The Organizational Development Muse

In quiet moments of late, I’ve been recalling moments from my leadership life where my best attempts to communicate were misconstrued or misunderstood. These were not bad faith incidents, although I’ve collected those experiences also. They were of the innocent variety, at least as they began. Once known, however, they threatened significant damage unless they were treated as an opportunity to listen well, make changes where needed, and communicate even more intentionally.

Topics: process consulting, Process Consultation, Leading at a Higher Level, Art of Agreement, becoming a steward leader, the art of agreement, team communication, organizational learning, Process consultation and design, organizational development consulting, Organizational Transformation, leadership community, associational systems, triple loop learning, blurred communication, formal communication, informal communication, Mark L. Vincent, Design Group International, organizational communication, mark vincent, leadership and communication, organizational systems, organizational clarity, unproductive meetings, capital campaign communications, organizational development resources, Change Management, Team Leadership, personal leadership, Leading meetings, executive education, executive develpment, executive leadership training, Public Communication about Money,, Communicating about money, executive communication, leadership communication, business communication, business meetings, executive team meetings, Mobile Communication, leadership wisdom, relationship capital, executive learning, personal clarity, self-aware leader, organizational story, Managing Change, organizational development process, society for process consulting, corporate culture, feedback loops, board engagement, donor development, volunteer engagement, nonprofits, Community of Practice, Company Founder, Founder's Role

Anyone who leads any type of association where membership/stockholder/board member votes are in play can sympathize with the dilemma faced by leaders of the tiny Gulf States Conference of Mennonite Church USA. You can read the account of their recent losing-and-yet-winning vote here.

Topics: process consulting, discernmentarian, Art of Agreement, Process consultation and design, organizational development consulting, organizational process, Mark L. Vincent, Design Group International, organizational decision making, group process

This past Saturday I was privileged to facilitate some training in group decision-making and design for a variety of organizational boards, many of them Christian Care Communities. I tend to call this type of training the Art of Agreement

Topics: process consulting, board governance, Art of Agreement, board development, Organizational Leadership, Organizational Development. effective nonprofit ma, Mark L. Vincent, Design Group International, group process

Let us admit that the temptation in the cartoon at right is faced by executive leaders everywhere!

Topics: process design, Art of Agreement, executive leadership, peer-based consulting teams, Mark L. Vincent, Design Group International, organizational wisdom, organizational decision making, Executive Development, Executive peer-based advising

There seems no escape from the deep divides between urban/rural, republican/democrat, left/right and the radically different orientations they take with further fracturing issues such as immigration, gender identity, public education, and health care. Even more, the most articulate about their positions demand loyalty, supress reasoned discourse, discourage further learning and expect any additional evidence to support their pre-determined positions.

Topics: process design, Art of Agreement, Organizational Leadership, Mark L. Vincent, Design Group International, organizational communication, group process

Every discipline develops its own terminology. Every individual enterprise does too. This means organizational development specialists at Design Group International have some special language. 

Topics: process design, process consulting, Art of Agreement, it begins with design, untying organizational knots, next year too, organizational development consulting, Mark L. Vincent, Design Group International, who what when where why how