1 appreciative inquiry conference - sept 16, 2007, orlando, florida designing strength based...

1 Appreciative Inquiry Conference - Sept 16, 2007, Orlando, FloridaDesigning Strength Based Organizations © Mohr and Laliberte - www.InnovationPartners.com

Designing Strength Based Designing Strength Based OrganizationsOrganizations

“An Emerging Practice Workshop”

With

Bernard J Mohr & Bob Laliberté Innovation Partners International

Nancy Shendell-FalikNewark Beth Israel Medical Center, NJ

Bob BelangerCertainteed / St Gobain


During the next 6 ¼ hours, we will, with your participation attempt the following death defying feats!

a) Co-develop description of a “Strength Based

Organization”

b) Learn about three “levels” of designing

c) Experience a “mini” Appreciative Design process

d) Hear about and discuss two great examples of

Appreciative Designing

e) Talk about “Appreciative Designing” and a 4 phase

process for it at the “whole organization” level

f) Translate today’s ideas into the realities of your

“back-home” situations


Strength Based Strength Based OrganizationsOrganizations

• What characterizes them?

• How well do they perform?

• What results can they achieve?

• Unique day to day management challenges?


The Strength Based Organization (SBO) is a manifestation of Peter Drucker’s invitation to us:

“The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make the organizations weaknesses irrelevant.”

Let’s make sense of this by reflecting on our own experiences and by responding to a few questions…

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based Organizations


1. What organizations do you know that exemplify the Strength Based Organization as you imagine it to be?

2. What are the daily strength based processes, practices, systems or structures within these organizations that align strengths in ways that make the organizations weaknesses irrelevant?

3. How do these organizations bring meaning and value to people’s lives, their customers and the world?

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based Organizations


• Constant visioning of the individuals and organization in action

• The Positive Core, the organization’s DNA, is made public and continually utilized

• Relationship building through positive disclosure

• Story telling is valued as a process for communicating the complex knowledge amd wisdom of the organization

Strength Based Organizations”Strength Based Organizations”What characterizes them?What characterizes them?


• Groups of people routinely meet with purpose and intention… instead of deadly agendas, sincere inquiries abound

• Individuals/teams routinely volunteer in areas of strengths

• There is a constant reframing of problems to opportunities… resilience abounds

• Diversity of perspective is encouraged - cross-team, cross-department and cross-organization work… and valued

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based OrganizationsWhat characterizes them?What characterizes them?


• People are hired for their strengths… followed by focusing on what qualities caused the hire and then developing these even further.

• Coaching and mentoring aims to bring out peoples best (rather than “constructive feedback” intended to “fix” people)

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based OrganizationsWhat characterizes them?What characterizes them?


• As part of the ONGOING visioning process, people buy-in… they demonstrate ownership

• Enthusiasm and creativity keep the organization fresh and continually improving

• People rally quickly to resolve challenges… they take action because they are confident in their strengths

• People find generative ways to recognize success and learn about strengths from difficulties

• People speak up for the good of the organization • They are successful together

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based OrganizationsHow they perform?How they perform?


• Save a business (Nutrimental)• Become world class (GMCR)• Create an environment of high diversity (CBC)• Substantially reduce cycle time (John Deere)• New processes of cooperation where they did

not exist (John Deere)• Dramatic development of people and

organizations… find new potential• Reduce or increase business• Perform at high speed with agility• Build hope… where none existed (Fairview

Schools)

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based OrganizationsResults they have achieved?Results they have achieved?


• Overcoming a deficit world. Letting go of

fixing problems, refocusing efforts based on

innovation, strengths and future potential

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based OrganizationsChallenges in their daily Challenges in their daily

Management? Management?


The Logical Thinking Process: A Systems Approach to Complex Problem Solving

Dettmer, H. William

ASQ Book of the Week9/12/07

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.


