Focus is on how parts interact together to affect the whole.

 Shifts attention from:  The parts to the whole  Objects to relationships  Structures to processes  Hierarchies to networks  The rational to the intuitive  Analysis to synthesis  Linear to non-linear thinking

 Tenets of a learning organization  People feel they’re doing something that matters to them personally and to the larger world  Every individual in the organization is enhancing his/her capacity to grow and create  People are more insightful working as a team as opposed to individually  The organization continually becomes more aware of its essential knowledge base

 Visions of the direction of the organization transpire from all levels. Executive management manages the process allowing emerging visions to become shared visions  Employees are encouraged to learn what is going on at every level of the organization, so they can comprehend how their actions influence others  People feel free to inquire about each others assumptions. There are few undiscussable subjects  Individuals treat each other as colleagues. There is mutual respect and trust in the way that they talk to each other, and work together, no matter what their position  People feel free to try experiments, take risks, and openly assess the results.

 Accepting responsibility  Creating policies and procedures, and using them  Discouraging politics  Establishing protocols for disagreement, resolving conflict and moving forward  Expecting the best in others  Follow through  Giving encouragement  Maintaining openness to constructive criticism  Providing opportunities to learn  Respecting everyone regardless of position  Rewarding excellence  Seeking to learn and grow  Sharing freely  Setting up processes for constant reevaluation and reassessment  Striving for transparency  Taking risks and being willing to make mistakes

 Arenas of organizational performance  Governance  Staff Leadership  Finance  Administrative Systems  Services  Staffing  Marketing  Capacity framework of an organization  Aspirations  Culture  Human Resources  Organizational skills  Organization structure  Strategy  Systems & Infrastructure

 Fundamental Traits of Organizational Effectiveness  Everyone has a good idea of the decisions and actions for which he or she is responsible  Important information gets to all parties quickly  Once made, decisions are rarely second-guessed  Information flows freely across organizational boundaries  Everyone has the information they need to understand the bottom-line impact of their day-to-day choices  Conflicting messages are never sent to the market  The individual performance-appraisal process differentiates among high, adequate, and low performers  The ability to deliver on performance commitments strongly influences career advancement and compensation  Besides pay, many other things motivate individuals to do a good job

 Dysfunction 1 – Absence of Trust  Dysfunction 2 – Fear of Conflict  Dysfunction 3 – Lack of Commitment  Dysfunction 4 – Avoidance of Accountability  Dysfunction 5 – Inattention to Results

 Problematic  Conceals weaknesses  Hesitates to ask for help  Hesitates to provide constructive criticism  Jumps to conclusions  Fails to recognize or tap into others skills and experiences  Holds grudges, dreads spending time with coworkers  Resolution  Admits weaknesses  Asks for assistance  Accepts questions and input  Gives benefit of the doubt  Appreciates and taps into others’ skills  Focuses on important issues not politics, offers & accepts apologies without hesitation

 Problematic  Has boring meetings  Creates environments where back-channel politics and personal attacks thrive  Ignores controversial topics that can be critical to success  Fails to tap into all opinions and perspectives  Wastes time and energy with posturing and interpersonal risk management  Resolution  Has interesting meetings  Minimizes politics  Puts critical topics on the table for discussion  Extracts and exploits the ideas of all team members  Solves problems quickly

 Problematic  Creates ambiguity about direction and priorities  Watches windows of opportunity close due to excessive analysis and unnecessary delay  Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure  Revisits discussions over and over  Encourages second- guessing  Resolution  Creates clarity around direction and priorities  Aligns the entire team around common objectives  Develops an ability to learn from mistakes  Takes advantage of opportunities  Moves forward without hesitation

 Problematic  Creates resentment among team members who have different standards of performance  Encourages mediocrity  Misses deadlines and key deliverable  Places undue burden on the leader as the sole source of discipline  Resolution  Establishes respect among team members who are held to the same high standards  Ensures that poor performers feel pressure to improve  Identifies potential problems quickly by questioning one another’s approaches without hesitation  Avoids excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action

 Problematic  Stagnates and fails to grow  Loses achievement- oriented employees  Encourages team members to focus on their own careers and individual goals  Is easily distracted  Resolution  Enjoys success and suffers failure acutely  Retains achievement- oriented employees  Benefits from individuals who subjugate their own goals/interests for the good of the organization  Avoids distractions