Image via Wikipedia Obama, elected by citizens, according to the law, has declared the citizens and their duly elected representatives, who followed the law to pass a law, as irresponsible. You would expect that from true believers, who see the world in absolutes: the members of this group include children, the naive, idealists, utopianists, and […]
Category: education
The persona of the process consultant: is it intentional or assigned?
Image by Getty Images via Daylife I’m wondering if you have ever had the experience of deliberately planning your relationship to the organization you’re trying to help change. I am discovering that I tend to have a particular role that I favor witches being an expert. Sometimes when I act as an expert by taking […]
Thought experiment for contract teachers
Image via Wikipedia in your capacity as a contract employee as a teacher, did you find that your employer’s request for you to offer expert advice conflicted with your perceived role as a teacher? One of our most important learnings about the use of contract services in the Department of Defense are the challenges of […]
Authenticity for “insiders” acting as change leaders
Image via Wikipedia Have you ever tried to act as a change agent inside your organization in a way that took you out of your assigned role? What kinds of challenges did that present for you when you were trying to work with people who pigeonholed you into a certain role based on your job […]
The simplicity of the Lewin change model
Image via Wikipedia I find that the Lewin three stage model briefs very well to organizational members who have been assigned to a change management project. It doesn’t take very much to communicate the essential ideas of his process. I wonder sometimes if it is too simple and assumes away too much complexity to be […]
Models of consulting vs organizational politics
Image via Wikipedia If you have had an opportunity to observe organizational politics and a number of different settings in your work experience, I’d be interested in knowing your thoughts: Which of the three change models (expert, doctor-patient; process consultation)do you think best reflects the reality of organizational politics based on your work experiences? In […]
A military application of Appreciative Intelligence
Image via Wikipedia a short follow-up on previous postings about Appreciative Intelligence two of the fathers of my players have been selected for battalion command and we had a discussion this weekend after the game about the use of appreciative inquiry and positive coaching when it comes to team building. I have a lot of […]
Maximum sustainable rate of change
my organization definitely has a maximum sustainable rate of change. There some things that are definitely off limits, but I will tell you I have been repeatedly surprised with just how much change the organization can accommodate. It was far more than I originally estimated. Some of this has to do with the use of […]
Appreciative Inquiry meets soccer
Image via Wikipedia I got back to Kansas City this Sunday two hours after the last game was completed and I missed my girls taking second place in the statewide tournament by a fraction. They lost on penalty kicks, 3-2, after an overtime. It was a great tournament and an exciting championship game played at a […]
Mindfulness resources
Image via Wikipedia in class discussion, mindfulness came up. here are some resources i have used for years to work on my own “practice of mindfulness” excellent audio CD on proper breathing: a gateway to mindfulness http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Cohens-Guide-Healthy-Breathing/dp/1591794412/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270921310&sr=8-7 visualization techniques and meditations i have been using for years http://www.amazon.com/Qigong-Meditations-Ken-Cohen/dp/1591794358/ref=pd_sim_b_1 Eckhardt Tolle is a recently popular “mindfulness” guru, but […]