Chuck, your experience and background sound fascinating (but I
snipped 'em). What caught my eye especially was the following:
> . . . The group consists of 20 folks who are COMPROMISED of 3
>subgroups.
I couldn't help but wonder if Papa Freud was halping your fingers!
Given your comments that "standard design" OD doesn't seem to work
anymore, if it ever did, I wonder if you might not cut to the chase
immediately, to ask what each of them needs from the others, and what each
expects to give, or something like it. I'm hearing in your descsription a
rather miscellaneous group of folks thrown together for somebody's
convenience (but not especially their own), who have not yet figured out
how they need one another, or even IF they do =8A aside from the
administrative requirement that they inhabit the same space.
So I'm left wondering if they see themselves as somehow
"compromised" (to use your perhaps revealing term) by the association. How
do ME folks value the others? How do the support staff get respect (or do
they?) from the others? Are paraprofessionals de facto second class
citizens, who need to reduce the support to third class to make themselves
feel good? (I'm obviously speculating!)
At any rate, my suggestion is to explore with them what I call the
"why bother" question: why bother interacting? IF each group has the
opportunity to say why what they provide and what they need, they may all
discover ways in which each can do the job differently - in ways that
enhance their contribution to others.
Tell us what you decide to do, and how it goes!
Sam
--
Mariann Jelinek, Ph.D.
Richard C. Kraemer Professor of
Buusiness Administration
Graduate School of Business | Real, enduring strategic advantage
College of Williiam and Mary |comes from changing the game.
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23185-8795
(804) 221-2882 FAX: (804) 229-6135
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