Chris Corrigan:

A culture is emergent and is the result of millions of interactions, behaviours, artifacts and stories that people build up over time. It is unpredictable and results in surprise. The idea that a “culture change initiative” can be rolled out from the top of an organization is not only a myth, it’s a hidden form of colonization. And worse, the idea that people need to be changed in the way the boss determines if we are to become the kind of place that we all aspire too is cruel and violent.

Some fantastic notes and practices from Chris. Essential reading for those of us working with groups and organizations to address ‘culture change’.

Patrick Hollingworth:

At its most abstract level, this contrarian approach to organisational transformation is about working from where you already are, rather than aiming for where you want to be. It is about working with what you’ve already got, rather than what you’d like to have. It is about quietly going-about an ongoing transformation with minimal energy expenditure, rather than loudly going-about a finite transformation with massive energy expenditure.

This is a great read. The contrarian approach to organisational transformation (or change) that Patrick outlines makes an awful lot of sense.

Via Kevin Bishop.

Krista O’Reilly-Davi-Digui:

What if I all I want is a small, slow, simple life? What if I am most happy in the space of in between. Where calm lives. What if I am mediocre and choose to be at peace with that?

So many feels. It’s easy to see why this blog post has gone viral. Krista poses some interesting questions. I’d be perfectly happy spending my days in a house by the beach, sitting on the couch drinking a beer and patting my dog.

Marianne Roux:

Many Australian institutions remain closed, elite, slow, exclusive and linear.

Some astute observations. Herein lies a challenge.

Brian Eno:

… society should be built on the more egalitarian model of a folk or rock band, who just get together and do their thing, rather than a classical orchestra. “Can’t you see,” he says with the passion of a visionary, “if you transpose that argument into social terms, it’s the argument between the top down and bottom up? It is possible to have a society that doesn’t have pre-existing rules and structures. And you can use the social structures of bands, theatre groups, dance groups, all the things we now call culture. You can say: ‘Well, it works here. Why shouldn’t it work elsewhere?’”

I love this metaphor.

Mike Monteiro:

As designers, developers, engineers, or whatever you call yourself these days, you need to realize that there is an ethical component to what we do. And it’s more important than ever to exercise that judgement. It’s not optional. It’s not something you adapt to the ethics, or lack thereof, of your employer, and it’s not something you can save for a side hustle.

Decision making is not black and white. On a daily basis we are confronted with a wide range of ethical dilemmas. Mike raises some important points about being aware of this, making informed choices and exercising good judgement.

Jacob Morgan writing for HBR:

When organizations make real gains, it’s because they’re thinking longer-term. They’re going beyond what engagement scores are telling them to do in the moment and redesigning employee experience, creating a place where people want, not just need, to work each day.

Some compelling evidence that shows our focus should be on how people experience their organisation day by day.

Eric Lynn:

It has become desirable–unfortunately–for “consultants” to describe oneself as a “facilitator”. The word seems to sound good, and where the client themselves are not quite clear on the significant differences in these roles, they may well be impressed enough to provide you with business, while being unaware of the consequences of not clarifying either precisely what they want/need or the depth of skills the consultant actually brings with them.

This continues along the same lines as my post from last Friday. It’s so important to distinguish between the roles of Consultant, Moderator and Facilitator. The article also highlights how critical contracting and re-contracting with clients is.

Hugh Mackay, writing for The Conversation:

The message of the me culture is antithetical to our true nature as communitarians; as people genetically programmed to co-operate rather than compete; as people whose very identity is inextricably linked to the groups we belong to; as people who will shrivel up (emotionally, if not physically) if we are not nurtured by the experience of engaging with the lives – and sharing the pain – of those around us.

A thought-provoking look at the current ‘state of the nation’.

Elizabeth Pinnington for Reos Partners:

In my early years of designing and facilitating programs, I thought my role included controlling meetings. I took responsibility for whether groups started at the agreed-upon time, how people behaved in meetings, and whether or not we achieved the desired outcomes. This approach automatically set me up to be in opposition with many participants. I was taking responsibility for work that was not mine to do in the first place, inadvertently creating “difficult” (that is, frustrated) participants by stepping over people’s boundaries.

Some nice reflections on the role of a facilitator. I don’t think there’s any way to overstate the importance of the idea of finding ‘one less thing to do’.