[Ailist] Re: Applying leeches?

[Cheri Torres]

Nancy,

This makes sense to me.  I think where some organizations falter is
leadership may think they want to empower and engage, but then discover they
are unwilling to let go of control or they want to empower and they have an
organization that is not ready to take on that responsibility yet.

Cheri

-----Original Message-----
From: Nancy Stetson [mailto:nancy at sonic.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 7:57 PM
To: Cheri Torres
Cc: ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
Subject: RE: [Ailist] Re: Applying leeches?

>Cheri,

I only meant the question to relate to whether or not an organization wanted
to adapt AI as a way of being and doing business.  In my opinion (and of
course I could be wrong :), AI will NOT work if leadership isn't willing to
empower its employees.  When AI unleashes all that positive energy for
change, if leadership says no to the Bold Ideas, etc., I think the
organization likely will be worse off than pre-AI!  I wasn't thinking about
other OD interventions, only AI.

Nancy

>Nancy,
>
>I wonder if it is that simple?  Are there organizational cultures that are
>not ready to move to a more flat, empowered base, but nonetheless are ready
>to change in other ways?  Asking leadership if they are ready to empower
>everyone seems to begin with the assumption that that is what is either
best
>for the organization, the next step in organizational evolution for that
>particular organization, or that the leadership ought to be letting go of
>the reigns. I wonder if that is true for all organizations...
>
>I'm wondering about a set of questions that would actually help change
>agents assess where an organization is in their "organizational
>development":  what are they doing (mission), who are the members and what
>value systems and life conditions are they dealing with?  (Taken from
spiral
>dynamics).  I'm thinking that the kinds of changes that could be successful
>might well be governed by this--that wonderful change processes fail when
>attempted in a culture that can't speak the language (so to speak).
>
>Does this make any sense?
>
>Cheri
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Nancy Stetson [mailto:nancy at sonic.net]
>Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 1:21 PM
>To: Cheri Torres
>Cc: ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
>Subject: RE: [Ailist] Re: Applying leeches?
>
>>Cheri,
>
>I think the question to ask the leadership is, are you willing to empower
>your employees? In other words, can you let go of the command and control
>mindset of the bureaucracy in order to allow full employee engagement?
>
>Nancy
>
>>Well said, Nancy.  And in which case, how would an organization assess its
>>own culture to know whether it is a fit for AI?  What questions would they
>>need to ask the leadership?
>>
>>It would be interesting to actually match organizational change processes
>to
>>organizational cultures.  Perhaps this is the level at which we would
>>discover that anything can work and it depends upon the individual
>>organization (as you suggest, Nancy).
>>
>>I believe that the Spiral Dynamics folks may have done this already.
Which
>>inspires me to ask--perhaps the better assessment mechanism is to do a
>>cultural assessment and then pick the "change paradigm(s)" that correlate
>>with one's culture.
>>
>>Has anyone been working in this way?
>>
>>Cheri
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Nancy Stetson [mailto:nancy at sonic.net]
>>Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:30 PM
>>To: Cheri Torres
>>Cc: ailist at lists.business.utah.edu
>>Subject: RE: [Ailist] Re: Applying leeches?
>>
>>>Cheri,
>>
>>I guess I would say that one would decide whether or not a process (or
>>paradigm) like AI "works", based on the desirability of the "outcomes" or
>>"results" of working with the process or way of doing business.  I think
>>change is situational and depends on all kinds of things, NONE of which
>>likely could be replicated in a different situation.  That's what I mean
by
>>not cause and effect, or linear.  Human systems are like networks, webs;
>>they branch out in MANY different directions, all at once, and perhaps
>never
>>the same way twice :)
>>
>>Nancy
>>
>
>--
>Nancy E. Stetson, Ed.D., Educational Advisor
>FINTELO - Finish the Distance: Online Management Software
>www.fintelo.com - "You owe it to your students to see Fintelo in action."
>
>Also, Consultant, Executive Coach and Faculty Mentor
>
>"The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths,
>making our weaknesses irrelevant." Peter Drucker


-- 
Nancy E. Stetson, Ed.D., Educational Advisor
FINTELO - Finish the Distance: Online Management Software
www.fintelo.com - "You owe it to your students to see Fintelo in action."

Also, Consultant, Executive Coach and Faculty Mentor

"The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths,
making our weaknesses irrelevant." Peter Drucker