A631.7.4.RB_RuggerioSteven

The Future of Organization Development

In 2011, Donald Brown and a collection of students, colleagues, and managers created a 450-page tome of insight, strategy, and experience designed to help managers learn about organization development (OD) and the part it plays in bringing about change in organizations.  By creating an awareness of environmental forces and empowering individuals with skills and techniques to deal with change, their eighth edition of Organization Development has become a key resource in the hands of successful leaders.

During my last class, Organization Change, I mentioned that leadership is dangerous.   In Leadership on the Line, Heifetz & Linsky (2002) said, “To lead is to live dangerously because when leadership counts, when you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what people hold dear—their daily habits, tools, loyalties, and ways of thinking—with nothing more to offer perhaps than a possibility” (p. 2).  Just like individual change, corporations change.  Leaving adaptability and strategy to chance is a thin strategy with a short shelf life.  Times are changing faster than ever and the organizations that are able to react and adapt quickly are the ones that will survive.  The most effective way to secure that survival is by understanding and implementing OD into a company’s way of life.  Leaders and managers who dismiss OD as a fad do so at their own peril. 

Brown (2011) said, “Change is coming down on us like an avalanche, and most people are utterly unprepared to cope with it. Tomorrow’s world will be different from todays, calling for new organizational approaches” (p. 3).  Brown is bringing to the forefront what many businesses would rather ignore.  With over three decades of research and experiments, Brown and his research team have identified the common, and often uncommon, threads of human interaction, technological advancements, and external forces that continually push and pull an organization throughout its lifecycle.  In short, he is making an urgent plea for organizations to seek fluidity over traditional static strategies.

During last semester, I viewed a video by the RSA titled The 21^st Century Enlightenment.  In the video, Matthew Taylor said society needs a new perspective that “requires us to see past simplistic ideas and inadequate perceptions of freedom, justice, and progress.”  The RSA are active thinkers and leaders that research and challenge people to find better ways of living.  Taylor said, “We need to reconnect a concrete understanding of who we are, who we need to be, and more importantly, who we aspire to be.”  It is no wonder that at the heart of the RSA's contemporary mission about the future prospects for the human race is the question ‘can we go on like this?’  Will the ideas and values which transformed our world in the last two centuries be sufficient to find solutions to the challenges we now face or do we need new ways of thinking?

OD helps managers with “new ways of thinking” and allows them to avoid many of the pitfalls that cause companies to implode.  In their book Decisive, Chip and Dan Heath (2013) said, “Much has been written in recent years about intuitive decisions, which can be surprisingly quick and accurate.  But—and this is a critical ‘but’—intuition is only accurate in domains where it has been carefully trained.”  By viewing organizational life through the lens of an OD perspective, leaders are better equipped to identify structural, technological, or behavior capabilities that may be minimizing success.  Merely leaving decisions to emotions or chance can—and more than likely will—produce ineffective and inefficient results.

            In his groundbreaking work, Good to Great, Jim Collins (2001) said, “The good-to-great companies did not focus principally on what to do to become great; they focused equally on what not to do and what to stop doing” (p. 11).   OD creates an organizational infrastructure that monitors and measures behaviors, processes, and strategies concerning an organization’s health and wellness.  Without OD, an organization bases decisions solely on profits.  Like the human body, sometimes what appears outwardly healthy can be terribly sick within.  OD acts as the intentional pursuit of health and vitality.  As Collins (2001) said, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance.  Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice” (p. 11). 

            Brown (2011) said, “Because of the rapid changes, predicting the future trends in OD is difficult, if not impossible.  Organization development has moved far beyond its historical antecedents and is continually adding new approaches and techniques as new problem areas emerge.  What is needed are comprehensive, long-term approaches that integrate the systems into long-term solutions” (p. 425).  These long-term solutions will be found as today and tomorrow’s leaders become functional experts in organizational culture, change management, data diagnosis, employee empowerment, team development, goal setting, and creating strategies that facilitate successful transformation.  Finally, John Kotter (2012) said, “Today’s trends demand more agility and change-friendly organizations; more leadership from more people, and not just top management; more strategic sophistication; and, most basically, a much greater capacity to execute bold strategic initiatives rapidly while minimizing the size and number of bumps in the road that slow you down” (p. ix).

