Isn’t it interesting how it often takes someone from far away to introduce you to someone in your own neighborhood? Earlier this year, one of our friends from the Netherlands contacted us to suggest a speaker for our annual conference. Each year, a team of Dutch educators makes the journey to the U.S. for our event, and this year, they were hoping we would invite Andy Hargreaves to keynote.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t familiar with Andy, so I Googled him. Imagine my surprise to find that he is the Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College—which happens to be in the next town over from the Pegasus offices. Small world!
The more I learned about Andy, the more obvious it became that we had to bring him to our audience. Although he is mainly known for his groundbreaking work on educational change, Andy has also done research on sustainable leadership and is currently engaged in an exciting project on organizations in business, healthcare, education, and sports that perform “beyond expectations.” We were delighted when Andy accepted our invitation to present at the November conference.
My colleague Keith McKinnon and I recently had an opportunity to visit Andy and get a preview of his keynote presentation. In the brief video below, Andy touches on some of the themes that he will explore in greater depth on November 9.
You can also click below to read some of Andy’s writings:
On Sustainable Leadership
This piece appeared in a publication for independent schools, but the principles hold more generally.
This piece appeared in an academic journal.
On “The Fourth Way," a framework for sustainable education reform that integrates teacher professionalism, community engagement, government policy, and accountability.
Janice Molloy is content director of Pegasus Communications, managing editor of The Systems Thinker newsletter, and program director of the annual Systems Thinking in Action conference.
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By Peggy Holman
What does it take to change a social system--and an industry like journalism?
A new story of journalism is being born as the old story is dying. At its heart, that new story stays true--and enlarges on--a purpose many journalists hold dear: "to provide people with the information they need to be free and self-governing" (Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel).
For nine years, Journalism That Matters (JTM) has:
- Engaged people from all aspects of journalism: print, broadcast, and new media; editors, reporters, bloggers, audience, reformers, educators, and others;
- Created space for conversations about what matters most;
- Worked with what's emerging for news and information in a democracy.
In Seattle this January, JTM hosted 240+ people from mass media and hyperlocal media, entrepreneurs, technologists, academics, students, nonprofit organizers, artists, activists, and others to consider the question:
What's possible for our region when journalists and the public come together?
The 3 1/2-day conference began with a "News and Information Commons," in which Northwest media organizations shared their work through informal displays and conversation. The evening program featured three "conversation catalysts." Each spoke for 10 minutes on journalism and civic engagement. Norman Rice, former Seattle mayor and president of the Seattle Foundation, spoke for the people. Tracy Record, former newspaper reporter and now publisher and editor of the West Seattle Blog, spoke for the press. Chris Jordan, a visual artist, provided a systems-oriented twist to storytelling that engaged the heart as well as the mind.
Attendees then participated in several rounds of World Café conversations, moving between groups of four, cross-pollinating ideas, and discovering new insights into the questions or issues that are important to them.
The rest of the conference used Open Space Technology, a process through which participants self-organize, setting the agenda based on individual passions and interests. Each day began with a plenary to organize the agenda. The day also ended with a plenary, to reflect on emerging themes. Captured eloquently by student participant Amy Rainey, the themes included:
- Passion. "At this time of transformation, we all need to connect with our feelings and care, and put that caring into our work," artist Chris Jordan told the audience during an opening night speech. "It's time to take the templates off and speak authentic human being to authentic human being." This idea of showing passion in our work--and showing love for the communities we cover--came up repeatedly.
- Community. We quickly learned that generations define communities differently. For younger people, our communities are online, not necessarily based on geography.
- Collaboration. On Saturday, I tweeted that the word of the day was "collaboratory." By Sunday, a group was working on plans for a JTMPNW collaboratory, a learning lab for entrepreneurial projects and nourishing connections, and tying the idea to the creation of a civic commons.
- Engagement. Journalists need to stop talking to their audience and instead engage in a conversation with them.
- Media Literacy. In an information-packed world in which everyone is a journalist, the public needs better training about evaluating news sources and information for accuracy and credibility.
- Hyperlocal. Several discussions focused on the need for collaboration between hyperlocal neighborhood bloggers and mass media. On the final day, a large group worked on building a roadmap for mass media and hyperlocal journalists to work together and find financial sustainability.
- Government Coverage. Many participants were concerned about the effect that cutbacks at traditional media outlets have had on state and local government coverage. But we also learned about new projects to solve this problem. One attendee, Trevor Griffey, is starting a nonprofit site called Olympia Newswire to cover this year's legislative session and revitalize statehouse reporting.
