what has happened and adjust the Standard documentation to improve the system-of-change.
Each Event (meetings, workshops, document completions, potentially even one-on-one conversations and phone calls, etc.) will present an opportunity for evaluation by the responsible party. Evaluations can also be submitted and processed by all participants depending upon the needs. CapacityWare(TM) Software will process all these evaluations as a means of both determining Event success and as a means of evaluating the interventions being used over the life of each cycle and all cycles.

10. DO-IT-AGAIN - by initiating a "restart" of an improved system-cycle previously used.
With the adoption and integration of evaluation recommendations provided for the whole process, the next step is to repeat the cycle with the improved version of each step as modified based on the new conditions presented. It will be invaluable at this junction to consider a "shift change" for those who have worked hard during the last cycle and may need to back away for the next cycle. It will normally take three to seven cycles to achieve the goals outlined at the outset.

Summary - Unlike a rigid process, this system-of-change is self-adjusting to the conditions it finds and fully capable of evolving to higher levels of effectiveness as it progresses. It is similar to a regimen of diet and exercise undertaken to meet established goals of health in the human system - except that 10-D is a far more complex organization system.

The RGB Roadshow Kickoff - 5-Whats!

2010-07-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

A. What are we trying to achieve? Exposure, Expansion, Travel Quality of WorkLife Consultants (QWLC) has organized a Roadshow to tour as many places across the US as we can in the next few years and deliver a low cost foundational RGB Workshop to interested organizations while the Founding Partners enjoy the travel. We want to expose new organizations to the RGB knowing that some will want to pursue adopting it through low-cost certification options thereby expanding the Practitioners Network. There's more information at the QWLC web site about this initiative: http://www.ltodi.com/The_RGB_Workshop_Tours.htm for those who are interested. For more information about the offer and a tentative acceptance option, click on "What" from that Roadshow home page.

B. What is the offer? Unique Low-cost Workshop Trial The workshop we'll deliver is a 2 to 3-hour highly interactive workshop for about 25 participants. It's fun, insightful, immediately applicable, and is potentially the 1st step (of three simultaneous first steps) in helping an organization develop or regain workforce capacity. The workshop is also a foundational 1st step in a potential sequence of progressive designs that address common challenges in most organizations today. As another 1st step the workshop incorporates the first-part of a three-part RGB Certification process. That's three 1st steps in one workshop!

C. What do I have to do next? Be a Referrer or Accept the Offer If you're already a satisfied RGB Technology user, we'd like you to help by referring us to members of your network that could use our services and products. Over the last 25 years our satisfied user-base has expanded through referrals just like the ones launched by this initiative. We simply want to work with more people like the people with whom we already work. If you're considering the need for a new approach to workforce capacity development or recovery based on new challenges, tentatively accept our offer by e-mail or by visiting our Roadshow web site (link in Part A, above - then select the "What" button).

D. What are the incentives? Referrals, Improvements, Prizes We've asked RGB Certified Practitioners and users to help us connect with potential host organization Sponsors by referring us in the right direction. There's satisfaction in helping people that mean something to us. Our best strategy is to involve those we have served for the last decade in the search for added exposure to this body of work. We recently met with a representative group of users and Practitioners for lunch. We were taken back at the level of excitement for this project. To show our appreciation we've offered a gift - the first of what promises to be many. A one-week, November 6th to the 13th, 2010, vacation on the Outer Banks in Duck, North Carolina. Naturally, there is also an incentive for host organizations to use RGB Certified Practitioners. Once certified they can award GEMS that earn points toward prizes of all kinds. QWLC is also host to an Annual Celebration with significant prizes that begin with another week long vacation package. Last year we awarded dozens of prizes.

E. What happens after the tentative offer is accepted? Clarity, Scheduling Before the Event, there are a few things that need to be clarified. Simple written checklists to help everyone can be downloaded. Begin the scheduling process so that dates can be reserved. Finally, there are simple follow-through details to be coordinated as the Event draws closer.

A New Chapter in a 25-Year Journey...

