Changing the way things are done - that's what OD means to most people.

 

For us, there are one or two additional things that need to happen before the output of a large group can possibly change in a sustainable way. You'll have heard the old joke - how many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb? Just one - but the lightbulb has to really want to change. Yes, OK, rubbish old joke BUT...The same applies to the people in an organisation. Sustainable change can only be achieved with an 'inside out' approach.

 

You can't develop a team unless you touch the individual thoughts and feelings of each member first. You can't change the performance of the organisation unless you change the feelings, attitudes and behaviours of the individuals in the teams first. And of course, you can't really change any of those feelings or thoughts. But you can prepare the ground to make change a possibility.

 

 

 

Organisations

 

This is a huge topic comprising many elements. This page is just a taste of how PEC approaches group and organisational working projects. The rest of the site, and especially the knowledge centre features the distillation of many years' experience in the fields of business and executive coaching, troubleshooting human problems in organisations and helping teams to become more productive and happier.

 

Before you navigate your way to the FAQs pages, here are what we think are 4 Golden Rules for getting organisation-wide group working projects energetically and cleanly off the ground:

  1. Understand the opportunity or problem - Make sure you/the people in charge really grasp the specifics of the problem or opportunity - not just its symptoms.
  2. Language is important - the objective for the project needs to be articulated in one simple phrase or sentence. If it can't be, it means you are going for too much or that the objective is not sufficiently refined.
  3. Keep the level of ideas generation and decision-making as low down the structure as possible. If the chiefs make the 'right' decision but the indians don't like it, an un-winnable game of cat-and-mouse will ensue - guaranteed.
  4. The people nearest to the change are the ones who hold the key to the essential detail and complexities of an area. Make sure that they are in the front seat beside you.

 

You may find a scenario that comprises elements of your own in the scenarios section along with some tips on a possible approach. [This bit of the site is being updated - thank you for bearing with us. PF 12 May 09.]