            Over the past 19 weeks (with a one week break)—nearly five months—I’ve been reading, writing, evaluating, and studying organizational change and the importance of high-performing teams.  The material and discussions have immersed me in the latest strategic initiatives designed to improve and strengthen an organization, their employees, and their products.  Not a stone was left unturned.  But, with all research, there is always more to see and more to find.  With my new tools in hand, there is little doubt that I am better equipped, inspired, and significantly more aware of how to make an organization and a team better.  And, as an added bonus, I have personally improved as well.

 Steve 

References

Collins, J. (2001). Good to great. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2013). Decisive. New York, NY: Random House.

Heifetz, R.A., & Linsky, M. (2002). Leadership on the line. Boston, MA: Harvard

            Business School Publishing.

Kotter, J. (2012). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.

Taylor, M. (2010). RSA Animate: The 21^st Century Enlightenment. Retrieved from

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be

Taylor, M. (n.d.). The 21^st Century Enlightenment. Retrieved from

http://www.thersa.org/about-us/rsa-pamphlets/21st-century-enlightenment

A630.2.4.RB_RuggerioSteven

Review of Taylor's - 21st Century Enlightenment

This is the best time in history to be alive.  Though not yet universal, freedom is advancing.  Individuals are given the space to wrestle with their thoughts and test various value systems.  Religion is allowing more personal interpretations while politicians are loosening their grip on constituents.  People are no longer being forced to think one way; rather, creativity, innovation, and a new enlightenment are being accepted and promoted.  The historical Age of Reason, otherwise referred to as the Enlightenment, questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change” (History.com, 2013). 

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacture, and Commerce (RSA) summarized the next period of enlightenment.  His video RSA: The 21^st Century Enlightenment, explores some of the key ideas of the Enlightenment, suggesting we might both rethink the interpretation we have come to place on previous beliefs toward human progress and develop perspectives more relevant to today.  At the heart of the RSA’s contemporary mission and public debates about the future prospects for the human race is the question: ‘Can we go on like this?’  Will the ideas and values which transformed our world in the last two centuries be sufficient to find solutions to the challenges we now face or do we need new ways of thinking? (RSA, 2013).  

The following seven questions that challenged my thinking while watching Taylor’s video.

Why do you think the talk is titled 21st Century Enlightenment?

Taylor purports that we must champion a more self-aware, socially embedded autonomy.  In the seventh century, people did a lot of talking; today, we must have action.  It is not enough to know why someone deserves to be free; steps must be taken to free men and women.  Taylor’s tagline is referred to as the 21^st Century Enlightenment because he is challenging today’s human race to rethink past foundations of values and principles and weigh them against the challenges we face today and will face in the future.

What does Matthew Taylor mean when he says "to live differently, you have to think differently"?

Rather than always looking outward, we must look inward.  Daniel Goleman (1995) refers to this state as self-awareness.  He defined it as, “continually paying attention to one’s internal states” (p. 46).  If the first enlightenment promoted our individual strengths and abilities, the new enlightenment must build on that by recognizing our frailties and limitations.  In short, we need a new way of thinking. 

The 21^st Century Enlightenment “requires us to see past simplistic ideas and inadequate perceptions of freedom, justice, and progress.”  Moreover, Taylor said, “we must get away from abstractions and reconnect a concrete understanding of who we are, who we need to be, and more importantly, who we aspire to be.”

  

At one point in the video (4:10), Taylor argues that we need "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange". What is he talking about?                

Before we submit our loyalties to an easy or familiar path, we should investigate its premise and how it aligns with what we believe and value.  Relying on what we’ve been told or witnessed should not be the basis for making decisions.  In the video, Taylor quoted Robert Kegan as “successfully functioning in society with its diverse values, traditions, and lifestyles requires us to have a relationship to our own reactions rather than be captive by them.” 

