Module 2 SLP - Large Group Interventions

Organizational change and large group interventions Leith, Martin . Career Development International ; Bradford  Vol. 1, Iss. 4,  (1996): 19-23.

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ABSTRACT Six conditions are proposed which successful change efforts need to fulfill: self-determined and self-managed

change process; broad stakeholder involvement; comprehensive awareness of current reality; creative mindset;

systems thinking; and change model based on trust and co-operation. It is suggested that future search, real time

strategic change and open space technology meet most or all of these conditions, and a brief description of each

method is provided. FULL TEXT  

Martin Leith: Managing Director, The Centre for Large Group Interventions, London, UK

The six major weaknesses

Seventy per cent or more of all organization-wide change programmes - even some of the best designed ones - fail

to produce the desired results[1]. What is going wrong? It may be because the conventional approach to

organizational change has six major structural weaknesses.

Change is imposed

Most organizational change programmes are designed by experts and top management who assume that people

will be against the proposed changes, and will therefore need to be told to make them happen, or be persuaded of

their benefits. The vehicle for this telling and selling is generally the cascade session. Here, employees may buy

into the changes, only later to experience "buyer's remorse" which gets expressed as resistance or even sabotage.

The designers - often with the best of intentions - demand that people implement their design without modifcation,

whereas the implementers usually want to adapt the design to fit their individual situations. This can lead to an

escalating pattern where the more the designers seek compliance, the more the implementers do their own thing,

or do nothing, ultimately resulting in the failure of the programme.

Stakeholder involvement is narrow

Designers of conventional change programmes generally exclude the vast majority of internal stakeholders from

the planning process. Also, they tend to ignore important external stakeholder groups such as suppliers,

customers and the local community. The opportunity to create a more widely-shared vision of the future is

therefore lost, and key stakeholders may fail to provide vitally-needed support.

Appreciation of current reality is limited

As a consequence of failing to involve from the outset everyone who will be affected by the change, an incomplete

picture of current reality is created. Wise strategic decisions are unlikely to be made when informed by such a

limited database.

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Problem solving is the prevailing mindset

Many models of organizational change are based on an elaboration of the problem-solving model[2], the

shortcomings of which have been documented at length by Fritz[3]. Results, if any, tend to be incremental

improvements rather than "order of magnitude" changes. Behavioural scientist Ron Lippett discovered that when

groups focus on solving problems they become depressed, but when they formulate plans by working backwards

from what they really desire, they develop energy, enthusiasm, optimism and high commitment[4]. More recently,

Senge[5] has written about the importance of moving towards a vision of the future that is shared by everyone in

the organization. Not only is the problem-solving approach less effective in achieving the desired outcomes, it also

results in minimal individual and organizational learning, and limited expansion of the organization's capacity to

adapt.

Linear thinking is employed

Linear thinking usually leads to ineffective change strategies, for two reasons. First, it produces a programme with

a predetermined sequence of steps leading the organization towards a fixed goal. Rarely are there any

opportunities for the goal to be reviewed and, if necessary, redefined. But in the real world, changes in the internal

and external operating environments may render the original goal obsolete. Second, the issue is not viewed in a

broad enough context. If the complex web of causes and effects is not properly understood and delayed reactions

are not taken into account, then there is a strong likelihood that the change programme will fail to achieve its

objectives. It many cases it will set the organization back even further.

The change model is based on control and domination

Fearing the unpredictable, chaotic nature of change and the threat of its unwanted consequences, managers

employ pseudo-scientific change management techniques in a vain attempt to control the process and create

predictable and measurable results. But although managers can control micro level changes, such as the

introduction of new corporate stationery, at the macro level there are many variables which are beyond human

control. Major change can no more be managed than the weather can be managed. Indeed, many change

programmes are little more than ritual rain dances that satisfy the compelling need of men to do something in the

face of a crisis. But whereas rain dances are harmless, change programmes stifle creativity by leaving no space for

the unexpected to happen.

The six conditions for success

By considering the flip side of the weaknesses described above, six conditions for success can be identified. These

can be used to evaluate any new change approach which is under consideration.

The change process is self-determined and self-managed

The new approach will involve all those in the organization realizing for themselves that change is needed, by

noticing the gap between current reality and the shared vision (see the third and fourth conditions). They will

create strategies and action plans together, with each person taking responsibility for the successful

implementation of these plans.

There is broad stakeholder involvement

The new approach will allow everyone with a stake in the future success of the organization to be actively and

equally involved in the strategic planning process. As joint architects of the change strategy these stakeholders

will have a strong sense of ownership of the change strategy and will therefore be heavily committed to achieving

the mutually-agreed results.

Awareness of current reality is comprehensive

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The new approach will have all stakeholders contributing to the creation of a comprehensive database of strategic

information, which will be kept up to date and made available to all concerned. By having a clear and complete

understanding of current reality, wise strategic and operational decisions will be made. And with information

widely available, power games will be reduced to a minimum.

