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<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008080><SPAN class=123183216-17072005>Hi
Jack! Thanks for these questions. They will be great additions
to the library of questions for the Strategy Cafes at the Girl
Scout Convention, especially the one focused on
culture. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008080><SPAN
class=123183216-17072005></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008080><SPAN
class=123183216-17072005>Hot, hot, hot (but of course, it's a dry 115
degrees) greetings from Phoenix</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face="Viner Hand ITC"
color=#008080><EM><STRONG>Christine</STRONG></EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT color=#0000ff><FONT size=2><FONT color=#008080><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">Christine Whitney Sanchez<BR><FONT color=#800080>Triune
Milagro, LTD</FONT><BR></FONT><STRONG><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS">480.759.0262 <BR></FONT></STRONG></FONT><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=1>VISIT OUR WEBSITE: </FONT></FONT><A
href="http://www.triunemilagro.com/"><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
size=1>www.triunemilagro.com</FONT></A><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">
</FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#800080 size=1><EM><STRONG>Invoking the
wisdom and capacity of the human spirit! </STRONG></EM></FONT></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Jack
Ricchiuto<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, July 17, 2005 7:43 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: Culture
survey<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><FONT face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Here are some questions I think your client and the
select group of folks included in the conversation should consider – some are
better than others, all are valid.<BR><BR>Who else should be in the
conversation about culture?<BR>What matters most to us about the culture of
this organization?<BR>What do we believe about the role of culture in the
success of the organization and its stakeholders?<BR>Why are we talking about
culture?<BR>What’s going well in the culture now and who’s talking about
that?<BR>If we weren’t talking about culture, what else would we want to talk
about?<BR>Do people in the organization feel like their strengths are engaged
in their work?<BR>Do people feel like their work aligns with their passions
and dreams?<BR>Do they feel like the organization inspires passion and
dreams?<BR>What does it feel like to be a part of this
organization?<BR><BR>Jack <BR><BR><BR>On 7/17/05 9:50 AM, "Esther Ewing"
<EwingChange@aol.com> wrote:<BR><BR></SPAN></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT color=#004080><FONT size=5><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">Harrison and others;<BR>I imagine that I was not
entirely clear about my needs. In fact, while I need the elements of a
culture survey (i.e. what kinds of continua would you put in one) I and my
client have no intention of actually surveying. Rather, it is a talking
point for facilitated conversations that one of my clients needs (with my
help) to have with some others of the internal folks. So I'm not really
setting out to do a big complicated culture survey. I'm trying to arm my
client with some of the elements they need to consider which is why I posted
to the list. I hoped that I would get some elements suggested by the list
members. <BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR></SPAN><FONT size=5><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">Thanks<BR>Esther<BR></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR></SPAN><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">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.<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">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.
. .<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">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.<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">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.<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14px">Harrison <BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14px"> <BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls
Dr.<BR>Potomac, MD
20854<BR>USA<BR>301-365-2093<BR>207-763-3261
(summer)<BR>website www.openspaceworld.com <A
href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/"><http://www.openspaceworld.com/></A>
<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN></FONT>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR>-----
Original Message ----- <BR> <BR><B>From:</B> Esther
Ewing <A
href="mailto:EwingChange@aol.com"><mailto:EwingChange@aol.com></A>
<BR> <BR><B>To:</B> OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
<BR> <BR><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, July 16, 2005 9:17
AM<BR> <BR><B>Subject:</B> Culture
survey<BR> <BR><BR></SPAN><FONT color=#004080><FONT size=5><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18px"><BR>Dear all:<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR></SPAN><FONT size=5><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">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.
<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">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".
<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">What I need to do is to measure the
major continua that we would ask people to rate the organization.
<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">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).<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">Can you help
me?<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">Regards<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR></SPAN><FONT size=5><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 18px">Esther<BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR> <BR> <BR></SPAN><FONT
size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px"><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></SPAN></FONT></FONT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">* *
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<BR></SPAN></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><FONT color=#004080><BR></FONT></SPAN><FONT
color=#004080><FONT size=5><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 18px"><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></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT
face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">* *
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style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><BR><BR><BR><BR></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><FONT
face="Papyrus, Times New Roman">Jack<BR></FONT><FONT
face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial"><BR>~~~~~~~~~~<BR></FONT><FONT
face="Papyrus, Times New Roman">jack
ricchiuto<BR>two.one.six/three.seven.three/seven.four.seven.five<BR>www.DesigningLife.com
/ www.AppreciativeLeadership.com</FONT><FONT
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