• Valuing the work of innovation teams AND managers

• Constant development and change

– Maintaining the energy toward change, and the unintended consequences arising from that

– Balancing innovation and change with the daily work of the organization

• Leading through inspiration and a focus on what is wanted vs fear and a focus on what is NOT wanted

• Being and practicing AI in hundreds of small opportunities we have each day

Strength Based OrganizationsStrength Based OrganizationsChallenges in their daily Challenges in their daily

Management? (cont’d) Management? (cont’d)

Does Design Matter?Does Design Matter?

“I am led to conclude that an organization’s structure can be moral or immoral in and of itself. Thus I realize that consciously constructing an organization that, by its design, impairs people’s health is ultimately no different than willfully using asbestos in the construction of a brick-and-mortar building when we know that the material is likely to compromise the health of the buildings inhabitants.”

Jerry Harvey, PH.D

Professor Emeritus of Management Science, George Washington

“Most people spend 50% of their time not just doing their job but fighting their own institutional bureaucracies.”

Dee Hock, Founder, Visa International

“All systems are perfectly designed to achieve the results they are currently getting.” Marv Weisbord, Author, “Productive Workplaces”


Levels of Appreciative Levels of Appreciative DesigningDesigning

• Low = design of a “one time” event (eg. - a strategic planning retreat, a performance appraisal session, a visioning workshop etc.)

• Medium = design of a “mission critical” business process (eg. - patient transfer from unit to unit, strategic planning deployment process) or an organizational sub unit (eg team, department etc)

• High = design of a whole “stand alone” organizational unit (eg. a business unit, a plant, etc)

Does Design Matter?Does Design Matter?

“All systems are perfectly designed to achieve the results they are currently getting.”

Marv Weisbord, Author, “Productive Workplaces”


Four Lenses For DesigningFour Lenses For Designing

CULTURE/CONVERSATION

THE WORK ITSELF(TECHNICAL SYSTEM)

OUTSIDE REQUIREMENTS

THE ORGANIZATION(SOCIAL SYSTEM)


Appreciative DesigningAppreciative Designing

What does it mean to Design something?

Designing What?

How is Appreciative Designing different?

What does a 4 phase process for Appreciatively Designing a whole Strength Based Organization look like?



What does it mean to Design something? Brownfield.



What does it mean to Design something - Greenfield.


Designing What?Designing What?

Strength Based…..

Processes, Systems, Structures and Strategies for:

1. The Organization’s Core Work

2. Capacity Development - in Leaders, Teams and

Individuals

3. Direction Setting, Goal Deployment

Measurement, and Adjustment

4. Innovation Management


How is Appreciative How is Appreciative Designing different?Designing different?

Traditional (deficit based) Designing

• Top down and/or small design team

• Identify and fix what’s broken (or design something new without reference to past)

• Designing as pre-curser to implementation

Appreciative (Strengths based) Designing

• Guided by top AND highly participative (design community)

• Begin with “whats worth preserving or building upon” (even when in “greenfield”)

• Designing as simultaneous with

implementation


A 4 Phase Process for Appreciative A 4 Phase Process for Appreciative Designing of Strength Based Designing of Strength Based

OrganizationsOrganizationsDEFINITIONEstablishing

the

Foundation for the

Strength Based

AppreciativeDesign

Process

DISCOVERYUnderstand,

Map and share

Current Strengths,

Assets,

Hopes, Oppt’ys &

Req’ts For Future

Success

DREAM

& DESIGNImagining the

Plant in Action (& Results

Obtained)

and Developing The Socio-

Technical Architecture

of New Organization

DELIVERYImplementation

Planning and Implementation


A 4 Phase Process for Appreciative A 4 Phase Process for Appreciative Designing of Strength Based Designing of Strength Based

OrganizationsOrganizationsDEFINITION

Establishing the

Foundation for The

Strength Based Organization Design Process

DISCOVERY

Understanding Current Strengths

Hopes, Oppt’ys &

Req’ts For Future Success

DREAM/DESIGN

Imagining the Plant in Action (Results Obtained)

and Developing The Nuts and Bolts of the New Organization

DELIVERY

Implementation

Planning and Implementation

Advantages and stages of this approach understood

Steering Group & Design Community selected

Current mission, vision and business plan reviewed

High-level, current state process descriptions to establish shared ground

Scope, success factor’s, key roles identified;