As any referrer will validate, the RGB Technology is owned and proliferated by the founders - Joe and Elizabeth Lacroix. For over 25 years they have worked hard to create a body of knowledge that lies within the classical organization development domain. As new challenges have emerged, the technology has evolved to accommodate even the most demanding of situations. It has only been for the last 5 years that they have begun to certify qualified candidates to expand on their strong foundation. They've gone slow to go fast. The technology is ready for serious expansion and that has prompted this next phase of growth - the Roadshow. At this phase, the founders remain steadfast in their personal involvement in that growth by engaging in the selection, training, and mentoring of every Practitioner desiring that involvement.

Planning and Implementing a Whole Cycle for The RGB2 [BM and OMR4]

2010-07-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Fully integrating the Basic Model and the OMR4 Model of Planned Change creates a synergy that develops positive cycle momentum - movement is upward rather than stable or digressive. The following descriptions are chronologically along the Basic Model Cycle Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4.

1. The First Leg of OMR - Results, Measures, and Options within Q1 - Tradition. So, things are going along well. The routines are solid; tried and true processes are yielding the expected results, so we just keep on doing what we've always done. At some point in time the unexpected happens; we get a different result. It's not quite what we expected but not far off. So, we do the normal thing and ignore the early sign that change is encroaching on our work regimen. Not to worry too much. But over time the shifting results create a new measure, a new piece of evidence that we can't ignore any longer. So we take a more in-depth look at what is going on. This new measure may be reduced profit, a decrease in sales, employee turnover, or initial rumors that foretell of impending layoffs. We check our numbers and try to determine if the measures are good; are they really telling us that something is wrong, or is this just an anomaly. We begin to think in terms of our options. What can we do to restore the results we're looking for - to reclaim stability? One option would be to work a bit harder. Another option might be to authorize overtime. Cut back on expenses and benefits to restore profits. There might be other options we could pursue to get things back to what we expect. Or we could step back and take a fresh view of these conditions - what do we need to learn that is not obvious.

2. The Second Leg of OMR - Outcomes, Methods, and Resources within Q2 Lessons Learned. The decision is made to look deeper than the conventional wisdom of shortcuts to really determine what ought to be done. The first stop on this examination is to lay out the outcomes we're trying to achieve. If we don't know our ultimate outcomes we're apt to take an action that would be contrary to what we're trying to achieve. For example, if employee loyalty is more important than sustained profits at this time we may not want to risk a reduction in benefits to satisfy a short-term boost in profit margin. So, knowing the outcomes we're trying to achieve normally demands that we involve a variety of players in the problem solving process. Getting a diverse group together will serve our long-term needs, but the short-term difficulties we create by this course may be a temporary setback. Once the problem solving team identifies the outcomes (Why are we doing something about this problem anyway?) the immediate next question ought to be what methods will we have to engage to achieve that (or those) end(s). Methods are "things we will do - actions or activities we will take" to achieve what we want to achieve. For each stated outcome there will be one or more methods that might get us where we want to go. So, in order to prioritize the methods, we also need to know what resources each activity will consume. Simply stated, we'll need to know the people, time, and money it will take to restore or surpass the results that were beginning to fall behind expectations. The best and highest priority activities may even require the least amount of resource commitment to achieve.

3. The Third Leg of OMR - Resistance, Magnitude, and Ownership falls within Q3 - Risk and Opportunity. Whenever people, time, and money are diverted from one commitment to another there will be resistance. Expect it and plan for it. People will resist doing something new because there is risk that they may not be able to perform as well as the routines to which they have been accustomed. Funding for new solutions will often come out of one pot and into another - expect some resistance or even resentment. One thing that might reduce the resistance is implementation of new courses of action in smaller, less intrusive increments and often less expensive stages. In other words, varying the magnitude to gauge an acceptable risk and resistance. Another way to overcome resistance is to increase ownership by engaging those who are likely to resist new efforts in commitment-building dialog/activities. People who are committed to a new course of action will likely be far more supportive of doing what it takes to achieve success. It is important to note that building ownership in the outcomes you are trying to achieve is a higher priority that building ownership in methods (although this is also important).

