North Star Facilitators Barbara J MacKay, MS, CPF©
(503) 579 5708
www.northstarfacilitators.com
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A Tool for Mapping Organizational Development©
Barbara MacKay, North Star Facilitators www.northstarfacilitators.com
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The Organizational Development Mapping
Tool was developed by the Institute of
Cultural Affairs (ICA) Canada (www.ica-
associates.ca), and is based on thorough
research and synthesis of many well-known
authors. You will learn how four phases and
eight functions are present in any
organization, what they are, and how to use
this technique both for your own leadership
and for groups you work with.
This powerful diagnostic tool
will allow you to:
See where there is alignment and where there is dissonance in an organization.
Map the organizational vision and see alignments and differences.
Listen to your participants in a different way and ask more pertinent questions.
Have non-threatening critical conversations with others about change.
In the figure below (please
refer to the full page version
found on page 12 of this
module), you will see in the
middle of the page, moving
from the center upwards, the
Introduction
This learning module is one of over 45 individual self-directed learning modules available for
purchase on our website, www.northstarfacilitators.com.
names of the four phases of organizations:
hierarchical, institutional, collaborative and
learning organizations. If you move to the
right of this center column you will see on
the outer borders, functions of
organizations. Moving in a clockwise
direction, they are: skills, leadership,
structure, preoccupation, mission/context,
the worker, communication, and values.
Below we introduce some of the theory
developed by ICA Canada to describe the
phases and understand how the functions
shift between phases. A full day course is
offered by ICA Canada or by North Star
Facilitators that explores this tool and the
notion of culture change in more depth.
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Each phase has different characteristics depending on the sector: non-profit, private and public sectors.
The four phases of the organizational development-mapping tool are: hierarchical, institutional, collaborative and learning organizations. Keep in mind, that there are no wrong phases. Rather, that an organization may be primarily in one phase or another at different times in its history. Every organization, or even department, will experience some aspects of at least two or three of the phases are any given moment in time.
It is essential that the organization shift phases as circumstances change and especially as it matures. Some organizations start out intending to be a collaborative or learning organization only to find out that they need to create some of the systems and policies of hierarchical or institutional organizations to better survive. Once these systems are in place, the organization can readjust to being primarily a collaborative or learning organization. ICA says that about 40% of the people in an organization would need to be operating at a particular level to say that the organization was truly in that phase.
As noted above, most organizations are spread over three or four phases. Ideally leadership is a phase ahead of everybody else. Organizations will tend to evolve more in some arenas than others—which means that an organization will be at different stages in different arenas. As an organization begins to push into a new phase, people’s
I. The Hierarchical Organization
The leadership operates in the style of
benevolent paternalism; it is still basically
autocratic. Orders and incentives are from
the top down. Careful listening to what
subordinates have to say occurs, but there is
no response or action. It listens, but does
nothing. Any impetus towards change, if
from below, is likely not given much
attention; whistle blowers are frowned upon
and often punished by peers. The worker is
imaged as a person who should follow the
rules. Here the top-rated skills are related to
problem-solving, administrative effectiveness
and 'keeping calm'. The style of the
organization is reactive. A major
preoccupation of management is keeping
labor at bay, and keeping unions out.
Keeping and looking busy is a prime value.
The gift of hierarchical organizations is their
capacity to ride out storms, chaos,
challenges, and survive. New York City did
Introduction to the Phases of Organization
Description of the Phases
internal images of the organization change rapidly, and new understandings develop. However, the skills that belong to that new phase will have to be developed intentionally so that the organization can begin to “live comfortably” there. For example, leaders need to be introduced to facilitation skills if the organization is at the edge of the institutional (phase 2) and collaborative phases (phase 3) or needing to shift to the collaborative phase. Workers would need to be introduced to team-building skills etc.
Below is a brief description of each phase.
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operating at the institutional phase.
III. The Collaborative Organization
Interaction is the core characteristic of this
level. The preoccupation is with enabling the
evolution of the organization and getting
every part of the organization aligned and
working together. The collaborative
organization emphasizes group dynamics.
