Radical Reframe: OD as an Infinite Game April 30, 2014 Glenda Eoyang, PhD Human Systems Dynamics Institute © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 1OD Forum Spring 2014
What’s the game? What’s the frame? How do we play? Now What? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 2OD Forum Spring 2014 Radical Reframe
What’s the game? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 3OD Forum Spring 2014 Radical Reframe
Static Change © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 4HSDP Cohort 34
Three Kinds of Change Method StaticDynamicDynamical Point A to point B Don’t care what happens in between Main problem: resistance Solution: push harder Examples: Outcome mgt Motivation Facilities change And... © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 5HSDP Cohort 34
Dynamic Change © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 6HSDP Cohort 34
Three Kinds of Change Method StaticDynamicDynamical Point A to point B Don’t care what happens in between Main problem: resistance Solution: push harder Examples: Outcome mgt Motivation Facilities change And... Follow smooth path Know initial and predict end point Main problem: disruption Solution: blame someone Examples: Project mgt Stages of change Planning And... © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 7HSDP Cohort 34
Dynamical Change © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 8HSDP Cohort 34
Three Kinds of Change Method StaticDynamicDynamical Point A to point B Don’t care what happens in between Main problem: resistance Solution: push harder Examples: Outcome mgt Motivation Facilities change And... Follow smooth path Know initial and predict end point Main problem: disruption Solution: blame someone Examples: Project mgt Stages of change Planning And... Tension and release Change at one scale bursts through Main problem: unpredictability Solution: watch for patterns Examples: Ahas in learning Innovation Economic collapse And... © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 9HSDP Cohort 34
Static Dynamic Dynamical Using Three Kinds of Change © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 10HSDP Cohort 34 Now what questions inform OD for each kind of change?
Finite GameInfinite Game Field of play Opponents Rules Expertise Purpose: To Win Unbounded All players Changing rules Looking for fit Purpose: Keep Playing The Rules Are Changing HSDP 2014 © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 11
Finite GameInfinite Game Field of play Opponents Rules Expertise Purpose: To Win Unbounded All players Changing rules Looking for fit Purpose: Keep Playing The Rules Are Changing HSDP 2014 © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 12
Finite GameInfinite Game Field of play Opponents Rules Expertise Purpose: To Win Unbounded All players Changing rules Looking for fit Purpose: Keep Playing The Rules Are Changing HSDP 2014 © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 13
Finite GameInfinite Game Field of play Opponents Rules Expertise Purpose: To Win Unbounded All players Changing rules Looking for fit Purpose: Keep Playing The Rules Are Changing HSDP 2014 © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 14 Now what questions inform OD for each kind of game?
What’s the frame? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 15OD Forum Spring 2014 Radical Reframe
Finite GameInfinite Game Framing the Game © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 16HSDP 2014
Finite GameInfinite Game ClosedOpen © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 17HSDP 2014 Framing the Game
Finite GameInfinite Game ClosedOpen Low Dimension High Dimension © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 18HSDP 2014 Framing the Game
Finite GameInfinite Game ClosedOpen Low Dimension High Dimension LinearNonlinear © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 19HSDP 2014 Framing the Game Now what questions inform OD for each condition?
How do we play? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 20OD Forum Spring 2014 Radical Reframe
Choices for Fit » Where are you now? » What would be more fit to purpose? » How can we take action to move in the “right” direction? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 21OD Forum Spring 2014
What can you know about a CAS? Patterns similarities, differences, and connections that have meaning across space and time. © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 22Reform
So what? Now what? What ? » Short/fast » Local/global » Private/public » Theory/practice » Formal/informal » Physical/emotional » Org/culture » And... © 2014 HSD Institute. Use with permission APR14 Adaptive Action Influence Patterns
What ? What is the pattern? What is the same? What is different? What is connected? And... © 2014 HSD Institute. Use with permission APR14 Adaptive Action See Patterns
So what? What ? » So what is the tension? » So what could be: » More same? » More different? » More connected? » Less connected? » And... © 2014 HSD Institute. Use with permission APR14 Adaptive Action Understand Patterns
So what? Now what? What ? » Now what will you do to change: » Sameness » Difference » Connection » And... © 2014 HSD Institute. Use with permission APR14 Adaptive Action Influence Patterns
Now What? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 27OD Forum Spring 2014 Radical Reframe
Your Adaptive Action » What patterns do you see in your current projects? » So what options for action do you and your clients have? » Now what will you do to play your infinite game? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 28OD Forum Spring 2014
Resources » Eoyang, G. "Toward a Computational Model of Complex Human Systems Dynamics." In How Nature Works: Complexity in Interdisciplinary Research and Applications. Heidelberg: Springer, » Eoyang, G. & R. Holladay. Adaptive Action: Leveraging uncertainty in your organization. San Francisco: Stanford University Press, » Eoyang, G. Conditions for self-organizing in human systems. Unpublished doctoral dissertation The Union Institute and University, » Olson, E. & G. Eoyang. Facilitating Organization Change: Lessons from Complexity Science. Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, » On the web: » hsdinstitute.org » adaptiveaction.org » wiki.hsdinstitute.org © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 29OD Forum Spring 2014
Patterns of Best & Worst Name of the Game OD as Adaptive Action Now What? © HSD Institute. Use with permission. 30OD Forum Spring 2014 Radical Reframe