IN THIS ISSUE
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FEATURED THIS MONTH
A
Review of Forum 2005: Daring to Lead Provides Inspiration
Two-time attendee Sharon Atwater shares reflections
on Forum 2005 and how the experience of attending the second-time
around was different from the first.
Organization Systems Renewal Northwest (OSR-NW)
Hosts Thinkers for Our Time
Seattle played host to three extraordinary sets of
conversations including Fritjof Capra, Linda Sweeney, Peter Senge,
and Meg Wheatley, to celebrate the association of the Organization
Systems Renewal program with Seattle University. In2:InThinking
Network Newsletter contributing writer Steve Byers recounts key
program highlights.
REGULAR SECTIONS
News Briefs: CNN segment on June 13 & 15
@ 7AM
Upcoming Events
Book Review: Two
Books on Dialogue
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A REVIEW OF FORUM 2005: DARING TO LEAD
PROVIDES INSPIRATION
By: Sharon Atwater
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This year's In2:InThinking Forum revitalized me. Last year I was
a first-timer and didn't know exactly what to expect. The breadth
of information presented was amazing. It took me months to reflect
on the ideas and integrate some of those into my daily life. The
principles positively impacted many everyday situations from that
moment forward.
I was also impressed by the caliber of both the presenters and
the attendees. These kindred spirits share my philosophy that you
actually have to spend time really thinking about solving problems
rather than just pasting on more band aids. It was energizing to
discuss how to get to the root of problems and engage stakeholders
in the solutions.
This year my expectations for the Forum were much higher. I came
with the intention of being challenged to think about new ways to
solve problems that face me and that face society- the Forum rose
to the occasion. I enjoyed reconnecting with former acquaintances
and making new contacts. The speakers were thought-provoking and
their presentations were excellent.
The overall tone of Daring to Lead: Influencing Better Thinking
for a Better Future was inspirational. I was quickly immersed
in the idea of designing a brighter future for society and viewing
problems as opportunities to challenge myself and others. I was
reminded to consider time viewing situations in all of their complexity
as an investment and I learned some new ways to cope with problems
over which I have very little control.
My husband (Brian Atwater) and I are affiliated with a higher learning
institution. When we engage in experiences that broaden our perspectives
and open us to new possibilities, we share those ideas with a much
larger population. The In2:InThinking Network acts as a sounding
board that helps us evolve new ideas and view problems in a different
light. We share these concepts in the classroom and with our colleagues.
Attending the Forums reinforces our commitment to make a difference
in the world. We appreciate Boeing's ongoing support of the network
and all of the hard work that goes into planning and executing the
Forum every year. I can't honestly imagine a better way to spend
a weekend than engaging in an opportunity that has life changing
potential for you and others in your communities.
Sharon Atwater is Publicist in the Dean's office
of the College of Business at Utah State University and a member
of the In2:InThinking Network operating team as an editor of the
Newsletter.
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OSR-NW Hosts
Thinkers for our Time
Review by: Steve Byers |
In recent weeks a series of extraordinary thinkers
have visited Seattle across three sessions hosted by the Organization
Systems Renewal Program of Seattle University. The first session
featured Dr. Fritjof Capra and Dr. Linda Booth Sweeney for an evening
conversation following a day of teaching OSR students. The second
session featured Dr. Peter Senge for a midday Monday workshop that
was generously squeezed in the middle of a vacation with his family.
The third session featured Dr. Margaret Wheatley for a presentation
related to her new book and a celebration of OSR's new association
with Seattle University. I attended all three events. Most of those
attending were current or former OSR students, but there was a good
mix of visitors, particularly at the Wheatley event. Combined, the
three events also served to introduce the OSR program to the community
and recruit students for the coming cohort.
Dr. Capra and Dr. Sweeney, who are visiting faculty for OSR, carried
on a conversation with each other and the audience in an informal
setting. Each spoke briefly at the beginning in order to help everyone
reach a common minimal understanding of systems thinking, complexity,
interdependency, and the often nonlinear relationships between cause
and effect. Many small causes can accumulate over time to produce
a large effect, or a small cause can, over time, bring about a seemingly
disproportionate effect. Dr. Capra talked about the work of the
Center for Ecoliteracy,
which he co-founded. Dr. Sweeney talked about her new direction,
which is to use systems thinking to help children learn about the
principles of sustainability. If you have children, I urge you to
get her book, When a Butterfly Sneezes.
