Going Deeper Into Change

On February 11, eleven Learning Group members held a special meeting on Presencing and Theory U, following up on learning from the meetings on those topics presented by Otto Scharmer in our meetings of September 2004 and December 2005, respectively. It was a very stimulating occasion, illustrating the energy and breadth of knowledge and experience that always occurs when Learning Group members get together.

Some of the questions and issues discussed were as follows:

What are the sources of resistance in individuals and organizations toward deeper inquiry and transformational change?

Having perusaded an organization to go deeper, how exactly do we get them there (or is better just to go without knowing how)?

How can we make ensure that “shift happens”?

Can make a typology or map of techniques for going deeper? In addition to Presencing, Dialogue, Focusing, intentioning, interventions based on poetry and other arts (our October 2005 program presented an example), getting people to tell the truth, were mentioned?

How can we maintain the “magic” and energy that deeper practices create?

If people don’t want to go deeper, can we persuade them – or should we just let them fail?

Can we create a “container that lasts”?

What is the role of critical thinking in developing deep change?

The consensus was strongly in favor of continuing the discussion. We thus invite members to participate here as one way to do that. We will also be announcing another meeting, possibly taking place next month.

Indeed, a new Learning Group special interest group could be in the making. We were, however, not able to come up with “just the right” name for what it is that we are exploring and agreed to work on that as a follow up activity.

Noting that other posts have been made about the role of humor in OD, here are some possible acronyms:

· Deeper Intervention Guides – DIG SIG

· Getting Organizations Deeper – GOD

· Shift Happens in Optimal Organizational Transformation - SHOOT

· Taking Organizational Analysis Deeper - TOAD

Jim Murphy