July 17, Seeing and Leading Differently: Asset Building and Complex Change Planning in the Midst of Chaos

July 17, Seeing and Leading Differently: Asset Building and Complex Change Webinar Series, /3The Landscape Diagram 5/22Self-Organizing Change 7/17Planning in the Midst of Chaos 9/18Sustaining Change over Time and Space

July 17, Your Guides... Glenda Glenda H. Eoyang, Ph.D. 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

July 17, Your Guides... Nancy Nancy Telett-Royce 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

July 17, 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.

July 17, Today we will... Review previous webinars in this series. NOTE: You don’t 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.

July 17, A Quick Review: Landscape Diagram A Quick Review: Landscape Diagram Certainty Agreement Close to Far from Close to Organized Unorganized

July 17, A Quick Review: Self-Organizing Change Complex 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

July 17, A Quick Review: Self-Organizing Change Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) Agents System-wide Patterns

July 17, May 22, CDE Model: Conditions 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 CE D

July 17, What is planning for you & your organization? Planning is NOT... 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.

July 17, How do you plan for each? Planning is about Change Change Is Changing Traditional Change One level at a time One time—snapshot Cause>>effect Root cause End determined Predictable Controlled Complex Change Whole,part,greater whole Over time—video Cause >Effect Many causes End unknown Surprising Emergent

July 17, How have you used the tips in the past? What adaptations would help you plan better in your chaos? Seven Tips for planning when I can’t predict or control

July 17, Have a plan, but hold it lightly.

July 17, How do you avoid getting stuck? 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 plan—listen more than you talk! Sometimes throw out the old and plan from scratch.

July 17, Plan to plan again.

July 17, How often do you plan to plan? 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 you’ve learned. Repeat your core stories and look for shifts. Have a regular schedule for re-planning. Make the planning process an adventure.

July 17, Look toward multiple horizons.

July 17, How much change across your horizons? 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.

July 17, See the future from different points of view.

July 17, How many views work for you? 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.

July 17, Expect to stretch and fold.

July 17, How do you know when you need to stretch/fold? 5. Expect to stretch and 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.

July 17, Leave space for surprise.

July 17, How do you plan to be surprised? 6. Leave space for surprise. 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 you’re seeing and hearing.

July 17, Plan for every part of the Landscape.

July 17, How rugged is your landscape? 7. Plan for every part of the 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.

July 17, 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.

July 17, 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.

July 17, Next Time Sustainability— Balancing Stability and Change What does it mean to make your initiative sustainable? How do you sail the “Seven C’s” of sustainability? How sustainable is your own asset building efforts? How can you make them more sustainable? Join us!

July 17, Continue the conversation on-line To download today’s presentation and related resources go to: To continue the conversation and add your own relevant resources, join the Complex Change listserv by going to institute.org/mailman/listinfo/complexchange institute.org/mailman/listinfo/complexchange For additional resources on complex change, visit:

July 17, 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.