September 2010 Ongoing Discussion, with Russ Gaskin,Cliff Kayser,and Barry Oshry

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's InThinking Network welcomes Russ Gaskin, Cliff Kayser, and Barry Oshry (pictured below,
left to right, and bottom) to lead our ninth Ongoing Discussion of 2010 on September 23rd and 24th (and our 129th session since we began in 2000).

A few years ago we started a practice of featuring two presenters from the annual Pegasus Communications Systems Thinking in Action conference (every November) as our September Thought Leaders. Our intention is to foster our relationship with the wonderful people at Pegasus, to introduce more of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's (PWR) InThinking Network to Pegasus and vice versa, and to help generate interest in the Pegasus conference. In the last few years we have featured Sadruddin Boga and Tracy Huston as September Pegasus Thought Leaders.

This year we are very happy to present three new Thought Leaders (though one of them has a prior relationship with PWR already). Barry Oshry will feature on Thursday September 23. Russ Gaskin and Cliff Kayser will share time with us on Friday September 24.

At the Pegasus conference in November (2010 Conference), Barry will host a Forum session titled "'Middles' as System Integrators: Converting Middleness into Organizational Power". Russ and Cliff will host a concurrent session titled "Getting Unstuck: Turning Unsolvable Problems into Virtuous Cycles Using Polarity Management".

Thursday, September 23

Barry Oshry is known around the world for his pioneering work with people and systems (Power+Systems). He has worked for over 35 years with a single-minded quest to unlock the mysteries of power and powerlessness in social system life. Some PWR staff may have worked with Barry in the lats 1990s, when he conducted several Power Labs in Canoga Park. We hope that you will recall and share your experience of that time when you join the conversation on the 23rd.

Barry's Thought Piece for this conversation is titled "How to Create Power Individually and Collectively in the Middle." In the 1970s, Barry began to notice a recurring pattern of powerless in the "middle" of organizations. "Middles" are often seen as the stumbling block in change programs. And they're seen as fractionated, disorganized, resistant - folks who can't get their act together. He continues to see this pattern today when he is called to work with organizations. What are the common "explanations" of Middle powerlessness? It's been suggested that it's a genetic Middle defect. Or, it's a mystery disease that strikes people once they reach Middle positions. And, some people blame the Human Resources selection process; they are just not promoting people with the right stuff. Barry will lead us in a discussion of the systemic factors leading to "Middleness". When you've read the Thought Piece, take a few minutes and consider the questions Barry offers for reflection:

1. Do you see this pattern in organizations you are in or working with?

2. Do you see payoffs in creating Middle disperse/integration strategies?

3. Why are Tops not involved in integration and how can they be involved in the overall strategy?

4. What strategies would you employ to create this form of individual and collective Middle power?

5. What first steps could you take?

Friday, September 24

Russ Gaskin and Cliff Kayser's Thought Piece is a presentation titled "The Values Opportunity" . Russ and Cliff will lead us in a discussion of values that are personally important to us. They ask, "how we can place our relationship with these values in a larger context?" They will help us understand and appreciate "values dynamics" and the significant opportunities such interactions present for innovation breakthroughs. We'll learn about the concept of interdependent values (also known as polarities, dilemmas, paradoxs, or unsolvable problems) and what it means that we tend to choose just one value from a pair. Ongoing Discussion participants will see this conversation as an invitation to yet another way of thinking about thinking. This wide-ranging topic will connect to the work of Donella Meadows (systems thinking) and Otto Scharmer (Theory U).

After you've read the slides and savored these ideas, please take the short quiz provided on page 22, and have your answers available when you join the call on Friday.

Biographical information

Russ Gaskin describes himself: "I am a change agent, consultant, mentor and teacher who advances sustainability and social justice through social innovation. At Green America, I develop innovative programs, platforms and tools to advance both environmental and social sustainability. Through my part-time consulting practice, I help organizations and their stakeholders clarify complex challenges and opportunities, and develop innovative and productive pathways to mutually-beneficial outcomes. I also advise masters-level students and teach workshops and courses in social entrepreneurship, social innovation and systems analysis and interventions.

An Associate of Polarity Management Associates, Cliff Kayser is a speaker and trainer in the Polarity Management theory, tool and process developed by Dr. Barry Johnson, author of "Polarity Management: How to Identify and Manage Unsolvable Problems." Prior to launching Xperience® in 2007, Cliff was Vice President of Organizational Development and Training for The National Cooperative Bank (NCB), a cooperatively -owned, Congressionally-chartered financial institution located in Washington, D.C. Cliff spent nearly a decade serving The Washington Post newspaper as Senior Organization Development Consultant and The Washington Post Company as Corporate Manager of Human Resources, Training and Web Development.