The primary concern is how the organization
can make a quality impact on society and the
local community. Structurally, this is a lattice
organization: all the parts are integral to the
whole; no part may be replaced without
altering the whole. Major concern here is
with reducing rigidity in the organization and
increasing the flow. This organization has
great structural flexibility. Leadership is
enthusiastic, visionary, and empathetic. The
management style is that of the facilitator.
Key skills are delegating responsibility,
managing group conflict; balancing work and
leisure; the ability grow from experience, to
laugh at and learn from mistakes and help
well with a hierarchical leader after the 9-11
incidents.
II. The Institutional Organization
Phase II is a miracle of organization. There is
the board of directors, the CEO, the Vice
Presidents of this, that and the other, the
Managers, the Superintendents, the workers.
This is the large, efficient, ordered
bureaucracy, and it is something to behold.
Its style is that of responsiveness. As
Harrison Owen remarks: (This kind of
organization) "is truly a pleasure to do
business with, for they seem to recognize
what the business is, and are prepared to go
all the way to ensure that you, the customer,
are fully met, even if they do not understand
all the details of the operation." This
organization is preoccupied, if not obsessed,
with customer service. Communication is
from the top, but informed by
feedback from below. The mode is
task-oriented and output-focused.
This is the kingdom of the team,
quality control and management by
objectives. This bureaucracy works
well, just as a carefully designed
clock works well. Loyal subordinates
know their functions well, but are
running on old scripts. Attempts at
change run into massive resistance.
The gift of the institutional
organization is the gift of the
Newtonian universe: great order,
great predictability, great loyalty to
staff and customers. Hospitals and
educational institutions are great examples
of organizations that have done well
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others do the same. The difference between
this and earlier phase organizations, is the
free flow of ideas which are generated all
over the place, freely shared, refined and
activated. Communication is up, down, and
sideways. A key concern is how to make the
institution more humane. The co-worker is
creative, independent and self-actualizing,
and wrestling with how to integrate personal
gifts with the demands of society. Many for
profit companies and not for profit
organizations have done well operating at
this phase because they tend to run
themselves, do their core business extremely
well, have less absenteeism and higher levels
of creativity and motivation.
IV. The Learning Organization
This organization is consumed with making a
difference to the cultural life of the nation
and world. A second concern is the quality of
interaction through the organization and the
impact of the organization on the quality of
life in society. (This is a very different take on
"quality".) This is a networking organization
made up of an interdependent network of
self-directed teams. Using the model of
servant leadership,
wise leaders quietly
enable others to
maximize their
performance
through a system of
layered mentoring. The quality of
communication is empathetic throughout
the organization. The worker is moving
towards being an interdependent, fully
integrated individual.
Every encounter is regarded as a learning
situation. Interpersonal skills for facilitating
interdependence and reflective skills for
gaining insight are crucial here. A core set of
values is arrived at by consensus. Staff
understands the importance of balancing
work, intimacy and solitude, but they have to
keep working at it. Development and change
are guided by intuition. A superb flexibility
enables the organization to deal with rapid
change. We see this to some extent with
Google which is now using many of its great
profits to channel back tools to the world to
enable greater sharing and understanding.
The Phases Build Upon Each Other
Please note that an organization cannot skip
a phase (i.e. if it is a hierarchical organization
it cannot skip directly to a collaborative
organization; it will need to build the policies,
procedures, tools, skills and systems of the
institutional organization before it can be
effectively moving toward a collaborative
organization). Each phase builds on the other
so for example if the organization has
mastered problem-solving and undertaking
tasks as skills
needed for the
hierarchical phase,
it will retain these
skills even as it
takes on skills of Phase 2. It will in Phase 2
likely set up performance management,
planning, and quality control systems. As it
moves to Phase 3 again, it will still be skilled
at solving problems, controlling quality and
planning. However, it might move away from
It is essential that the organization shift phases as circumstances change and especially as it matures.
