Changing the world one meeting at a time

Creating a culture of participation with the principles of Large Scale Interventions

Symposium SoL Austria, 19 October 2012

Tonnie van der Zouwen

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Topics of the presentation

How academic research on Large Scale Interventions produced guidelines for effective use, based on a set of principles

What does sustainable change, meaning ongoing collective learning in organisations, look like?

How Large Scale Interventions principles can be used for rapid change (falling trees in the forest, making a lot of noise)

How these principles can be used in almost every meeting, making them more productive and meaningful, creating a culture of participation (silently growing the forest)

Sharing experiences and learnings

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What is LSI?

Large Scale Interventions (LSI) form a participative approach for change with the whole system.

On one or more occasions the whole system is invited into one room to work on strategic issues.

The task/issue determines what the system is: Who do you need for successful change?

LSI comprises a whole family of methods for working with the whole system in the room, such as Open Space, the World Café, Future Search, Search Conference, and Whole Scale Change.

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Involvement of people in a top-down approach

“I have shared my vision, so now we have a shared vision”Cartoon by Mark de Koning

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Involvement of people in a participative approach

Working interactively to build a shared vision on the system, looking for common ground for action

Cartoon by Mark de Koning

Four basic principles of LSI

1. Systems Thinking:Things are connected in time and space, change in part of the system will influence the whole system

2. Participation of stakeholders: Active participation and self-management enhance commitment to change and learning

3. Action learning:Not seperating thinking and doing in time, or in roles of participants, facilitates real time change

4. Understanding the whole (sensemaking)When participants find common ground, by sharing views and experiences, it is possible to move forward; focus is on future possibilities, not on past problems

The 4 principles produce a web of success factors

Architecture of an LSI trajectory for organisational change (example)

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Research looking for evidence

When and how is LSI successful? What does success look like?

A disturbing gab between success stories in literature and my own experiences as a consultant and trainer of LSI methods

Growing use and abuse of participative change approaches for organisational change

Claim on “sustainable change” in literature, but hardly any research done on effectiveness on the longer term

Why Client Information Leaflets for medical treatments and financial products and not for consultancy interventions?

Research ModelBased on the model “The elements of an intervention” of Jac Geurts et. al. 2006

Context/Task

Effectiveness

Client

Consultant

Intervention

Methods

Large Scale Interventions

Conceptualisation

Concepts

Relationships

Theory

Logic of feeling, Collective learning, Systems thinking,

SensemakingSustainable change

Results in : Insights

Results in: Insights

Selects

& steers

Fills & deepens

Structure

& steer

Structure

& steer

Contribute to

Operations

Actions & Events in LSI trajectories

Loading

Characteristics of the cases

Results in : Experiences

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Research phases and steps

1. Exploring the field: Literature study, interviews, websites, documents, action research (participating in conferences and network), text analyses of documented cases

2. Developing an evaluation instrument: Text analyses using an analytical framework (research model) approach; building a theoretical framework for sustainable change

3. Testing the evaluation instrument: Case study, evaluating past projects

4. Checking validity and usability of the practical guide: Research conferences as member check

Impressions of the exploring phase

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How can effectiveness be evaluated?

1. Building a theoretical framework for sustainable change:

Non-sustainable change contributes to getting more and better work done (first order collective learning)

Sustainable change contributes to developing capacities for change (second order collective learning)

2. Developing an evaluation instrument based on audit methods used in quality management systems, such as ISO 9000: audit matrix, score tables, evaluation reports

Time

Development ofCapacities

Grief

Anger

Fear

Safety

Justice

Acknowledgement

Informalcapacities

Formal capacities

Communicativecapacities

Stored in: Structures, rules, procedures, functions, management systems

Stored in:Symbols, traditions, stories, rituals, styles

Stored in: Images for the future

Natural System Internal steering by will

Social System of rulesExternal steering by discipline

Communicative self- steering System Self-steering in communication

The Logic of Feelingmodel for organisational change

Our feeling makes us aware of the character of new experiences

Knowledge SystemDriving force

Time

Development ofcollective learningin an organisation

Phase 1: Zero-order collective learning:- Only individuals learn- Implicit rules, mostly tacit- Internal steering by will