The prevailing mindset is one of creating a shared future

The new approach will include the creation of a compelling vision that is shared by all stakeholders. Shared visions

are highly motivating, they generate a great deal of mutual support because people feel they are all part of the

same whole, and they create alignment as everyone is working towards the same ends[6].

Systems thinking is employed

Systems thinking underpins the new approach. Seductively simple models of cause and effect will no longer form

the basis of strategic decisions. Instead, organizational issues will be viewed in all their messy complexity. There

will be an awareness of multiple causes and effects (including those which are greatly separated in time), mutual

casuation, and repeating patterns of behaviour. By replacing linear thinking with systems thinking, people will stop

blaming each other and take personal responsibility for what happens. They will realize that control is an illusion,

reframe failure as feedback, and be better able to adapt quickly to rapidly changing circumstances. Regular

reviews, feedback meetings and debriefing sessions will enable individual and organizational learning to increase

rapidly, with the result that the organization will have the adaptability it needs to survive and prosper.

The change model is based on trust and co-operation

The new approach will replace control with trust and domination with co-operation. Instead of trying to overpower

the unseen forces of the natural world, people will gain creative power by co-operating with them. People will trust

their own abilities and the ability of others to do the right thing when given sufficient information. And they will

trust that the process of change will take the organization to wherever it needs to be, even if the destination is not

the one they originally chose. Leaders will still make interventions, but they will be subtle and wise interventions

like those described in The Tao of Leadership[7]. In this way people's creativity will be unlocked and successfully

harnessed.

Large group interventions: a new approach to change

So does such a new approach for creating strategic change, displaying all six critical strengths, actually exist?

Possibly it does. On both sides of the Atlantic a growing number of organizations, including Accor, Boeing, Ford,

Marriott Hotels and 3M, are using large group interventions as a way of moving beyond the limitations of the

conventional approach to change. A large group intervention consists of one or more interactive events, togther

with the pre-event planning and the follow-up activities flowing from the event. Each gathering is attended by a

large number of participants (ten to 2,000 or more), from all levels and functions of the organization plus

representatives from other key stakeholder groups. Together the participants address real issues of strategic

importance and thereby enable the organization to move towards a shared vision of the future. There are at least

20 different methods which can be used to create a large group event[8]. Of these, the three methods which are

being adopted most widely are future search, real time strategic change and open space technology (see Table I).

The three main large group intervention methods

Method no 1: future search

The main facts about this method are:

- primary purpose: system-wide strategic planning;

- developer: Marvin Weisbord;

- length: two to three days;

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- group size: 12-64 plus.

Brief description of the process

A steering committee consisting of eight or so key stakeholders plans the future search conference, at which

participants sit at round tables in mixed stakeholder groups, eight people to a table, and work through the five

stages of the future search process:

1 Review the past from personal, organizational and global perspectives; identify the events, trends and

developments shaping the future.

2 Map the present in all its messy complexity.

3 Create ideal future scenarios of the most desirable, attainable future, 5-20 years out.

4 Find common ground and develop a shared vision.

5 Create action plans.

The process is described in more detail in Weisbord and Janoff[9].

Key principles

The key principles are as follows:

- The whole system participates - a cross-section of as many interested parties as is practical.

- A global context forms the basis for local action.

- The focus is on finding common ground and moving into the future, not on conflict and problems.

- Self-management and personal responsibility are emphasized.

Method no 2: real time strategic change

The main facts are as follows:

- primary purpose: the design and implementation of whole systems change;

- developers: Kathie Dannemiller and Robert Jacobs;

- length: two to three days;

- group size: 12-2,000 plus

Brief description of the process

Real time strategic change (RTSC) events are sometimes confused with future search conferences because they

take place over two or three days and participants sit eight to a table in mixed stakeholder groups. However, the

similarity ends there. Despite the impression given in Jacobs' book on the method[10], RTSC has no fixed format -

each event is custom designed around the following seven immutable principles.

Key principles

The seven principles are:

1 Get the whole system (or a large representative sample of it) in the room. Have a microcosm of this system

design the event.

2 Foster empowerment and participation.

3 Work in real time, with simultaneous planning and implementation.

4 Treat current reality as the key driver of the change process.

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5 Include preferred futuring, where participants create a compelling representation of what "better" will look, sound

and feel like.

6 Build and maintain a common database of strategic information that is available to all.

7 Create community.

Method no 3: open space technology

Concerning this method, the main facts are:

- primary purpose: the creation of high energy, action-orientated, self-determined and self-managed meetings;

- developer: Harrison Owen;

- length: three hours - three or more days;

- group size: ten to 1,000.

Brief description of the process

At an open space event people come together with the aim of pooling their ideas and developing plans for creative

and collaborative action. They create and manage their own programme of parallel sessions around a central

theme, such as: What are the issues and opportunities facing the XYZ Corporation?, using a six step process:

1 Participants gather for the opening plenary, seated in a circle.

2 The facilitator states the theme of the event and describes the open space principles and process.

3 Anyone who feels so inspired can offer one or more sessions by creating a simple poster showing the title of the

session and his or her name, choosing a room and timeslot and making a brief announcement to the whole group.

