Whole Systems Change
Consider the idea of positive change – an exploration of what is true, good and possible in order to speed and energize the process of organizational transformation. Some call this “Change at the Speed of Imagination.” The AI Summit methodology engages the “whole system” by involving a cross-section of as many interested parties as is practical. That means more diversity and less hierarchy than is usual in a working meeting, and a chance for each person to be heard and to learn other ways of looking at the task at hand.
Culture Change and Transformation
Organizational culture has often been referred to as the set of shared values and beliefs that determine “how things are done around here”. In this way, culture is an enabler for an organizations performance and represents the most significant leverage point for transformational change to occur. Yet in most cultural change efforts, the tendency is to throw the “baby out with the bath water” inadvertently discounting the values and beliefs that people hold in hopes of re-programming the organization. Repeatedly this meets with resistance and failure. By using AI the organization taps into the strength of its cultural values and beliefs, engages the hearts and minds of its people and unleashes the reservoir of human potential that is really needed to transform the organization.
Organizational Design
The post industrial era is evidenced by the highly-networked, multi-cultural, and geographically distributed organizations in existence today. To support the creation of these new organizational forms requires new types of organizational design — specifically, emergent organizational design. The AI approach assists in designing/redesigning organizations for a rapidly changing environment — designing for both what is known and unknown about the future. The outcome: flexible, adaptable, responsive, and networked organizations which are uniquely designed for success.
Change Leader/Agent Development
Making sustainable change a reality in organizations requires much more than the support and involvement of executive leadership, it requires having people at all levels of the organization who see themselves acting as agents of change. By developing a diverse network of change leaders, organizations build the internal capacity they need to implement even the most radical of change agendas.
Communication
Where transformation is the heart, communications are the arteries of any successful change effort. AI is a highly effective method for building and maintaining communication by enabling the identification of key stakeholders, messages, and venues that embrace dialogue and facilitate awareness, belonging, and support for the change agenda.