Customised plan for proceeding created -I.e. decisions about who will be involved at each stage including engagement strategies for key external stakeholders

Discovering, mapping, sharing and prioritizing the org’ns strengths and capacities and opportunities from the lenses of:

•External requirements and opportunities•Internal core process functioning•Internal organization and mng’t systems•Internal culture

Reviewing the “current state” information - have we identified the right opportunities to address?

Ideas for short-termbreakthroughs

Envisioning the org’nalive with its

strengths andcapacities - imagining

the new results( Future state

activity mapsDetailing the new

org’nand new core

processes)

Design Innovations generated

In areas such as• Technology• Group Boundaries and

Coordination • Jobs/Skills• Compensation• Information & Measurement• Hiring/selection Procedures• Training Systems • Quality Control • Continuous Innov. systems• Customer and Supplier Links

Strategic Mng’t systems

Ideas for short-termbreakthroughs

Identification of projectdependencies - Whoand what else isneeded?

Estimates of implementationresource requirementsAgreement on priorityProjects

Agreement on how we will learn and adapt as we implement the changes

Implement, A-valuations, modifications


Contact InfoContact Info• Bernard J. Mohr, is an organizational designer and keynote speaker focusing on Organizational Innovation.

Innovation in how people organize and coordinate, how strategy is translated into daily practice, how improvement in quality, effectiveness and relationships is approached and the way organizations (public, private and not for profit) address challenges such as mergers, rapid expansion, new market demands and social contribution. Recent books include "Appreciative Inquiry: Change At the Speed of Imagination" (Jossey Bass, 2001) and Essentials of Appreciative Inquiry: A Roadmap For Creating Positive Futures (Pegasus Communications, Waltham, USA 2002) and “The Appreciative Inquiry Summit: A Practitioner's Guide for Leading Large-Group Change” (Berrett-Koehler 2003). He can be reached at 207-874-0118 or [email protected]

• Bob Laliberte has managed or consulted to organizations for more than 30 years in the field of high-performance work system design, redesign and project management. ﾊ His focus is on innovative whole system change approaches. For 20 years prior to consulting, Bob worked in engineering or OD/HR capacities for American Optical, Polaroid and lastly Domtar where he led the organizational design and start-up of the Newington site, still recognized as one of the most productive wallboard facilities in the world. ﾊ He holds a BSME from Northeastern, an MS in Management Science from WPI; teaches the Project Management Certificate Program at two universities and is adjunct faculty at the University of Maine. He can be reached at 207-787-4191 or [email protected]

• Nancy Shendell-Falik, RN, MA is the Vice President of Patient Care Services at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System. In this position, Ms. Shendell-Falik is responsible for all administrative and clinical operations for the Departments of Nursing, Pharmacy, Anesthesia, Renal and Transplant Services, and Infection Control, as well as clinical areas including Critical Care, Medical-Surgical, Perioperative, Emergency Department, Behavioral Health, Maternal and Infant Health and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. She can be reached at 973-926-7612 or [email protected]

• Bob Belanger is Manager, Operations Development, Certainteed Gypsum Inc. Bob has spent 17 years in the wall board manufacturing business – as Plant Manager and various roles in Maintenance, Quality, Mill and as a Production Superintendent. He started in one of the first high speed plant’s built in the United States, featuring line speeds in excess of 400 FPM, two Board Dryers and a very unique high performance work structure. He is currently responsible for all operations development at Certainteed Gypsum and is also the HighCommitment/High Engagement design coordinator for the greenfield plant in Moundsville, West Virginia. He can be reached at 813-944-7778 or [email protected]

1 appreciative inquiry conference - sept 16, 2007, orlando, florida designing strength based...

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