- Business Models. Creating new business models was, of course, a big part of the conversation. "It doesn't have to be one model. It can be lots of small revenue streams," I overheard someone say. Those revenue streams include memberships, foundations, grants, advertising, holding events, subscriptions, and so on.
If there's one thing we all learned, it's that the opportunities for collaboration and experimentation are endless in our new news ecology.
JTM did a great job using social media and aggregating that information. You can read notes from the various sessions on the JTM wiki, catch up on the tweets, view photos, and watch videos. If you're interested in joining this conversation and attending future events, join the LinkedIn group.
Moving Forward
On the final morning, the group identified its next steps. Session notes are posted, and the work continues.
Peggy Holman hosts conversations that matter, inviting people to gather around the issues most important to them and move their dreams into action. Her book, The Change Handbook, co-edited with Tom Devane and Steven Cady, has been warmly received by people wishing to increase resilience, connection, collaboration, and aliveness in their organizations and communities.
At the 2009 Pegasus Conference in Seattle, Washington, John Seely Brown spoke on the topic of "Rethinking the Organization: From Scalable Efficiency to Scalable Learning." In this clip, he explains why he's optimistic about the future: The impulse by today's youth to use social technologies to collaborate and build on each other's creativity. JSB believes that the blogosphere and other web-based tools provide a powerful means for people to express provisional ideas, receive honest feedback, and evolve their thinking.
by Bob Stilger
Tadaima! ただいま. That's what is said in Japan when one returns home. "I'm back, I've been out in the world and I am back." And that is exactly how I felt last week during a trip to Japan. I'm a little embarrassed--はずかし--to be writing about what is happening in another country and culture. So just let me be clear--my story is as a foreigner, a visitor, and I speak only from my outsider perspective.
My relationship with Japan started 40 years ago, when I escaped there during my senior year in college. My life and learning in Japan have been a central part of who I am. It is my spiritual home. But I've never been inclined to take my work there until recently.
Last November, at the Pegasus Systems Thinking in Action Conference, I was presenting on behalf of The Berkana Institute. I was amazed to see 25 or so people from Japan. Normally there are just several. I wondered, "What's happening?" and learned that the answer is "a lot." Over the last couple of years in Japan, there has been a tremendous surge of interest in and work with systems thinking, Presencing, World Café, Appreciative Inquiry, and a host of other processes. The people I met have not only embraced these methodologies, they have created a huge opening for new ways of thinking and being. And in Japan, when something begins, it moves quickly!
Conversations soon evolved into an invitation to give a workshop and to participate in an evening Dialogue Bar. The weekend workshop with 20 participants was a combination of my work on Resilient Communities, Enspirited Leadership, Art of Hosting 
sampler, and Art of Change sampler all rolled into one. We met in circle and Open Space and World Café. We walked in silent pairs and in dialogue pairs. We modeled with clay, and the clay was so loved that it became a part of the rest of the World Café sessions. We designed the second day together, and much of the hosting was done by the participants.
Monday night was the "Dialogue Bar." More than 100 people from all walks of life and all ages came. I presented an opening keynote, in which I shared a bit of my life story as well as some of my findings about Enspirited Leadership. But they really came for conversation. Lively, animated, intense conversation about what it takes for social innovation to make enough of a difference to make a difference.
What did I learn from this amazing experience? I learned that World Café is being used extensively in business in Japan these days. People seem comfortable with the World Café format; it is intimate, yet with some protections. It is well documented and not just some "flakey" way of doing things. Heck, the prime minister even has the book The World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter! And the hunger for conversations that matter is inspiring. People know things need to change. And they know they need to be part of that change.
Japanese know how to listen to each other with their whole bodies and to hear far beyond the words. They know how to be silent with each other. They know how to be respectful. They know how to find questions. AND, there is an expression in Japan, "The nail that sticks up is pounded down."
How does one continue to listen with one's whole being AND stick up, stand up, find courage and clarity to offer one's leadership in a time of immense change? This is the question that Japan is ready for and it has been cracking wide open for more than two years. This is why there were 25 people from Japan at the Systems Thinking in Action Conference this past November where there have been four or five in the past. And this is why I'll be back for some work in May and suspect I will be returning more frequently!
Bob Stilger has been engaged in community change work since the mid-1970s. In recent years, much of his work has been in places like South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, and Brazil, where new forms of engagement are being created. He has a PhD in Learning and Change in Human Systems from CIIS and was the co-president of The Berkana Institute from 2005-2009.
by Janice Molloy
Say that sales are dwindling in a key part of your product line--not an uncommon problem these days. You're under pressure to produce earnings for your parent company and need to boost your profitability, but how? You could continue to invest your dwindling dollars in innovative, high-quality products for your main customer base. Or you could take a niche product that appeals to a limited market but costs relatively little to produce and elevate it to a central role in your offerings. Would you consider this a game-changing strategy?