Phase 2: First-order collective learning:- Collective learning of explicit procedures

and rules- External steering by discipline

Phase 3: Second-order collective learning:- Collective learning of principles

behind the rules- Testing against goals- Continuous collective learning

DepressionCollective communication is invited, but it does not lead to readjustment

Disorientation: Lack of a guiding vision for the future leads to frequent changes in strategy

Growth fixationDoing without thinking

StagnationNo development

ChaosNo explicit agreements for cooperation

BureaucracyToo many rules and norms cause inflexibility

Emancipation

Disciplining

Burn-out

Aggression

Obstacles

Learning phases

Natural System Internal steering by will

Social System of rulesExternal steering by discipline

Communicative self- steering System Self-steering in communication

Sustainable change: Ongoing collective learning

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Phase 3: Testing and improving the evaluation instrument

1. Testing and improving the instrument by reconstructing 3 cases, 2 years after the LSI

2. Developing a practical guide for LSI

3. Making a Summary as Client Information Leaflet

Phase 4: Checking validity and usability in a research conference

Content of the practical guide to LSIA Client Information Leaflet)

What is LSI?

What does LSI do?

Before using LSI, contra-indications

How to use LSI?

Possible risks

Expert Section: Guidelines for facilitation and evaluation

For assessment of preconditions before the start

For assessment of performance during the LSI

For evaluation of effectiveness after the LSI, with procedures and tools

Success factors of LSI

LSI has to be worth the effort, stakeholders need each other for success

The system has to be ready for a participative approach, leaders are willing to take contributions of stakeholders seriously

Facilitators have to ‘cook with the principles’, making a good match between situation, task and design

The right people in the room, the choice of what the system is, is crucial

Expectation management is essential to build and keep trust

Sustainable change requires follow up: Focus on the larger change process (prolonged engagement), not on events

Effects of LSI

Better and faster implementation of change

Collective learning and changing continue, increased capacity to change

Communication is more direct (two way) and more constructive

More permeable boundaries: opening up the organisation, inviting diversity; focus on how good the system is; more systemic thinking

Increased reflective self awareness

Using the LSI principles in change processes with large

group meetings

The falling trees making a lot of noise

1. College: Discussing priorities for organisational development

Stakeholders: Teachers, managers, service employees, students,

board members

2. Local social care: simulation of client procedures

Stakeholders: Local government, clients, healthcare organizations,

volunteer workers, food suppliers

3. Twenty four primary schools: involving parents in school development

Stakeholders: Parents, teachers, directors, board members

Appying the LSI principles for leading meetings that matter:

The silently growing forest

Get the whole system in the room

Define the whole system. Who ARE – IN? A group that has within various people with:

A = Authority to actR = Resources, such as contacts,

time, or moneyE = Expertise in the issues to be

considered

I = Information about the topic that no others have

N = Need to be involved because they will be affected by the outcome and can speak to the consequences

Control what you can, let go what you can’t

Forget about being able to control behavior of people

• Exercise maximum control before the meeting, on structure and conditions

• Exercise minimum control during the meeting, just keep the space open for everyone who wants to contribute

Explore the “Whole Elephant”

Explore the whole before fixing any part

• Bring the enviroment in the room in the form of people

• Use techniques to collectively get the whole picture (timelines, mind maps, flow charts, go-arounds, …..)

Let people be responsible

• Accept people the way they are, not as you want them to be

• Do less, so others can do more

• Encourage self-management

Find common ground

• Focus on what people can agree on and not on what they cannot resolve

• Focus on the future, tap into the dreams and hopes of people

Learn to say No if you want your Yes to mean something

1. Planning group meetingExploring the whole with timelines

2. Community gathering

Stakeholders: Local government, police, citizens, community

associations

More information

Book: Building an evidence based practical guide to Large Scale Interventions. Towards sustainable organisational change with the whole system

Book: Don’t just do something stand there. Ten principles for leading meetings that matter (Weisbord & Janoff). See summary leaflet

Book: Productive Workplaces third edition (Marvin Weisbord)

Article: Detecting and approaching obstacles for collective learning (Tonnie van der Zouwen) Journal Challenging Organisations and Society, October 2012

www.tonnievanderzouwen.com

What did we hear?

What questions do we have?

What are our ideas for the future?

Welcome to the sharing and reflecting

session