Welcome to theMasterclass SOLworld 2014

„Change Is A Verb“

with Chris Iveson and Susanne Burgstaller

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What were we trying to do in the Masterclass?

• Explore the idea of organisations as sets of conversations and

• How to influence conversations?

• How to facilitate change in an organisation without being able to

train anyone in SF?

• Looking closely at the “doing” of change – creating, noticing or

amplifying small differences through different conversations

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A few facts about the organisation

• A highly political bureaucracy that is unique in the country

• 480 civil servants who are serving approx. 350 “customers” who are resident in the same buildings

• One central historic building, with offices around it

Challenges:• Strong division along two major party lines at the project start

(March 2013)• Restoration of the historic building, relocation for 2-3 years from

2016

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What was I trying to achieve?

Original Brief: “Implement the Strategy”

• What does that look like? • How will you notice that the strategy has been implemented?

Teasing out a “proper” contract took nearly 10 months! Taking enough bearings from the “fuzzy” brief to begin to chart a

way forward was important Going round and round the circle of questions: “best hopes from this

consultation”, Preferred Future, What works and Signs of Progress with different people and groupings, each circle building on the other

NO training by me! (“dialogue lady”)

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What was I trying to achieve?

Their preferred future:

1. People work together across departments, divisions and political allegiances: ONE bureaucracy

2. People take decisions much lower down in the hierarchy

3. People communicate with more focus on outcomes and express appreciation more often

4. Staff members can rely on a more consistent standard of leadership behaviour

5. (Coping with pending externally induced changes)

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What was my way into the interactional web to start generating differences?

• “Best hopes”-conversations: asking for their preferred future, when the strategy is implemented

• Summer-Workshops with Department Heads: Strategic ABC• One-on-one conversations with Div Heads• Facilitating

• the Task Force Meetings• most Quarterly Meetings with Leaders • the Dialogue Event and its follow-up• the Annual Leader´s Workshop at the start of the New Year

• Meeting with the 3 Directors and my internal co-consultant regularly to determine next steps

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What did I do that was most influenced by SF?

Keeping the project slim and simple: • using existing channels of conversation wherever possible (e.g.

quarterly management meetings, etc.)• only one extra “body” introduced: “Task Force Strategy Dialogue”

consisting of 10 volunteer staff members• brief, outcome-focused, highly interactive meetings

Forging a “best-hopes-contract” with all parties involved

Co-creating with the customer, following the principle “the client is the expert”• Taking wishes seriously and responding with actions

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What did I do that was most influenced by SF?

Introducing useful differences:• Less paper, more doing• Simpler language: shorter words, more pictures• Highly interactive workshops / meetings• Decisions are taken by the people present• “walking the talk”• More colour and “playfulness”

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The 3 Half-day Summer-Workshops with the Department Heads…

Strategic ABC:

In view of the “strategy” described:

A: What works already in my department / the organisation?

B: Suppose the strategy were fully implemented in my department: How will I/my staff members notice?

C: Scale and: What will be little signs of progress that we have moved one step up?

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Dialogue Event: 0,5 days, 132 people

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Dialogue Event: Info-Market & Dialogue Groups

“Market-Stands” with info on “Strategy”, interactive materials, questions and flipcharts

Followed by “Dialogue rounds” on topics of choice

All staffed by leaders and task force members

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3 Postcards: Lots of Feedback

1. My best hopes for the organisation in 5 years are…

2. This will be my contribution…

3. This is what I am concerned about…

(I could have done without the last question, but the customer insisted. We gathered useful information from the first two.)

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Positive “Ripple-Effects”

• Unexpectedly big turnout and good feedback for Dialogue Event• Task Force continued into 2014• Initiatives 2014 driven by the people themselves• Leadership Curriculum is well attended• “Mission Statement” under way – simpler structure• “Best Parliament”• More constructive and appreciative comments• MUCH more cooperation!• C-staff speak and show up more• Staff council very positive (!)• Wall to be taken down!

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Brief for 2014

• Complete “Mission”-Statement with participation of all

• Present a 80% draft at Dialogue Event 2014

• Support the initatives created Jan 2014 to follow through with the original goals

• Prepare for the change occasioned by the renovation and move

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Current Status: Work on Mission-Statement

10 statements, that function as guiding principles for all staff members

e.g. Mistakes are unavoidable. We learn from them, and from each other.

Short Interpretation: Why is this important? e.g. being open for constructive criticism, being more courageous and innovative,…

Example Situations: In which typical situation can we observe this guiding principle to be acted out? (Instead-Behaviours)

+ Leaders ask first before they “punish”.

+ Staff members show more courage and do not delegate upwards for fear of making mistakes.

+ We think of alternative solutions rather than blocking initiatives automatically.

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What is to come? - New challenges ahead

• New Speaker as a new (political) leader

• Preparing the (non-technical / non-architectural) issues regarding the change occasioned by the relocation

• Involving all, also the political clubs, in the quest for the “best parliament”

• More change to come by changes in government???

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This is NOT a success-story. It is a story of a long beginning, hard work to get things started, and lots of hopefulness that things can change even in a bureaucracy. And I would not have got that far without the support of my

dear teacher, friend, colleague, and wonderful coach Chris Iveson.

Thank you for your interest!

Susanne

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