Warfare or Partnership?: A Pattern Literacy workshop for Organizational Systems

What if we created cultures of cooperation and partnership within and beyond our organization?What would it be like to have satisfying and productive partnerships in your organization rather than unproductive conflict?

“Warfare or Partnership” is a one-day experiential training about why good working relationships are critical to success, what gets in the way, and the role of leaders in promoting patterns of interaction within and beyond their organization.

Systemic forces in organizations exercise a powerful influence on how we see and act. Yet we are often blind to these ever-present influences. As a consequence, when things go wrong we often blame other individuals, or whole groups of people in other roles, rather than seeing the effects of the system and recognizing our own contribution to misunderstandings and conflict. Developing literacy in seeing patterns in organizational systems is thus a critical skill for leaders.

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/6/e/600_404523182.jpeg

At this workshop, participants will:

• Identify predictable, dysfunctional patterns that even best-intentioned organizations experience, and how to avoid them

• Focus on systemic conditions rather than personalities

• Gain an appreciation for the difficult issues people at all organizational levels face, and as a result, learn to work more productively

• Learn strategies for building better partnerships internally and with constituents

This workshop creates and magnifies conditions that are familiar to most of us in our families, our organizations, and as citizens of the world:

• The condition of topness, when we have designated responsibility for a system or part of a system and we control resources (funds, opportunities, favors, access) that others value;

• The condition of bottomness, when others control the resources we value; and

• The condition of middleness, when we are functioning between two or more

individuals or groups having differing and sometimes conflicting demands of us.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/5/0/600_404521872.jpeg

It is important not to confuse condition with position. One may occupy a top position in a system, yet at various times in different interactions experience topness, middleness, and bottomness.

The core of this workshop is an exercise where you are assigned a role as an executive, manager, team member or client. You then interact in a chaotic, fast-paced project environment and experience the reality of what makes productive partnerships so critical, what gets in the way of them developing, and what role(s) we play in making them happen. Throughout the interaction, the workshop leader will introduce strategies to address the issues you experience so you can immediately apply and practice what you learn.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/8/e/0/600_404522272.jpeg

This workshop is for members of any organization facing critical organizational challenges and change initiatives, including:

• Cultivation of Future Leaders. Using targeted development initiatives that ensure effective leadership for the present and the future

• Organizational Alignment. Creating clarity, mutual understanding, respect and collaboration across functional and hierarchical lines within an organization

• Cultural Integration. Consistently bringing together subcultures within an organization–whether they're driven by function, demographics or hierarchy–and developing the capacity for mutual respect and support·

• Conflict Management. Defusing hot-button issues within and across teams to foster mutual respect and shared goals

• Mission-Critical Programs. Bringing together key stakeholders to help them rapidly design and carry out immediate initiatives affecting the future of the business

........................................................................................................................................

This event is co-sponsored by The Resilience Hub and Power + Systems Inc (http://www.powerandsystems.com/). as part of the World Wide Week of Partnership. Lunch, Coffee, Tea and light snacks are included in the tuition for this workshop. The setting forty minutes out of Portland and 20 minutes out of LA, will make for a productive retreat for individuals or groups.

Overnight accommodations can be arranged by contacting the organizer directly. Please also direct any other questions to the organizer directly. The comments on this Meetup are visible for all to see.

There are limited scholarships and work study opportunities are available.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/4/d/8/600_404529432.jpeg

........................................................................................................................................

What have to say about the workshop:

From the National Director of World Vision Jerusalem, Gaza, West Bank

"I would strongly recommend the workshop for any NGO that is seeking to make a significant positive shift in its organizational culture, close gaps between layers in the organization, take a positive approach to resolving issues etc. It really does provide an excellent opportunity for staff to experience life in someone else's shoes. The workshop will be reverberating for some time to come in our office!" -Alex Snary, National Director of World Vision

From Create Meaning: A Center For Spiritual Renewal, Denver Colorado“

As you might suspect, churches are not immune from dysfunction! It is hard to minister to the world when church systems are in states of disarray. While many participants had studied family and emotional systems, the Partnership Workshop model was new to them. It offered insights and language to address many of the issues they face with staff teams, congregants and the community at large.” - Reverend Kelly Dignan, Director, Create Meaning

From the Grand Traverse Land Conservancy, Michigan

“The Partnership Workshop was fun and powerful. It also did a great job of highlighting ways we can empower ourselves and each other and work together collaboratively and with more empathy toward each others' roles and contexts or lenses.” - Megan Olds, Associate Director

From The Starlight Children’s Foundation, Australia

"Participants had a fantastic time participating in the workshop and we have received only positive feedback. I have already noticed how those who participated in the workshop have altered their approach based on when they are a top/middle or bottom in a situation. There is also a greater awareness across the Fundraising Team of each other’s time, priorities and challenges. We have seen an increase in understanding and consideration when one team member’s priorities may differ from another’s. This contributes to the positive attitudes in the workplace and increased cooperation amongst team members." - Zoe Grose, Head of Fundraising

........................................................................................................................................

About the Facilitator: Grady McGonagill

For 30 years Grady has headed McGonagill Consulting (http://mcgonagill-consulting.com/), where he has specialized in building capacity for leadership, learning and change. He has consulted with leading organizations in all sectors throughout the world, including McKinsey & Company, the World Bank, and the Appalachian Mountain Club. Grady has made a special commitment to working with organizations dedicated to addressing climate change.

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/2/d/c/600_404520732.jpeg

Grady’s workshops on leadership, influence skills, conflict management, and team building have been offered through a number of other executive programs including: M.I.T.’s Sloan School of Management, Babson College’s Center for Executive Education, and the Harvard-affiliated Center for Management Research.

Grady holds an Ed.D. from Harvard University, an M.A. from Stanford University, and a B.A. from the University of Texas. Publications. He is a contributor to the Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, edited by Peter Senge et al. (New York: Doubleday, 1994; the author of a chapter in Executive Coaching, edited by C. Fitzgerald and J. Berger (San Francisco: Davies Black Publishing, 2002); and the lead author of Leadership and Web 2.0: The Leadership Implications of the Evolving WebGuetersloh, Germany: Bertelsmann Verlag (2011).