According to published reports, television network NBC did when executives decided to move Jay Leno, the long-time host of The Tonight Show, from his late-night slot to primetime programming five 
nights a week. Now, a mere four months later, they've done a 180, pushing Leno back to an 11:35 p.m. start time and causing turmoil among their stable of late-night talk show hosts.
The reason for the flip-flop? According to USA Today, "Leno's prime-time audience (about 5.6 million viewers overall) was 30% lower than the schedule it replaced among NBC's young-adult target audience." The lower viewership devastated local affiliates. Without a strong lead-in for their 11 o'clock news programs, they lost market share and advertising revenue.
The surprise is that this diminished audience wasn't a surprise; it was more or less a self-fulfilling prophesy. NBC fully expected The Jay Leno Show to attract a smaller audience than the scripted dramas it replaced. What executives were banking on was a higher profit margin. Even with the extravagant salaries that late-night hosts command, talk shows are much less expensive to produce than dramas. NBC gambled that the lower expenses would outweigh the reduced advertising revenue.
NBC also saw the move as solving another thorny problem: keeping the popular Jay Leno in the line-up. Five years ago, even as Leno was leading the late-night ratings battle, the network signed on comedian Conan O'Brien as heir apparent to The Tonight Show. The plan was for O'Brien to take over from Leno in 2009; in the meantime, O'Brien was prevented from going to a rival network. When the time came for O'Brien to move to The Tonight Show, NBC executives decided they didn't want to lose Leno to a competitor, either. The primetime show served as a way to keep Leno in the mix.
NBC achieved its goals: The Tonight Show was profitable for the network and it retained key talent, but its strategy still failed. There are many systems lessons to be learned from the late-night mess: about long-term value creation versus short-term profit, about seeing the whole system, including your partners and their needs, about true innovation. What strikes me most, though, is that it seems to be a prime example of operating from what Robert Fritz calls a "Reactive/Responsive" rather than a "Creative/Generative" orientation. NBC perceived main two predicaments: it didn't want profitability to fall and it didn't want to lose top-notch talent to competitors. Programming executives responded with quick fixes that appeared to address the problems in the short run but only compounded them.
But what if instead of trying to avoid things we don't want to happen, we articulate a vision of what we do want to achieve? Here's how Fritz describes the shift in emphasis: "The creative process is the opposite of problem solving. In problem solving, the focus is on situations we don't want. Our orientation is circumstantial and our actions are taken to get rid of what we don't want, not to create what we do want. Many people brag that they are dedicated problem solvers. They don't understand the reality that all of the problem solving in the world won't bring about what they want. If you got rid of all of your problems, you still won't have what you want. You will have spent a lot of time and energy, spinning your wheels, but not getting anywhere. And while problem solving has its place, if that's mostly what you do, you aren't going to go very far."
The good news for companies in the entertainment world is that they have a whole lot of creative folks chomping at the bit to, in Fritz's words, "imagine beyond the circumstances and reach something truly original." That would be a real game-changer.
Janice Molloy is content director of Pegasus Communications, managing editor of The Systems Thinker newsletter, and program director of the annual Systems Thinking in Action conference.
Peacock photo taken at the Melbourne Zoo by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos and used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation license.
By Janice Molloy
Daniel H. Pink's latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Riverhead Books, 2009), couldn't come at a more apt time. As the outcry over exorbitant bonuses for Wall Street traders and executives rises yet again, Pink has turned to 
science to learn what truly compels people to perform their best. He found that a focus on financial rewards can lead to shortcuts, unethical behavior, and short-term thinking--the kind of attitudes and activities that contributed to the recent global financial crisis.
Research shows that "carrots and sticks" can still play a role in motivating performance of routine tasks that don't demand much creative thinking. But in a work environment that requires innovation, self-direction, and advanced problem-solving skills, external incentives actually undermine people's ability to come up with novel solutions to complex challenges. In addition, Pink notes, "In environments where extrinsic rewards are most salient, many people work only to the point that triggers the reward--and no further."
Pink has found that the key to personal and organizational success in today's context is drawing on people's higher instincts: our drive for "(1) Autonomy--the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery--the urge to get better and better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose--the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves." A genuinely motivating work environment provides adequate and fair compensation; a congenial atmosphere; a sense of autonomy over what, when, how, and with whom people do their work; opportunities to develop mastery; and duties that relate to a larger purpose.
