[Ailist] Capturing impact and raising visibility of 'unseen' work

[Kate.Tucker at syngenta.com]

I am working as a Catalyst in a dedicated team of Catalysts in a major
agribusiness.  We are based within one the functions, namely Global
Supply, and typically provide our services to Global Supply, although do
also do ad hoc work for other functions if requested and if capacity
allows. 

We face what could be described as a wicked problem: much of our work is
designed to be unseen, as we are not 'front people', facilitating
workshops in charismatic style, but rather supporting and challenging
global teams to release their potential, and to address business issues
in a positive, different and lateral manner.  We explore visioning,
facilitate the development of strategy, constellate team dynamics,
catalyse new relationships, share feedback on projects, etc.   We also
form 'buddy' relationships with these leaders: supporting and
challenging them in private, providing safe spaces for deep
conversations to explore solutions and appreciate some of the challenges
they face.  (These leaders are very senior managers at a global level.)
The emphasis is always on the teams and their leaders and not on the
catalysts.  The wicked problem ( see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem ) is we are faced with the
management challenge of measuring the impact of our work, and raising
the visibility of the catalyst team.  The management question is: We
have invested significantly in catalysis, how do we measure the impact?
The question asks how we can clearly demonstrate to the rest of the
organisation the value and impact of having dedicated teams of catalysts
within the functions.

We are looking at an appreciative framework for this purpose, including
a full 4D Inquiry later this year, and in the shorter terms, setting up
some dialogue mapping (see
http://www.wiley-vch.de/publish/en/books/bySubjectBA00/bySubSubjectBA11/
0-470-01768-6/?sID=6de4ec6262b15323b6e71478c175dabe ). 

Additionally, I am very interested in hearing thoughts from the Ai
community on this topic. 


Kate Tucker
Global Supply Catalyst
Mobile: +41795581346
Office: +41613237307
Fax: +41 61 323 89 71
WRO. 1007.1.12

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know
they shall never sit in.
- Greek Proverb 
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