9. Understanding and Renewing Complex Organizations

Groups and Organizations Who? Small-to-medium (3+ participants) Large (20+ participants) What? Collection of individuals Collection of groups When? Continuous interactions Where? Close proximity Proximity unimportant (ranges from close to far away) How? Simple structures Complex structures Why? Purpose

The Traditional Organizational Structure President _______________ Officers/Committee Chairs ________________________ Participants/Members

Inverted Organizational Structure Participants/Members ________________________ Officers/Committee Chairs _________________ President

The Web Structure The strands of the web distribute the power throughout the network, so those who come up with creative ideas feel they have both the responsibility and the authority to follow through on implementation.

Mission Statement Vision Core Values Why does this organization exist? What is the ideal future for this organization? How do we agree to treat ourselves and others as we pursue our mission and vision? Offers a compelling reason for the organization’s existence. Clear, concise language. Challenges the leader and membership to do their very best to move toward the mission for which the organization exist. Provide the core of the organization and a guide for the behaviors of the members.

Learning in Organizations Learning organizations have the capacity to grow, change, and develop in order to adapt to the challenges of constantly changing environments. Personal mastery: performing your responsibilities to the best of your ability Mental models: assumptions that people make about various aspects of the world Shared vision: the idea that the mission, vision, and purpose of an organization must be shared by all members Team learning: learning at an organizational level

Organizational Renewal One of the most critical, and often overlooked, responsibilities of leadership: to identify, recruit, prepare, and mentor the future leaders of the organization Generativity: sustaining the organization into the future What do you do to tap into the talents and energy of the members of your groups, organizations, and communities?