The session with Dr. Senge was phenomenal. I cannot convey the depth
of what he shared with us in this short space, so I will simply
repeat some of his observations in the hope you will seek him out
yourself. "One of the purposes of planning is to affect management's
mental models. Otherwise, why bother?" "A privileged position
does not grant a privileged view of reality. No human being has
a privileged view of reality. Yet we all think, someone must know
what's going on" (attributed to Humberto Maturana). "There
is no feedback loop that cannot be ignored if your time horizon
is short enough." Asked last year by his spiritual teacher
what ultimate effect he wished to have on the world, Dr. Senge said
he responded almost instantly and to his own surprise saying, "To
end the delusion."
Dr. Wheatley talked about her new book, Finding Our Way: Leadership
for an Uncertain Time and also previewed her upcoming 2005
Cape Cod Institute seminar. The agenda for Cape Cod in August
is about certain beliefs our culture seems to have about leadership
including: leaders know what to do, the higher the risk the more
the need for control, people can be told what to do, you can only
manage what you can measure, and fear is a good motivator. But it
was more than this- as she spoke she projected a series of photographs,
some from the new book, and made points about working together,
not going it alone, leadership and harmony with nature. She read
a poem titled, "When I am a Ukrainian," celebrating the
recent events in that country and the universal values which precipitated
these events. She said we are all trying to be Ukrainians.
Conference review this month is by Steven Byers,
Director of Quality Assurance at the Western Institutional Review
Board.
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TWO BOOKS
ON DIALOGUE
Reviews by: Austin Kim & Beth Thompson |
Listening to the Volcano: Conversations that Open Our Minds
to New Possibilities
Author: David Hutchens
Illustrator: Bobby Gombert
Publisher: Pegasus Communications
Length: 80 pages
Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope
to the Future
Author: Margaret Wheatley
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Length: 150 pages
Listening to the Volcano: Conversations that Open Our Minds
to New Possibilities by David Hutchens (illustrations by Bobby
Gombert) is the fifth and latest in a series of "learning
fables" from Pegasus
Communications. Each book in the series sets a key organizational
theme in the context of an easily relatable fictitious situation
with amusing accompanying illustrations. In this case, the setting
is the fictitious town of Smoldering Pines that is set next to a
volcano about to erupt, and the theme is conversation and dialogue.
Part of the amusing premise of the book is that as people talk,
there words take on physical (dialogue box) form and drop to the
ground. Having to live with what you say takes on a whole new meaning
in this world. While this book is a light read, Listening to the
Volcano is a good introduction to prompt a conversation about "dialogue."
A good book for greater depth on dialogue is Margaret
Wheatley's most recent work presented in a slim volume entitled,
Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope
to the Future. The book's content and purpose are beautifully
and simply summarized in this title. Wheatley wrote this book prior
to September 11th and presented it as a hope for making a difference
in a world where things are clearly not going right; it is a message
that is even more meaningful and needed in our post-9/11 world.
The power of dialogue- of simple conversation, is perhaps the only
way that we in the world community can learn to work and live together
to heal and create permanent change. This book is an exploration
of human goodness and builds a bridge between a theory on dialogue
and real practice, which is, after all, what's really required to
transform. In a little more than 150 pages, Wheatley has given us
a gift of love and the possibility of really turning to one another
using dialogue.
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FORUM 2005 RECAP
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ORDER DVDs
Visit our website for more information on ordering
DVDs of the conference sessions.
VIEW PHOTOS
View photos from our recent Forum 2005 here.
GET INVOLVED
The In2:InThinking Network is all-volunteer operated. If you are
interested in getting involved, please contact us at contact@in2in.org
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NEWS BRIEFS
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- CNN Segment: Forum 2005 speaker Joyce Musil-Condon (KANDU
Industries) and In2:InThinking Network director Marcia Daszko
will be featured on a CNN segment: June 13 and June
15 at 7 AM. Check local listings for channel information.
- Fortune Magazine discusses business decisions including
the fateful decision of Dr. Deming to go to Japan in 1950 in their
June 27th edition.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER |
We are always looking for news, ideas, letters, reviews of books
and conferences, short articles on original research, and suggestions
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