I've been learning to practice these disciplines for just over a year,
since wandering by chance into the N. American "Learning Company"
(Burgoyne, Pedlar, et al) conference. Since then, I've focused much of my
energy on beginning to inculcate those values in my organization. A major
intermediate step was having 6 other people attend the Systems Thinking in
Action conference in September. I serve as an internal OD manager for one
(the largest) unit of Community Health and Counseling Services, a
revenue-driven non-profit provider of children's and adult mental health
services, and in-home physical health care. We cover the northern 2/3 of
Maine, about 22,000 sq. miles, with 1300 staff and contractees providing
community-based services instead of institutional care. My position has
evolved from being hired as a relatively traditional "training
coordinator," into learning and OD. Recently, I've developed a seven-part
"practicum" experience based on "Fifth Discipline" that I'm offering to
various groups/teams in the company. I'll be presenting that design at
the Albert E. Trieschman Center children's mental health conference, in
Cambridge, MA, in March. At the moment, I'm being challenged by
"Stewardship," which leads to my major curiosity/question of the moment:
a major challenge to LO change at CHCS will be to gain even marginal entry
to the Finance Department, a stand-alone entity with significant veto
power over the decisions of the 3 units that actually provide services to
customers.
As I see it, the impediment rest primarily in my perception that they
cannot imagine that it would be in their self-interest, in any way, to
explore LO ideas. I'd welcome responses, and am quite willing to admit I
may not know how to take their perspective. Enough for now. I'm also
posting a separate, formal notice for any subscribers in the U.K., about a
possible temporary job exchange.
-- malcolm c. burson mooney@maine.maine.edu