So what practices can, in Pink's words, "strengthen our companies, elevate our lives, and improve the world"? One example he offers is from the Australian software company Atlassian. Once a quarter, engineers are given 24 hours to work on any software problem they want, as long as it isn't part of their regular jobs. The company calls these "FedEx Days," because the goal is to deliver something overnight. The result: Employees have fixed countless long-term software glitches and developed numerous new products.
Google has a similar tradition, in that engineers spend one day a week working on projects that aren't necessarily in their job descriptions. The company reports that half of its new products got their start in the 20% time, including its popular Gmail and AdSense applications.
Online shoe retailer Zappos has injected autonomy into the traditionally rigid, routine work of the call-center employee. Unlike their peers in other businesses, Zappos' workers can use their own discretion in solving customers' problems. They aren't required to follow a script or limit their time with a buyer. As a result, the turnover rate at Zappos is exceptionally low, and its customer-service scores are comparable to those of high-end companies such as the Ritz-Carlton.
Clearly, as Pink reports, "Companies that offer autonomy, sometimes in radical doses, are outperforming their competitors." And that's the bottom line of Drive--by using what research can teach us about human motivation, we can create both more humane and more effective workplaces.
We can also create more ethical ones. When people are driven by intrinsic motivators, they are less likely to cut corners or pursue short-term gains at the expense of long-term value creation. So, how can we get our financial leaders to take these lessons to heart?
Janice Molloy is content director of Pegasus Communications, managing editor of The Systems Thinker newsletter, and program director of the annual Systems Thinking in Action conference.
By Eve M. Enslow
I lost my grandmother the week before the Pegasus conference. Even though she was 96, my Grandma was so 
energetic that her death came as a complete surprise. In responding to the challenge of organizing a memorial event on short notice, my family showed up as capable, compassionate, and courageous collaborators. The results have been truly amazing.
I wondered to myself, "What do we know and value as a family that made our collaborative effort work so seamlessly? Could these same practices be applied to collaboration at work?" These questions were particularly timely, as my colleagues and I gave a presentation on innovation that included tips for collaboration.
In my reflection, I came up with the following three observations on collaborating well with others:
1. Let people do what they do best. Each of us has unique talents and gifts. Empower each person to take on a specific job or role. Let them make decisions based on their experience and expertise. This requires trust and respect. It also takes self-discipline not to override a decision just because you might have done it differently.
2. Keep everyone informed. Communicate clearly and regularly so that everyone feels "in the know" and can offer feedback on things they feel strongly about. Be sensitive, receptive, and caring when listening to feedback.
3. Find creative ways to incorporate everyone's ideas. It ensures that participants will stay inspired and engaged in the effort, and it makes the end result better.
What other thoughts do you have about making collaborative efforts work? When have you seen a group pull something great together in a short timeframe with little or no conflict? What behaviors and values were they demonstrating? Be well, my friends!
Eve M. Enslow is a senior consultant at Telstar Consulting Services. She held both business and technical roles during her nine-year tenure at Microsoft, culminating in the position of Diversity Manager for the Windows Business Group. Her current emphasis is on consulting and executive coaching. Click here for more of her writings.
By Gabriel Shirley
Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, has written a new book called The
Design of Business: Why Design Thinking Is the Next Competitive Advantage. The concept of "design thinking" has really taken hold as a primary innovation strategy in the last few years. It has been pioneered by companies like IDEO and by experience design professionals in the Web 2.0 space.
Martin contends that design thinking is likely to present challenges to traditional management consulting firms that charge large sums of money for incremental improvements. Design firms, on the other hand, do not limit themselves to thinking based on "proof" or "hard data." They get creative, innovate, try new things, and see how they work in a fast and nimble way. A consulting firm that brings design thinking to its clients would be able to deliver breakthrough results for significantly less money than in the conventional model. Combining the skills of traditional consulting firms with design thinking firms could be the winning combination that provides both innovation and acceptable risk management for larger corporations. See the Fast Company article on this subject.
I have been using design thinking in my consulting practice for a number of years with excellent results. One of the key assumptions about this kind of work is that everyone can contribute to innovation. It's important to listen to "the need beneath the need" and ask everyone involved what they would do if there were no limits or constraints. Inevitably creative ideas arise from the collective "group mind" if they are invited to the party.
Gabriel Shirley is an organizational consultant who works at the convergence of organizational systems, human potential, emergence, and technology. He is the founder of BigMind Media, where he designed the BigMind Catalyst knowledge management platform in the 1990s.
