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<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3>Esther -- Truth to tell, I am not much of a
survey person. Probably emotional immaturity on my part, but in most cases I
find it gives me information I (they) already knew or information that was
interesting but basically irrelevant. And then of course there is the matter of
time and expense. I think it (the survey) may also just set you up for
failure when it comes to making some useful and needed change. What I have in
mind here is the fact that most surveys I have seen give you results in bits and
pieces, where as culture is always a "whole." Specifically, I remember
one massive survey done in a massive organization -- which after many months and
mucho bucks came up with the finding that, "We are a culture of secrecy."
Basically this translated into the fact that nobody talked to anybody else, and
when they did it was usually to supply mis-information. OK -- Now what? Well I
suppose you could do training of various sorts -- communications, personal
integrity etc. And they did just that. Result? No change. Except for lots more
time and money down the hole (into the consultants' pockets). It finally became
clear to folks that this "problem" had no single, simple solution. Every part of
their life together (culture) either created or supported their malady. If you
were going to do something useful, you would have to change everything all at
once! How is that for a prescription for failure? A job you would rather not
take on? Speaking just for myself -- this is a road I would not
travel.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3>Alternative? Just do an Open Space. Or you might
call it Action Research. Theme: "What are the issues and opportunities for
building a business we would all like to be a part of?" Invite everybody who
cares -- and that could be a lot of people. Results? -- Well I am sure you can
fill in the pieces, but. . .</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3>First off, the organization will essentially
"map" itself. All those "issues and opportunities" will be the critical cultural
issues, at least as the people see it. I sometimes think of Open Space as a
community Rorschach Test. Since there is no content to begin with (just a
question) whatever shows up is what the people see. Also, the critical issues
will be in the language of the people, not in some pseudo-psycho-babble (pardon
my bias). This becomes important when you start to talk with folks. They can
actually understand what you are talking about and do not have to learn a whole
new esoteric technical language.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3>But most important (as I see it) -- they will
actually be the change they seek. And it will have happened everywhere and all
at once. At least that was the experience of the organization I was talking
about above. Suddenly all those folks who knew that they were condemned to be a,
"culture of secrecy," experienced something radically different. In the closing
I noted this "fact," and followed up with, "Your culture change has happened.
You can continue and get better -- or just go back and be miserable the way you
were. The choice is yours." Sad to say, they chose to go back and be miserable,
or at least most of them did. But they never could deny that alternatives
existed -- and the smart ones (I think) sought those alternatives, which in most
cases meant choosing alternative employment. But they did have a
choice.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3>Harrison </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=3> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Dr.<BR>Potomac, MD
20854<BR>USA<BR>301-365-2093<BR>207-763-3261 (summer)<BR>website <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.com">www.openspaceworld.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=EwingChange@aol.com href="mailto:EwingChange@aol.com">Esther
Ewing</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, July 16, 2005 9:17
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Culture survey</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#004080 size=4>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Dear all:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I wondered if anyone can help me. I have a client with whom
I am engaged in an exercise in making a culture change. We want to create a
survey that allows their people to rate their organization on a number of
continua. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Picture, for example, a scale which goes from one to five
where one is "shares information openly" and five is "information is shared on
a need-to-know basis". </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>What I need to do is to measure the major continua that we
would ask people to rate the organization. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>I could really use some suggestions for this and/or examples
of culture surveys. I would be glad to compile them and give the results to
anyone who would like to have them (assuming that the donor was comfortable
with that).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Can you help me?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Regards</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Esther</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004080 size=4 PTSIZE="14"
FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><B>Esther Ewing<BR>The Change Alliance - Building
Organizational Capability<BR>330 East 38th St., Suite 53K<BR>New York, New
York 10016, USA<BR><BR>Phone: 212-661-6024<BR>Fax:
866-296-6712<BR><BR>Distributor of Panoramic Feedback
(www.panoramicfeedback.com)<BR>Kolbe Index (www.kolbe.com) <BR>Certified
Network Member - Team Management Systems<BR>(www.teammanagementsystems.com)
<BR></B></FONT></DIV></FONT>* *
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