Barbara MacKay, North Star Facilitators www.northstarfacilitators.com
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how org sees self and where it really is
Language and framework to help talk about organizational functions
Gives analysis and “permission” to make a change
Comparative gap analysis
Map journey where now, where want to go
Plot changes over time
a performance management assessment
system into a 360-degree peer review
assessment system or weekly informal
feedback sessions. It will also begin to
emphasize skills in resolving conflict. It will
encourage employees to balance their work
and life. You will typically see partnerships
across all functions in the organization.
List of the Functions Skills
Leadership
Structure
Preoccupation
Mission Context
The Worker
Communication
Values
Map external expectations/pressures
Map client/customer reality
Overlay dots on acetates by group to describe relationships
Handouts to clients to complete maps themselves
Tool for groups and individuals to identify their own place in journey
Working with leaders re: leaders’ style and organization’s primary phase
Strategic tool to map where is organization and where is facilitator
Root cause for contradiction between
Typical Applications of Tool
What Supplies are Needed?
Wide masking tape
Different colored felt pens to join the dots on maps
Both small and large colored sticky dots, up to 4 different colors
Flipchart stand and paper (to jot down observations of the group after the mapping exercise is completed)
Large version of the organizational development map – order from www.ica-associates.ca in Canada (see last page)
Small legal size versions of the map
Camera to take photos of map with dots for documentation purposes
As an organization begins to push into a new phase, people’s internal images of the organization change rapidly, and new understandings
develop.
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1. Read all the parts of the map and the introduction to the map and the description of the phases and the functions.
2. Use the map to reflect on organizations you have worked with. Where would you place those organizations on the map? (See example below)
3. If you are employed in an organization, plot your own organization on the map, look at each piece of the pie and see which descriptions best describes your organization. Reflect on any surprises and what insights you learn from plotting your organizational map.
4. Plot yourself on the map in each of the 8 functional areas. Reflect on the dynamics you discover and any gap between where you are and where the organization is as a whole.
5. Plot someone else that you report to or work closely with in this organization on the map and reflect on what you discovered about both what is easy and what is difficult about working with this particular person.
6. Ask yourself what is helpful about this chart and what next steps you would like to take to help you make a culture change in your organization or in one you are hired to help.
7. Feel free to change the language where you feel this does not meet the needs of the organization you are applying the tool to.
Typical Applications of Tool
*Average time is allotted per step.
1. Give context on organizational hourney and map (15 minutes)
Pose the large size map on the wall and have
smaller 8 ½ x 11 versions for them to study.
Ask the group to study the chart for a few
minutes. Then briefly point out the four
phases (column in center) and the eight
functions (8 pie slices – described on borders
of chart). Read out or paraphrase from the
intro paragraph on page 2. Share that this
was developed by the Institute of Cultural
Affairs Canada around the year 2000 (Credit
them!). Ask, “What are some of the words
that stand out on the map. Where
specifically do you see some of this
happening within the organization?”
2. Which description best fits our
organization, the way it currently operates?
(15 minutes)
Remember one stage is not BETTER or
WORSE than another, but there does tend to
How to Lead a Group Through the Mapping Tool*
Barbara MacKay, North Star Facilitators www.northstarfacilitators.com
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be a natural journey outwards. Do a plot on
their own small version of the map, talk
about your dot placement with 1-2 others,
and then plot on wall chart with one color of
dots. One dot per person. Draw a line
through the average placement of dots from
every small group (i.e. 8 dots) per section.
3. Group Analysis (Reflect as a Group Part I)
(30-45 minutes)
a) What assumptions did you make in placing the dots where you did?
b) What do you notice about the plot? What patterns do you see in terms of where the dots are?
c) When or where have you seen activities taking place in the organization that describes the OTHER levels? (Remember all four stages are probably already in operation within the organization)
d) Ask the group to guide you to join the dots in each section to make an approximate circle. Generally, I use a felt pen of the same color of the dots and place the line equidistantly (more or less) between the closest and furthest dots or through the majority of dots. See the adjacent photo for an example.