4. The Fourth Leg of OMR - Operationalize, Metrics, Realignment within Q4 - Alignment. The three final steps begin with an effort to operationalize the new methods/actions. This means writing and publishing new "written guidance" that may be required as well as beginning the creation of a rewarding new culture that includes the informal rules required for success. If the operationalization of the new course is not formalized, it will likely fade into obscurity. Along with the new guidance and implementation will come new metrics to help determine if the new practices are being used properly and if these new practices are achieving the desire outcomes. The metrics are important, especially in the early stages because they will provide signals that things are going well or whether they will need modifications as implementation gets underway. As the implementation begins to stabilize, it will be important to embed the new processes and relationship in realignment activities designed to solidify the new courses of action. Remember, realignment activities will have an impact on three documented and well broadcast elements: the Beliefs Sets, the Strategy Bridge, and the Work Regimen. See the posting on the Realignment Model.

As time passes, the new way of doing things will also be overcome by changes that will make these practices obsolete. When that happens, the whole process may begin anew. As the workforce gains experience in this type of problem-solving cycle it take less effort and produces improved solutions. If done well, the spiral is upward at each course.

As always, the RGB is woven into the tapestry of this model as well. The O's are typically Blue, the M's will normally be more easier handled by a Green perspective, and the R's are clearly Red. There is a place for all three colors in solving yet another important organizational change.

For more information go to http://www.ltodi.com/.

Surviving Reorganization by Applying Realignment Model Principles [RM]

2010-07-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Few management decisions will throw an organization into depression and chaos faster than wholesale reorganization (downsizing, rightsizing, restructuring, consolidation, etc.). It shifts self-images and emotional stability to the very fringe of sanity in some cases. People who have worked a lifetime within a niche that allows them to feel comfort and pride suddenly are shaken to the core. There is no perfect way to overcome this swirl of confusion - but there is a better way to recover from it that just hoping for the best. It's called "realignment technology."

Realignment is a better way of restoring order when order has been disrupted because the same "elements" remain consistent from the former condition to the next iteration. It may not eliminate the chaos, but it will likely quicken the transition and provide a very human element to this system of change. The system of realignment is initiated for the organization's population and navigated by the population through specific stages - it will take months. The "events" are structured for maximum involvement that provide an opportunity for everyone to be involved - get the facilitation teams ready well in advance (for some organizations it may even be too late for advanced preparations, but don't despair).

The order in which the realignment takes place may vary. In fact, all three elements may be undertaken simultaneously. For those who might wonder about the RGB filter - it's alive and well throughout this system of transition. First, a caution. This bit (posting) of RGB Technology is an overview. Luckily, however, there is extensive documentation that is readily available for those who may need it. The three elements are: a "Belief Set" that may remain somewhat stable throughout; next a "Strategy Bridge" with an associated timeline will also be reworked; and finally, the most radical changes will probably be associated with the "Work Regimen" that results in documenting the continuing work of everyone in the organization. These three elements were present before the "bump in the road" and will be present as long as there is an organization.

The "Belief Set" consists of five parts that need to be resolved by groups of participants across and throughout the organizations' depth. It includes stabilizing influence of such topics as Vision, Purpose, Missions (revenue flow) and several others. Many organizations will attempt to continue doing the same work with fewer people, thus just making things worse than ever - can't be done! The value of doing this work is the dialog that must take place during the realignment events. It's not the final document that counts, it's the work done to get to the final document.

A "Strategy Bridge" with a timeline begins to get participants involved in connecting the desired future with clear strategies that will fit the new scenario. There are five strong parts to this work, but the Scenario dialog is perhaps the most difficult and demanding. Talk about making things worse, a fragmented scenario will do just that. If everyone doesn't agree on the scenario (conditions within which we must continue to operate while we transition, for example) those differences will pull the organization apart from the beginning. Slow down here to go fast. Once the Scenario is in place, work can continue on the remaining parts; even in this declining and chaotic condition, Advantages must be identified, for instance. This may take several separate but clearly linked documents - normally one for each Mission area defined in the "Belief Set(s).".

Finally, the "Work Regimen" - or more precisely the work groups and individuals plans of how things will get done, by whom, and by when. In all probability, these kinds of documents were not adequately in place as the reorganizing event gained momentum. The parts here include: Programs to be implemented, Goals to be met, Objectives to be achieved, and above all Tasks to be performed and to what Standards - to name the most critical of the parts. There are a few more.

