Seeing and Leading Differently: Asset Building and Complex Change

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Seeing and Leading Differently Asset Building
and Complex Change
Planning in the Midst of Chaos
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Seeing and Leading Differently Asset Building
and Complex Change

• Webinar Series, 2007
• 4/3 The Landscape Diagram
• 5/22 Self-Organizing Change
• 7/17 Planning in the Midst of Chaos
• 9/18 Sustaining Change over Time and Space

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Your Guides . . . Glenda

• Glenda H. Eoyang, Ph.D.geoyang_at_hsdinstitute.org
• Executive Director HSD Institute
• Teacher and youth developer 76 to 81
• Training consultant 81 to 92
• Began working with SI 95
• Focusing with SI on assets and complex change
  since 05
• Worked with Royce, Nancy, and Kristin to explore
  complex change and asset building at 2006
  Conference
• Continue to teach and learn with the asset
  building community

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Your Guides . . . Nancy

• Nancy Telett-Roycenancy_at_search-instiute.org
• Mgr HC- HY network initiatives, organizations,
  systems using the Development Assets framework to
  advance their agenda
• Nine years experience providing technical
  assistance to HC HY community initiatives 
• Certified as Human Systems Dynamics Professional
  Associate in 2005
• On Executive Committee of Children First in St.
  Louis Park, MN the first HC HY initiative
  which started in 1992

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We heard from you . . .

• The insights about complex change are very
  relevant and helpful for your asset building
  initiatives.
• You liked having the slides and worksheets ahead
  of time.
• The on-going chat was disruptive for some of you.
• You would like to have more asset-based stories
  and examples.
• More interaction would be helpful for learning
  and action.
• You wanted references for further reading.

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Today we will . . .

• Review previous webinars in this series.NOTE
  You dont have to have seen previous webinars for
  this one to be helpful!
• Explore seven tips for planning your asset
  building work in unpredictable situations.
• Help you assess your own planning processes and
  explore ways to make them more adaptive.

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A Quick ReviewLandscape Diagram
Self-Organizing
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A Quick ReviewSelf-Organizing ChangeComplex
Adaptive System (CAS)

• A collection of individual agents, who have the
  freedom to act in unpredictable ways, and whose
  actions are interconnected such that they produce
  system-wide patterns.
• Examples termite colonies, stock markets, the
  Internet, gardens, human beings, groups of people

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A Quick ReviewSelf-Organizing ChangeComplex
Adaptive Systems (CAS)
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CDE ModelConditions for Self-Organizing

• Container Holds the agents together until
  system-wide patterns can form.
• Examples an asset taskforce, an asset conference
  or event
• Difference Provides the potential for change
  and shows the pattern.
• Examples Youth summit with adult listeners
  school climate survey which features the
  responses of youth and the responses of adults in
  a school building
• Exchange Establishes the connections among
  agents and between individuals and the whole.
• Examples coaching, dialogue, funding streams,
  proposals, evaluation

May 22, 2007
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Planning is NOT. . .
What is planning for you your organization?

• Just list of things to do.
• Just an annual ritual.
• An exercise to satisfy funders and board members.
• The same thing for every organization.

Planning is. . .

• The way you use your past to inform action.
• Adaptation to fit your current situation.
• Preparation for a productive future.

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Planning is about ChangeChange Is Changing
Traditional Change One level at a time One
timesnapshot Causegtgteffect Root cause End
determined Predictable Controlled
Complex Change Whole,part,greater whole Over
timevideo CauseltltgtgtEffect Many causes End
unknown Surprising Emergent
How do you plan for each?
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Seven Tips for planning when I cant predict or
control
How have you used the tips in the past? What
adaptations would help you plan better in your
chaos?
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1. Have a plan, but hold it lightly.
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1. Have a plan, but hold it lightly.

• Know your planning assumptions.
• Reconsider and change your assumptions when they
  stop serving you.
• Plan with the end in mind.
• Use two-way loops when you communicate about your
  planlisten more than you talk!
• Sometimes throw out the old and plan from
  scratch.

How do you avoid getting stuck?
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2. Plan to plan again.
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2. Plan to plan again.

• Since your future is never constant, how can your
  preparation for it not change?
• Review your plan often.
• Consider and include what youve learned.
• Repeat your core stories and look for shifts.
• Have a regular schedule for re-planning.
• Make the planning process an adventure.

How often do you plan to plan?
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3. Look toward multiple horizons.
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3. Look toward multiple horizons.

• Prepare for
• Short-term (this month or quarter)
• Mid-term (this year)
• Long-term future (next five years)
• Consider how different things will be across
  different horizons.
• Expect more clarity for closer in and more
  imagination farther out.

How much change across your horizons?
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4. See the future from different points of view.

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4. See the future from different points of view.

• Know who your stakeholders are.
• Engage them in planning individually.
• Engage them in planning collectively.
• Listen to the surprising voices.
• Continually scan your environment.
• Never stop learning.

How many views work for you?
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5. Expect to stretch and fold.
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5. Expect to stretch and fold.
How do you know when you need to stretch/fold?

• Avoid exhaustion that comes from constantly
  stretching or folding.
• Notice how quickly your system shifts from
  stretch to fold.
• Acknowledge that different people have different
  stretch/fold capacities.
• Listen and respond to your own need to stretch
  and fold.

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6. Leave space for surprise.
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6. Leave space for surprise.
How do you plan to be surprised?

• Expect it to be messy.
• Keep asking questions.
• Pay attention to the noise.
• Plan in some margin for error in time and
  resources.
• Reflect alone and together about what youre
  seeing and hearing.

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7. Plan for every part of the Landscape.
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7. Plan for every part of the Landscape
How rugged is your landscape?

• What should be organized? Plan for it!
• Predict and hold accountable
• What should be unorganized? Plan for it!
• Stop, look, and listen
• What should be self-organizing? Plan for it!
• Engage and learn together
• Stay connected to each other and the environment
  to be sure that you know what fits.

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Planning in the Midst of Chaos

1. Have a plan, but hold it lightly.
2. Plan to plan again.
3. Look toward multiple horizons.
4. See the future from different points of view.
5. Expect to stretch and fold.
6. Leave space for surprise.
7. Plan for every part of the landscape.

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References and Resources

• For more information about planning in the midst
  of chaos, read
• Olson, E. G. Eoyang. (2003) Facilitating
  Organization Change Lessons from Complexity
  Science. San Francisco Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

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Next TimeSustainabilityBalancing Stability and
Change

• What does it mean to make your initiative
  sustainable?
• How do you sail the Seven Cs of
  sustainability?
• How sustainable is your own asset building
  efforts? How can you make them more sustainable?
  
• Join us!

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Continue the conversation on-line

• To download todays presentation and related
  resources go to
• www.search-institute.org/change/complexchange/07.
• To continue the conversation and add your own
  relevant resources, join the Complex Change
  listserv by going to http//lists.search-institute
  .org/mailman/listinfo/complexchange
• For additional resources on complex change,
  visit www.hsdinstitute.org

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Thanks for Joining Us Today!

• We hope you continue to participate in the
• 2007 Webinar series
• Seeing and Learning Differently
• Asset Building and Complex Change.