Photo of Brooklyn Bridge by Nancy Daugherty
The 19th Annual Pegasus Conference concluded on Wednesday, after two and a half days of thought-provoking presentations, practical skill-building workshops, and deep conversation. We were excited to have a Twitter Wall on hand to facilitate bringing the outside world into our conference community and moving conference highlights out into the larger world. Here are some tweets that give a taste of this year's event:
LogosNoesis: The #pegasus09 Conference is over. It was a great experience. Glad I took time yesterday pm to process, open space style, and reflect.
wkamiya: Digital generation defines identity on what they've created, shared & what others have built on. (John Seely Brown) #pegasus09
nomadslounge: Cool, keynote by john seely brown plugs #opensource as scalable learning. Attendees of our session on os collaboration get it! #pegasus09
radinclusion: Juana Bordas her mission: wholistic, multi-cultural model of leadership #Pegasus09 #st09bordas
wendybalman: To share our stories is to create community. -Juana Bordas #Pegasus09 #st09bordas
radinclusion: Leadership is a communal responsibility ...LaDonna Harris Comanche American Indians for Opportunity #Pegasus09 #st09bordas
JennScharf: LOVE this video shown by Linda Booth Sweeney at #pegasus09 this morning - The Wombat (All is One) http://bit.ly/HapWQ
norskedoc: Great presentation on Winds from the East, principles of success for long lasting Japanese companies--food for thought. #pegasus09
liseconde: Ask me about unintended consequences! Becoming a systems thinker here at #pegasus09
LogosNoesis: How the parts are connected. Q: In what small (or big) ways might you reconnect parts to whole? #Pegasus09 #st09sweeney #leadchange
radinclusion: Symptom as guide vs. as enemy. Enemy: make it go away. Guide: what can I learn from the symptom. #Pegasus09 #st09sweeney
wendybalman: "A courageous conversation is the one you don't want to have" #Pegasus09 #st09whyte
LogosNoesis: Q. What are the conversations surrounding my environment that are going to happen with or without me? #Pegasus09 #st09whyte
NewsAboutChange: #Pegasus09 #st09senge Watch how often we attempt to seek change without changing ourselves.
wendybalman: What does it mean to awaken the heart of an organization? -Peter Senge #Pegasus09 #st09senge
pegasustweets: Great energy in the opening session of the conference last night with David Isaacs--it was a full house! #Pegasus09
By Janice Molloy
My son loves to play electronic racing games. He literally jumps with excitement as his character speeds along a virtual track, 
passing competitors and avoiding obstacles. His favorite feature is the "power boost": At certain junctures, after the vehicle gains enough "energy," he pushes a button that temporarily hurtles his character along with even greater momentum.
This image came to mind this morning as I thought about our upcoming conference. Starting next Sunday evening, the 19th annual Pegasus Conference will launch into full swing. For more than two and a half days, participants will gain new perspectives from speakers on the leading edge of management innovation, take away practices to improve how they operate back in the workplace, and learn from others who are putting systems thinking and organizational learning to work in all different sectors.
At their best, such events provide participants with a boost similar to what the characters experience in my boy's video game. No matter how committed we are to our work, we all have to tune our engines from time to time. Likewise, we benefit from periodically pulling over to a rest stop or meandering along a scenic back road. A conference, workshop, or training session can provide a bit of both kinds of refueling--a chance to hone skills and learn new ones, and a break from the workaday routine. The goal is to return to our home base refreshed and inspired to motor through the next leg in the journey with greater energy and direction.
For those of us on staff, and the "friends of Pegasus" who contribute their time and expertise to the effort, the conference is the gratifying culmination of more than a year's worth of creativity, planning, collaboration, and hard labor. As exhausted as we'll be in the aftermath, the insights we've gained and connections we've made will fuel us and our work for months to come.
Next week, we plan to blog from the conference venue, to give those who can't attend a taste of what's charging our engines this year. Some participants also plan to send updates by Twitter, so look for the following hashtags (the tagging convention for Twitter, which provides a way to search on all tweets related to a topic):
General Conference: #Pegasus09
Peter Senge Keynote: #st09senge
David Whyte Keynote: #st09whyte
Linda Booth Sweeney Keynote: #st09sweeney
Juana Bordas Keynote: #st09bordas
John Seely Brown Keynote: #st09s-brown
How do you boost your ability to meet the challenges ahead?
Janice Molloy is content director of Pegasus Communications, managing editor of The Systems Thinker newsletter, and program director of the annual Systems Thinking in Action conference. \
Race Car Photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Porsche_race_car_Kentenich09_amk.jpg