4. Which description best fits how you
would LIKE the organization to operate, or
how the organization NEEDS to operate in
the future to meet its mission (e.g., The
Next 3-5 Years)? (30-45 minutes)
Personally do a plot on paper, talk with
someone, then plot on wall chart with
different colored dots. One dot per person or
team per section.
Sample Data from a Client (Used with permission)
On photo – the RED circle represents this teams’ view of the desired state of the organization as a whole in 3-5 years; the GREEN circle represents this team’s perspective on the current state of the organization as a whole. Each dot represents the combined view of a small group of three; the line was drawn through the average placement of dots.
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5. Group Analysis (Reflect as a Group Part II)
a) What assumptions did you make in placing the dots where you did?
b) What patterns do you see in the distribution of new dots?
c) What is the difference telling us about the difference between current state and future desired state?
d) What relationships do you see between the 8 sections?
e) Which parts of the organization are already operating from the future pattern? Describe what happens there.
f) Join the dots, as you did in Part 3d.
6. Reality Check
a) Ask the group to reread the description of the current state phase. Ask them, “What do you like about this phase? What do you not like? Where does this really describe your organization well? Where does it not?
b) Read the description for the future state. Ask them to underline phrases that they particularly want to see in place in the future (They may only want or need certain aspects of the phase they’ve chosen for future state)
7. What is the Real Shift?
Ask all four questions below a-d. This
could be done by a group conversation
and flip charting notes. If group is large
enough you could create small teams
to describe the shift for each function
using a) through d) and report back in
half an hour or so.
a) What IS the Shift we are hoping for – How could we describe this specific shift?
b) Are we ready? – What have we seen that allows us to know that we are ready for the shift?
c) What would confirm the necessity, readiness, or benefits of the shift?
d) Barriers – What issues, constraints, blocks, contradictions, problems, and behaviors could stop us from making the shift?
8. Actions Groups May Want to Consider to
Precipitate a Shift From One Phase to the
Next Phase
In the next section are a few suggestions
from different course participants and clients
that help organizations make a shift to a
different phase. Please be sure to get your
group to come up with their own ideas that
will realistically be achievable for their
unique situation.
Barbara MacKay, North Star Facilitators www.northstarfacilitators.com
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Actions to facilitate shift from Phase I to
Phase II
Educate at all level of organization
Identify strengths & weaknesses
Get stakeholder buy-in
Overcome cynicism
Secure resource to implement plan
Develop a project plan
Baby steps
Process mapping
Getting info from customer
Trusting the value proposition
Present action plan & mobilize resources
Implementation plan
Communicate with stakeholders; actions, successes, rewards
Identify & eliminate barriers – anticipated & unanticipated
Ask for input
Do a self assessment questionnaire
Boss must signal s/he does not have all of the answers
Review mission & vision
Attitude survey
Increasing explanations
Providing more information
Executive staff to visit other organizations at “desired state”
Multiple bottom line conversation
Have staff carry out action plan implementation
Stakeholder analysis
Form cross-disciplinary, cross level groups to respond to crisis (issues)
Training – increased (expanded beyond tasks)
Actions to facilitate from Phase II to Phase
III
Leaders discuss where and how willing to loosen controls?
Discuss what it will take to make the shift at the company level? Who will lead? Why? And what it will look like?
Launch change initiative in a visible way.
Talk to people about what to expect
Leadership shows that they expect things to shift – get people thinking about it and invite them to embrace it; talk up the benefits
Leadership observe and report on what seeing and hearing. (Benefits/problems)
Invite all employees to create a new shared vision of the future
Set long & short term goals for specific behavioral changes with reps from all areas of org
Provide opportunities for buy-in or not. Give opportunities to exit.