4 The posters are fixed to the wall and participants sign up for the sessions that they wish to attend. People then

self-organize and pursue what interests them. A report of each session is produced and displayed in the plenary

room.

5 The large group reconvenes at the end of the day to share what has transpired.

6 At the end of the event everyone receives a set of reports from all the sessions, which may include

recommendations and action points.

A full description of the open space process is given in Owen[11].

Key principles

The following are the key principles:

- Whoever comes are the right people.

- Whenever it starts is the right time.

- Whatever happens is the only thing that could happen.

- When it's over, it's over.

- Use "The law of two feet" to make the best use of your time and energy.

The implications for management development

The large group intervention approach to change raises important questions for the future of management

development. One key question is this: How does the regular use of large scale, mixed stakeholder events change

the job of the manager?

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The need for managers to become leaders has been argued at length in the management literature. According to

Don Warrick, a management academic and organizational consultant, leadership is: "the process of providing

vision, direction and inspiration"[12]. But in the new approach to change advocated here, vision is not handed down

from above - co-creating the vision is everyone's job. Next on the list comes direction ("clarifying goals, values and

priorities"). There seems to be no reason why this activity could not be done by an external coach. Alternatively,

people could coach each other. Finally comes inspiration, which Warrick defines as "motivating people to meet the

challenge, valuing and encouraging people to be their best, recognising accomplishments, championing changes,

and being an example worthy of following". There is much evidence to show that intrinsic motivation, of the sort

that comes from working towards a compelling vision, is a great deal more powerful than extrinsic motivation[13].

Valuing, encouraging and recognizing can be done by the coach. Championing changes will no longer be

necessary - people will do this for themselves, in the large group meetings and in self-managed subgroups. The

coach seems to be a prime candidate for job of "example worthy of following". Coaching relationships are built on

trust, which is possibly the most critical success factor of them all.

In an organization characterized by continuous change, everyone will be both a leader and a follower, and everyone

will need to have mastery in the areas of communication, coaching, facilitation and self-management. These

abilities will be acquired not in surface-scratching training courses, but through intensive personal development

programmes in which people rethink their most fundamental values, beliefs and operating assumptions. Where

people will need the most help will be in making a radical shift from a linear, mechanistic, reductionist view of the

world to a systemic, organic, holistic one.

Summary and conclusion

Conventional approaches to system-wide change are not working - what is needed is a new approach that meets

the six conditions for effective change. A more effective approach may be one based on large group interventions,

and there is evidence from organizations such as Boeing which support this idea. The implications for

management development are far reaching. Instead of considering how the regular use of large-scale events will

change the job of the manager, it may be better to ask: In organizations that adopt the new approach to change,

will managers be needed at all? An old joke says that if voting actually changed anything it would be banned. In the

same way, managers are unlikely to vote themselves out of office. The tragedy is that if the failure rate of change

programmes continues to be 70 per cent or more, then many once-great organizations will sink along with their

managers.

References

1. Doyle, K., "Who's killing total quality?", Incentive, Vol. 8, 1992, pp. 12-19.

2. Cummings, T.G., "From programmed change to self design: learning how to change organisations", Organization

Development Journal, Vol. 13 No. 4, 1995, pp. 20-31.

3. Fritz, R., Creating, Ballantine Books, New York, NY, 1991.

4. Weisbord, M.R. (Ed.), Discovering Common Ground, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA, 1992, pp. 48-9.

5. Senge, P., The Fifth Discipline, Century Business, London, 1990.

6. Kiefer, C.F. and Stroh, P., "A new paradigm for developing organizations", in Adams, J.D. (Ed.), Transforming

Work, Miles River Press, Alexandria, VA, pp. 171-84.

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7. Heider, J., The Tao of Leadership, Wildwood House, Aldershot, 1986 .

8. Leith, M., The CLGI Guide to Large Group Events, The Centre for Large Group Interventions, London, 1996.

9. Weisbord, M.R. and Janoff, S., Future Search, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA, 1994.

10. Jacobs, R.W., Real Time Strategic Change, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA, 1994.

11. Owen, H.H., Open Space Technology: A User's Guide, Abbott, Potomac, MD, 1992.

12. Warrick, D.D., "Best practices occur when leaders lead, champion change and adopt a sound change process",

Organization Development Journal, Vol. 13 No. 4, 1995, pp. 91-9.

13. Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Csikszentmihalyi, I.S. (Eds), Optimal Experience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge,

1988.

Illustration

Caption: Table I; Do the three methods meet the six conditions for success?

DETAILS

Subject: Intervention; Stakeholders; Strategic planning; Organizational change

Business indexing term: Subject: Stakeholders Strategic planning Organizational change

Classification: 2500: Organizational behavior

Publication title: Career Development International; Bradford

Volume: 1

Issue: 4

Pages: 19-2 3

Number of pages: 0

Publication year: 1996

Publication date: 1996

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Place of publication: Bradford

Country of publication: United Kingdom, Bradford

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