> RE: What to do when asked about finding a vision
Mary:
As a new participant in this discussion group let me introduce myself. I
work as an an internal management consultant for the City of Toronto where
I have been involved in helping organizations be more effective for about
15 years as well as working occassionally for outside clients.
When helping an organization make changes I have found that trying to
focus, per se, on the term "vision" by itself, is not as productive as
asking "given our new funding constraints ,
. what NEEDS will we focus on
. WHO will we serve
. what SERVICE can we provide to meet that need in those people "
I use the metaphore: business is like a three legged stool - it needs us
to be clear about each of these three topic areas, if the business is to
be meaningful and "stand up" to others competing for funding.
I find that by discussing these three topic areas, a new vision begins to
emerge and someone may come up with a catchy phrase that pulls it all
together
(e.g. we are changing from small craft boutiques to a Home Depot) This
then can surface issues of values. skills, job and organization
structural changes etc. that are needed.
This appraoch to strategic planning I learned from the University
Associates book on strategic planning that came out in the mid 80's. It
is written up there. It may be as you described "an old take" but I find
it still works.
The discussion that will emerge will be difficult. You are not just
changng a cognitive model, but re-arranging - brutally for some - there
image of what they do for a living, of themself and the relationships they
have with others at work and the people they serve. Government is full of
professional people public health nurses, teachers, librararians,
planners... who work in government because of a strong commitment to
serving society. There are many in their 40's - influenced by the 60's,
hired when there was money, enriched and motivated by their successes, and
now too old to switch to other ocupations and too young to retire. The
"new business" question is particularly difficult for such folk. I have
recently worked intensely with a group that is undergoing change.
Frequently, as we were meeting day after day, that people would come in in
the morning saying they didn't sleep the night before... and we had a few
tears, from time to time. But changes were made.
If the focus is just on visioning then the above is an approach. However,
I expect one should look seriously at why the question is being asked. I
expect there is more behind it that has to deal with "how can we figure
out how to survive with the reduced funding we have." And, this is a much
bigger question than just a vision. It must also address: what kind of
values are we prepared to support; what expectations ( particularly around
discipline and productivity) must we have; how will we redistribute power
differently; and how will we relate to each other differently in the new
organizaiton. If you are not prepared to look at such questions, I
belief, the organization should leave its vision alone. Don't
re-organize; instead muddle on as they are until the axe falls and the
organization is wiped out. This is probably less painful and less
unproductive for the organization and it customers.
So when asked " how would you lead an organization in visioning" I suggest
you querry why the question is being asked to determine what the real
questions are; then answer those.
Happy New Year.
-- Don Siddall dsiddall@frontier.canrem.com