the difference that makes a difference – od strategy in complex environments james traeger and...

The difference that makes a difference – OD Strategy in complex environments

James Traeger and Martin Saville

An illustration

http://vimeo.com/31158841

Unorganised

Organised

Seek patterns

Plan, control

Complex

Certainty

Agre

emen

t

Close to

Clos

e to

Far from

Far f

rom

Complexity requires more dialogueKnow when your challenges are in the zone of complexity

Complicated

Questions from a complexity standpoint

• Who takes responsibility for the whole of the organisation?

• How is difference nurtured and used?

• What is the mindset that best embodies engagement in a complex world?

1. Change isn’t plan-able(but that shouldn’t stop us from having good intentions)

2. Difference matters(OD is sometimes defined as adding to the system what it doesn’t

already have)

What’s Your Difference?

3. Politics and meaning define leadership in complexity(That means we need to be good (ethical) storytellers)

So to sum up: your OD strategy is about:

A useful tool 1: Self as Instrument

• You are the change

• You carry with you a microcosm of what the organisation is and what it needs to do next

• I see…

• I imagine…

A useful tool 2: Adaptive Action• Requires a dialogue approach• Helps with next ‘available adjacent steps’• It’s deceptively simple – as in ‘simplicity on the

far side of complexity’• Based on the work of Glenda Eoyang• Helps clarify the ‘difference that makes a

difference’

How?

What?

XXXXXXXXXX

Group Mindmap

• Gather from the group – what are the specific change issues for a group or team?

• Create a collective story• Get to know each other• Creates dialogue in a complex environment• Avoids blame, develops empathy• Active

The tool - How it works

• Called a ‘Group Mind Map’• Topic: What are the trends we currently face

when (doing OD here)?• Our rules:

– All ideas are good– Say where it goes if you suggest– Examples help– Brainstorm not discussion– Opposing trends OK

Summarising our approach

Diagnostic Culture Change• Programmatic• ‘Telling’ more than ‘listening’• Values defined by the top• Defined outcomes• More of the same• Tends to favour those in

authority• Culture Change can be

planned• About changing behaviours

Dialogic Culture Change• Creative & opportunistic• ‘Listening’ more than ‘telling’• Values modeled by the top• Emergent and unexpected outcomes• Substantial differences• Works to understand a wide

constituency• Culture change is a conversation• About changing mindset and

behaviours

There are 2 basic perspectives of culture change within Organisational Development:

Our approach is to take a pragmatic line between these two approaches, depending on your need

From Bushe and Marshak, 2009, Journal of Applied Behavioral Science , Vol45:3 pp348-368

Get in touch

www.mayvin.co.uktwitter.com/mayvinltd

James Traegerjames.traeger@mayvin.co.uk

+44 (0)7778 647712

Martin Savillemartin.saville@mayvin.co.uk

+44 (0)7968 719940