Governing our responses by first filtering input through our value systems creates a level of self-awareness and self-control that strengthens an individual and in turn, strengthens the society.  Robert Kegan (2009) said, “The challenge to change and improve is often misunderstood as a need to better “deal with” or “cope with” the greater complexity of the world.  Coping and dealing involve adding new skills or widening our repertoire of responses” (p. 11)

Can you think of an example within your company or your life that supports this point?

As a minister of the Gospel, my faith leads me to depend on God for divine guidance, encouragement, and direction.  While I do not espouse to follow the theory of humanism in its entirety, I do respect the motivations behind personal responsibility and accountability.  Two key verses speak of the importance, in Luke 6:45 Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” and in Proverbs 18:21 that says, “There is life and death in the power of the tongue.”  If I am to control my responses rather than be captive by them, I must be able to control what I say and then allow God to help me change with how I think. 

I often talk about the truth of our responses and our actions.  We can speak of love all day long; but without showing love for each other—especially those who are different—than what we are demonstrating isn’t really love at all.  Jesus also said, “They will know you are my children by the love you show for one another” (John 13:35, NIV).  If the new enlightenment is about empathy, then we must work together to demonstrate care, concern, and love for one another.  In the Age of Reason, men sat around for hours discussing the power of the mind and a myriad of philosophical ideas and motivations.  Again, the new enlightenment must be manifested through action.

Taylor argues that our society should eschew elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time looking into what develops empathetic citizens. Would this be possible?

Possible? Yes. Probable? No.  Media influence and pop culture is a money machine getting rich of the ills of its consumers.  Pathetic and selfish husbands are portrayed on numerous sitcoms, violence is celebrated on every channel, and the push to accept open sexuality on television and in music has reached an all time high.  The minute one think it can’t get any worse, another song comes out degrading women ort a primetime television show exposes more flesh.

Even with the onslaught of degradation, empathy and respect is possible.  As citizens, we must remember that pop culture does not represent the majority; only the most vocal.  Behind the degrading music video and violent video game are millions of people loving each other and communicating with respect and empathy.  Our challenge is to continue to report it and share it.  Even more, to show it.

At the end of the video, Taylor talks about atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth. What is the implication of these comments for organizational change efforts?

One of my favorite books read during this Leadership curriculum is Stewart Levine’s (2009) Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict into Collaboration.  In it he said, “How did we get here, and how can we get out of here? I believe that as a civilization we are tottering on a dangerous precipice. To resolve many of our great challenges we must be able to engage in thoughtful and authentic dialogue. We have conquered outer space; our biggest challenge is conquering “inner space.”

Taylor implores us to rethink freedom, justice, and progress. 

My cousin watched political television every chance he gets.  As a result, every time I speak to him his response is always the same, “Society is sleeping! People must wake up! Our country and our freedom are being taken form us and no one is doing anything about it!” 

I often assure him I am not sleeping but am also not defaulting to a Chicken Little persona.

Even so, it would behoove us all to understand the direction of our society rather than ignore the flow and one day wake up unaware of your surroundings.

Levine (2009) finished the above comment with, “Given our current military capacity for destruction, if we cannot make the mental shift to fully engage in authentic conversation we risk the end of life as we know it” (p. xxii).

What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?

Taylor’s video so eloquently presented the importance and responsibility of every citizen to “own” empathy.  To pursue a genuine concern for others.  To look at life through the lenses of unity, equality, and compassion.  It isn’t enough to understand the need for empathy; rather, we must extend it and activate it.  Everyday. Everywhere.

In 10 hours I’ll be sitting at my desk on a Monday morning.  I’ve watched Taylor’s video no less than five times (listened to it twice while driving).  I am impressed with his grasp on the human condition and the present state of society.  At the end of the day though, I am not motivated by his talk as much as I am “enlightened.”  My motivation comes from another kind of Light.  It inspires me to love radically, to serve selflessly, and to give unabashedly.  My empathy flows from a divine source.  It is not a cause; it’s a cross.

Steve

References:

Goleman, D. (1994). Emotional Intelligence. New York, NY: Bantam Dell

Kegan, R., & Laskow, L.L. (2009). Immunity to change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School

Publishing Company.

Levine, S. (2009). Getting to Resolution. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Taylor, M. (2010). RSA Animate: The 21^st Century Enlightenment. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be