september 18, 20071 seeing and leading differently: asset building and complex change...

September 18, 2007 1

Seeing and Leading Seeing and Leading Differently: Differently:

Asset Building and Complex Asset Building and Complex ChangeChange

Sustainability: Balancing Stability and Change


Seeing and Leading Differently: Seeing and Leading Differently: Asset Building and Complex Asset Building and Complex

ChangeChangeWebinar Series, 2007

4/3 The Landscape Diagram 5/22 Self-Organizing Change 7/17 Planning in the Midst of

Chaos 9/18 Sustainability: Balancing

Stability and Change


Your Guides . . . GlendaYour Guides . . . Glenda

Glenda H. Eoyang, Ph.D.Glenda H. Eoyang, [email protected]@hsdinstitute.org

Executive Director HSD Institute Teacher and youth developer ’76 to ’81 Training consultant ’81 to ’92 Began working with SI ’95 Focusing with SI on assets and complex

change since ’05 Worked with Royce, Nancy, and Kristin to

explore complex change and asset building at 2006 Conference

Continue to teach and learn with the asset building community


We heard from you . . . We heard from you . . . The addition of Nancy’s examples and stories helped you see and apply the

concepts more concretely. You are becoming more comfortable with the webinar technology with each

one. Experience is helpful! The audio can sometimes still be a problem You appreciated having the PPT slides to print out ahead of time and found

the one-page intros we have on-line very helpful. The webinars have been well-structured and easy to follow The suggestion to cover up the text box was helpful You would like to see more webinars on various other topics


Today we will . . . Today we will . . .

Review previous webinars in this series.NOTE: You don’t have to have seen previous webinars for this one to be helpful!

Sail the Seven Cs of Sustainability. Help you plan to sustain your initiative.


A Quick Review:A Quick Review:Landscape DiagramLandscape Diagram

Certainty

Agreeme

nt

Close to Far from

Far

from

Clo

se to Organized

Unorganized


A Quick Review:A Quick Review:Self-Organizing ChangeSelf-Organizing Change

Complex Adaptive System (CAS)Complex Adaptive System (CAS)

A collection of individual agents, who have the freedom to act in unpredictable ways, and whose actions are interconnected such that they produce system-wide patterns.

Examples: termite colonies, stock markets, the Internet, gardens, human beings, groups of people


A Quick Review:A Quick Review:Self-Organizing ChangeSelf-Organizing Change

Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)

Agents

System-wide

Patterns

September 18, 2007 9May 22, 2007 9

CDECDE Model: Model:Conditions for Conditions for Self-OrganizingSelf-Organizing

Container: Holds the agents together until system-wide patterns can form.

Examples: an asset taskforce, an asset conference or event

Difference: Provides the potential for change and shows the pattern.

Examples: Youth summit with adult listeners; school climate survey which features the responses of youth and the responses of adults in a school building

Exchange: Establishes the connections among agents and between individuals and the whole.

Examples: coaching, dialogue, funding streams, proposals, evaluation

C E

D


Planning is NOT. . .Planning is NOT. . . Just list of things to do. Just an annual ritual. An exercise to satisfy funders and board members. The same thing for every organization.

Planning is. . .Planning is. . . The way you use your past to inform action. Adaptation to fit your current situation. Preparation for a productive future.


Planning in the Midst of Planning in the Midst of ChaosChaos

1. Have a plan, but hold it lightly.

2. Plan to plan again.

3. Look toward multiple horizons.

4. See the future from different points of view.

5. Expect to stretch and fold.

6. Leave space for surprise.

7. Plan for every part of the landscape.


HEALTHY Children InitiativeHEALTHY Children Initiative Multiple organizations—school, health care, public

health department, city, county, agencies, unions Focus on health of children in the community. Future Search defined three concerns:

Vaccinations and inoculations Sight and hearing assessments Obesity and nutrition

Active projects were funded for two years and showed significant change in outcomes.

The funding went away, but the work did not. They used the Seven Cs to sustain their efforts.


YOUR InitiativeYOUR Initiative Follow along in your handout as we talk about the

Seven Cs. Consider what you are doing now to sustain your

effort—whatever your current phase of development.

Consider what more you might do to sustain your work into the future.

Share your thoughts with your team as you all move toward healthy sustainability over time.


Sustainability

Connections• To Current Programs• To Current Needs• To Community & Customers

TheTheSeven CsSeven Cs

Of Of SustainabilitSustainabilit

yy


Connections are the lifeblood of sustainability. They include personal relationships, but they also

include: Legal agreements Funding sources Collaborations Neighborhood and community ties Planning processes

Connections are both INSIDE your initiative and organization and OUTSIDE with others.