Coach people in conflict resolution
Jump Start Actions to Facilitate a Shift from One Phase to Another
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Help employees learn new skills to handle change
Train staff in participatory methods
Use “appreciative inquiry” approach
Transition management team
Celebrate small successes
Align structure & systems to support the
shift i.e. compensate teamwork
Work with the converted
Everyone needs to hear ‘the message’ in different forms
Recognize & reward change in behavior
Re-enroll key leaders
Communication (up, down & sideways)
Training development
Use third party expertise
Actions to facilitate from Phase III to Phase IV
Education consistent with experience (identify problems)
Invite self learning/reflection related to mission
Understand impact – advantages & challenges
Use cross functional teams to facilitate process (mutual learning process)
Ask - Is it appropriate?
Authority to change at request of group
Invite people to examine their own & organizational values
Set up creative thinking stations
Applaud transparency around mistakes
At every meeting, reflect on where team or org is making a quality impact on nation or world
Train all staff in non-violent communication (www.cnvc.org)
Train all staff in cross-cultural communication (e.g. www.lunajimenezseminars.com)
“Institutionalize lessons learned” conversations after every project
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Organizational Development Mapping Tool
Copyright with Institute of Cultural Affairs, Canada
Please order full size map (3x3’) called Organizational Journey Map Poster from www.ica-
associates.ca ($35CDN) and click on “Bookstore.”
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Brian P. Hall: Values Shift: A guide to personal and organizational transformation, Twin Lights Publishers, Rockport, MA 01966, chapters 8 and 9.
ICA Associates. 2001. Workshop Manual from The Organizational Journey Lab course developed by the Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs. www.ica-associates.ca
Owen, Harrison. 1987. Spirit: Transformation and Development in Organization, Abbott Publishing, Potomac, MD.
Harman, Willis and Hormann, John. 1990. Creative Work: The Constructive Role of Business in a Transforming Society. Knowledge Systems, Inc., Indianapolis In,.
Dick West. “Organizational Analysis”; Manuscript diagram. ICA Taiwan. n.d.
Resources
Harrison Owen describes organizational development as a journey of spirit where the organization transcends itself into successive new orbits.
Spirit, Transformation and Development in Organization.
Barbara MacKay, North Star Facilitators www.northstarfacilitators.com
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Barbara MacKay, MS, CPF©, principal of North Star
Facilitators, specializes in strategic planning and large group
or complex facilitation processes. She is now offering multiple
virtual trainings and coaching others to become competent
facilitators.
Barbara is currently mentoring facilitators from all over the
world and cares deeply about passing on the skills to others so
the world becomes a just, peaceful and creative place.
Barbara’s strong interpersonal communication skills and experience allow her to work skillfully
with a wide variety of participant perspectives.
Barbara specializes in helping groups participate, problem-solve, plan and make progress in
challenging and complex situations. She is focused, respectful, compassionate and present as a
facilitator, trainer and coach. Barbara has worked with hundreds of clients from all sectors with
her own company since 1995. She provided social, economic and environmental consulting and
facilitation services with many indigenous groups throughout Canada from 1981 to 1995.
Barbara is: Certified facilitator and USA trainer with the International Institute of Cultural Affairs
(ICA Canada); Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF©) and assessor of other facilitators world-
wide with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF); Professional Development Strategic
Initiative Coordinator for the IAF for four years; was an Adjunct professor with University of
Oregon and Portland State University (Not for Profit Management Institute); certified
OneSmartWorld™ trainer; trained in Disaster Crisis Intervention for facilitators; certified
accelerated learning trainer; trained extensively in: conflict resolution, Constructivist Listening
and Cross Cultural Communication and Alliance Building, visioning processes, Mind Mapping™,
Behavior styles model “Why Are You Like That?™”, and Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument
(HBDI). She is also trained in and teaches about learning organizations, organizational
development mapping for organizations and strategic thinking for leaders.
Graphic design of this module by skilled facilitator colleague, Mari Mizobe Chu (www.marimchu.com) and Ben
Marcus. Photography by Barbara MacKay and Ben Marcus.
Your Guide and Author of This Module:
Barbara MacKay
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