The challenge is real, and the methodology is time-tested. It is not a panacea, however, but is a clear place to begin recovery. AND the bonus is that it will include everyone in the organization. As sure as there are RGB people in the organization, the Realignment Model described above is also Beliefs Set Blue, Strategy Bridge Green, and Work Regimen Red. This makes it an ideal system for everyone to fully participate. This System of Change engages talent as the baseline yet also demands specific skill sets.

For more information, try the resources at http://www.ltodi.com/ as a means to a new stable organization.

Diagnose and Design Using The RGB2 Basic Model [BM and #71710]

2010-07-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

Simlifying the the conditions is a critical step in the diagnosis and design system of organization change. Here's a reliable and fast methods to achieve a highly accurate result.

The Basic Model Consists of four Quadrants, two in the future, two in the past; two with positive perceptions, two with negative perceptions. +

Quadrant 1 - lower left is the positive past.
This territory stores our "Traditions."

Quadrant 2 - lower right is the negative past.
This territory stores our "Lessons Learned."

Quadrant 3 - upper right is the negative future.
This territory stores our "Risks and Opportunities."

Quadrant 4 - upper left is the positive future.
This territory stores our "Alignment."

While living our lives the model conveniently stores our thoughts into one or all of the quadrants, normally so that one quadrant (sometimes two or three) dominates. As thoughts gain "bulk" and stack up in each of the quadrants dominant quadrant/territory stores our habits and routines that we depend upon to get through the day, the month, the years, and out lives. With age, the dominant quadrants/territories may shift a bit. A significant emotional event (SME) may shift our dominant quadrant also. A vast majority of the time quadrant 3 tends to be less developed than the other three quadrants.

When the quadrants are filtered through an RGB lens, the majority of Q1 registers as Red; Q2 typically registers as Green. Both future quadrants Q3, and Q4 are predominantly Blue.

Individuals and groups (sometimes whole organizations) hover over a single quadrant, especially in times of trauma or high levels of chaos.

There is a natural progression through the quadrants - 1, 2, 3, and 4. The cycle momentum may become erratic, but normally will spin upward toward maturity, downward toward regression, or repeat the same territory without significant change at all.

The great value of the model perspective is that it helps to know the territory within which an individual or group is "resides" and therefore becomes a predictor of a subsequent territory. The model simplifies an understanding of conditions. The model also allows one to know likely prevailing characteristics with a few crumbs of insight. Quit a bargain in the knowledge and wisdom quest.

There's more to know at http://www.ltodi.com/.

Charter Meeting "RGB Practitioners Group" [PG]

2010-07-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 16, 2010 Elizabeth and I facilitated the first informal meeting of the Charter Members of the "RGB Practitioners Group" (for lack of a better label at this time). Our initial topic was the "Roadshow" concept and how to establish momentum and involvement. We were surprised at the universal and positive nature of the dialog and overwhelmed at the level of genuine suggestions - it gave us plenty to think about. Without hesitation we began to act on those suggestions. This RGB eProZone blog is the first same-day evidence that the group's advice was met with action. Within the next day or so additional options will be brought to life. Nearly all of the suggestions centered around jumping into the 21st Century of "e" ProZone using Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin (sp), Skype, and YouTube technology, etc. (never to old to learn - our daughter has been telling us this for some time). As if the suggestions weren't enough, nearly everyone "volunteered" to help us make it happen.

Now, to apply this to the RGB. All the "colors" were present and that created the inclusive synergy we think we and all organizations need to get and stay exited about new things. We'll be looking at this closely over the next day or so. We'll post the results as well as the transcribed meeting charts to make sure nothing gets lost. As usual there will be an Event Record completed and posted as well. Too much value to lose.

One suggestion, that we need small teams with younger practitioners/users to target specific topics was right on the mark. Our Board notes have included remarks like this for years. We'll be helping to get this underway over the next few weeks.

Thank you all for attending - those that couldn't make it and wanted to be there, you missed a great meal and a great meeting. Hope to see you next time.