HEALTHY Children Initiative Most important connections were:

Schools Professional organizations (pediatricians, dieticians, teachers, etc.) Parents

Public policy and legislative measures connected all the players together.



Sustainability

Coherence• Concepts/Direction• Expectations and Services• External Forces and Trends




yy


Coherence causes and results from shared mental models.

Things need to “make sense” to all players—that’s coherence.

Vision needs to be coherent, but so do: Policies and procedures Services and measures Internal and external changes

Sustainable coherence comes from shared learning and continuous improvement.



HEALTHY Children Initiative

One-page explanation of the purpose and goals of

the initiative with contact information for more

details.

Annual review and revision of the one-pager.




yy

Sustainability

Communications•Who•What•How





Communicate, communicate, communicate. Be strategic because communication is expensive. Plan the work and work the plan. Diversity AND redundancy are both the soul of

effective communication. Consider all your audiences:

Internal and external Clients and funders Near and far New and old



HEALTHY Children Initiative Quarterly press releases regarding activities and

performance against goals. One-hour “dog and pony show” for PTA, Lion’s

Club, faith communities, and anyone else who would listen.



Sustainability


Constructs• For Planning• For Resources• For Documentation





yy


Infrastructure gives stability and continuity to your work.

Plan, document, and implement policies and procedures to build resilient constructs.

Think “thin.” Don’t overburden with investment to build and/or maintain infrastructure.

Review/revise constructs often to be sure they still serve your purposes.



HEALTHY Children Initiative Two standing committees:

Communication Data collection and analysis

Annual one-day open meeting for planning and coordination.



Sustainability


Continuous Assessment• For “fit”• For Success Criteria• For Continuous Improvement






yy


A sustainable initiative is never finished.

Continue to ask questions about how you’re doing and how your environment is changing.

As your environment changes, be sure you are adapting.

Know your criteria for success and evaluate well. Expect to change continually. If you aren’t

improving you are deteriorating.



HEALTHY Children Initiative Annual measures. Findings considered at annual meeting. Annual revision of one-pager, dog-and-pony show,

and press releases



Commitment• Of Individuals• Of Resources• Of Institutions

Sustainability








yy



Your initiative will continue when people care enough.

Encourage, measure, and reinforce commitment. Incorporate commitment into your planning for all

the other Cs. Expect individual commitment to go up and down

over time, but never let it go to zero. Recognize when it is time for a graceful exit or

radical transformation.


HEALTHY Children Initiative Annual open meeting included:

Celebration of improvement in performance. Recognition for work well done in the previous year. Lots of new opportunities for people to become involved. Network-building activities to ensure that people knew each

other.



Sustainability






Capacity BuildingAll of this is done within a context of ongoing

development.




yy


New phases require new skills. Investing in capacity strengthens

all the Cs. Customize learning for individuals and roles. Consider capacity for:

Individuals Teams Organizations Communities

Capacity BuildingAll of this is done within a context of

ongoing development.


HEALTHY Children Initiative Capacity building was incorporated into all

communications: Press releases Professional organization connections Annual meetings Dog-and-pony shows


development.


Sustainability







development.




yy


References and ResourcesReferences and Resources

For more information about planning in the midst of chaos, read:

Legacy: Sustainability in a Complex Human System available for download from:

www.odnetwork.org/resources/HSD

http://www.odnetwork.org/resources/HSD

http://www.odnetwork.org/resources/HSD


Continue the conversation Continue the conversation on-lineon-line

To download today’s presentation and related resources go to:

www.search-institute.org/change/complexchange/07.

To continue the conversation and add your own relevant resources, join the Complex Change listserv by going to

http://lists.search-institute.org/mailman/listinfo/complexchange

For additional resources on complex change, visit: www.hsdinstitute.org

http://www.search-institute.org/change/complexchange/07



http://www.hsdinstitute.org/


Seeing and Leading Seeing and Leading Differently: Differently:

Asset Building and Complex Asset Building and Complex ChangeChange

Thanks to:Nancy Tellett-RoyceKristin JohnstadThe wonderful people at Search Institute

YOU for all the work you do in the interest of youth!

september 18, 20071 seeing and leading differently: asset building and complex change...

Documents

asset building communitywe

asset conference

asset taskforce

previous webinars

health of children

responses of youth

complex changesustainability

complex changewebinar