Organization development - personal and community change

While not an official OD concept, our Principal Consultant was introduced to this concept by one of her "Method Masters." Liminal space is the space between here and there or where we are and where we want to be. The threshold...

Forces that drive or restrain change. Forces that restrain change want to maintain status quo or have comfort in the present/past. Forces for change want to move toward a new desired future and are dissatisfied with the present.

Choas Theory suggests that the "behavior of complex systems can follow laws and yet their future states remain in principle unpredictable." The so-called "butterfly effect" is the most notable example of Chaos Theory. 

All learning begins with ignorance, willingness to learn, and end with competence. Mastery, however, is about taking the time to guide others through the learning journey. 

Stage 1: Unconsciously Incompetent 

Stage 2: Consciously Incompetent

Stage 3: Consciously Competent

Stage 4: Unconsciously Competent

Is a way to see yourself and others. Using a 4-quadrant matrix that indicates perceptions that are known/unknown to self and known/unknown to others. Through trust, others can share your blinds spots and you can share your hidden spots to create openness and a larger window of opportunity.

As OD practitioners, we are the instrument. Our presence has an impact. In this we must be mindful of all that we bring with us. We must be intentional with how we engage others and how we use our mind, emotions, inquiry, etc. 

Views organizations through the lens of systems, structures, and other elements that are measurable. OD practitioners can typically requests organizational artifacts or conduct surveys/assessments to obtain data.

Views the organization through the lens of people - their perceptions, attitudes, and actions - that are often hidden or whose motives are obscure. Creating safes spaces/containers can build trust and a sense of psychological safety. Appreciative inquiry is a common dialogic approach. 

“Based on the principle that a team or organization can only succeed when the work, the people who do it, the organizational structure, and the culture all “fit” together - or, in other words, when they are “congruent""

Multiple layers of operations - individual, group, and organization - where inputs are transformed through the activities of the social and technical mechanisms to produce outputs for clients or the broader community.

Used to guide diagnostic inquiry using a 5-step process: explore management dilemma, design instruments, collect data, analyze results, and report findings (and recommend interventions when appropriate). 

Used to identify patterns amongst a lot of data and/or make connections and generate ideas. These are thinking tools that enable ideas and patterns to emerge. Can be used by individuals or with groups.

The change formula:

Dissatisfaction x Vision x First Steps x Sustaining Systems > Resistance