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<DIV>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. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Thanks</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Esther</FONT></DIV>
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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
title=http://www.openspaceworld.com/
href="http://www.openspaceworld.com/">www.openspaceworld.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=mailto:EwingChange@aol.com href="mailto:EwingChange@aol.com">Esther
Ewing</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=mailto: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 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 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="14"><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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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#004080 size=4 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="14"><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)
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