December 2008 Ongoing Discussion Announcement, with George Roth

In joining us, George offers two papers as Thought Pieces this month, both posted on the In2:InThinking Network. One is a paper published Reflections, a journal of the Society for Organizational Learning, titled "Distributing Leadership Practices for Lean Transformation." The other is a brief essay he wrote for this Ongoing Discussion, titled "Enterprise Change Capabilities," from which we share an excerpt;

The predominant form in which business is carried out has shifted over the past decades from that of a large, centrally managed, functionally organized, monolithic firm to many small units actively interacting with one another through numerous cooperative relationships. This organizational form, often referred as a networked enterprise, is consistent with the characteristics found in the most effective firms in automotive, aerospace, airline, textile, and retail industries. As organizations participate in multiple enterprise networks, how does management change? What methods are most effective for promoting and sustaining improvement across firms?

George has identified five capabilities consistently found in successful lean enterprise transformations. These capabilities for enterprise change are interdependent and support and reinforce one another. The transformation to a lean enterprise system is created by developing all of these capabilities.

As "better thinkers about systems, variation, people, and knowledge" (InThinkers), what questions can we offer to increase our understanding of these capabilities? For example, when we think about Blue Pen Companies or organizations, how might these capabilities show up? In what ways might development of the capabilities for enterprise change be related to an organization's evolution toward a more Blue Pen Company operation? What is meant by transformation in a Blue Pen Company? What obstacles might a Red Pen Company face when trying to develop these capabilities? How do we think about leadership along the Red Pen Company - Blue Pen Company continuum?

Please join us for a stimulating conversation with George Roth and your InThinking colleagues across the country and around the world.

Background

George leads the Enterprise Change Research Program of MIT's Lean Aerospace Initiative program. His studies examine initiatives that promote learning and improvement across multiple organizations. This current focus builds upon his ongoing research in organizational culture, leadership, learning, and change. George is a past Chair of the Organization Development and Change Division of the Academy of Management, a founding member of the Society for Organizational Learning, and author of numerous professional journal articles. His co-authored books include To the Desert and Back: The Story of one of the Most Dramatic Business Transformations on Record, The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustain Momentum in Learning Organizations, Car Launch: Managing the Human Side of Change,and Oil Change: Perspectives on Corporate Transformation. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Studies, an MBA in marketing and finance, and BS in Mechanical Engineering.

Contact George by email (groth@mit.edu)
with any questions you would like to share with him in preparation for his OD session with us.