Here is a story of a successful change initiative at a conservative Dutch-based bank, thanks, in part, to the Chaordic Design Framework. It is an excerpt of my forthcoming book: Make Light Work in Groups.
In 2003, two women internal to the bank wanted to make positive change. One worked in the Human Resources department; the other had the “Sustainability” brief.
Their first move was to invite everyone in the bank to a meeting to discuss, “What legacy would you like to leave?”. To their delight, seventy-five people showed up from all corners — across departments, generations and genders, and from bottom to top of the hierarchy.
With this strong response, and thanks to high-level champions, the original pair brought in two consultants to launch what soon gelled as a “Personal Leadership and Change Community”.
Listening for what had attracted people (the need), the group framed its core purpose:
“To live, plant, and support action at [the bank] towards more meaningful and inspiring work/life.”
They also identified ten guiding principles, including:
- We are nourished by successes and mistakes along our way
- We support and inspire each other
- We investigate and connect to other initiatives in [the bank] of a similar intent.
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The group was not a department. It had no head honcho, and no budget. Instead what it offered were “spaces” — an intranet site, monthly circles, and quarterly World Cafe or Open Space events, where people were invited to share their ideas and dreams and to find others to join them in taking action.
The Change Community became the “go to” place for people with an idea, and spawned initiatives ranging from events and programs all the way to policy change for the bank as a whole.
Taking stock after five years, here is how they articulated their successes:
Benefits to the Business we saw…
- Nurturing internal innovation capabilities
- Shaping and igniting leadership capacities
- Engaging across diverse business units, functions, and cultures
- Developing design and hosting skills
- Attracting and motivating key employees
- Activating dialogue
- Expanding imagination and generating creative solutions
- Exploring and responding to tomorrow’s opportunities
- Developing collaborative potential
- Experiencing intergenerational discussion and wisdom
- Building trust, relationships and accountability
- Fostering internal personal and institutional resiliency
Supporting change agents supports change. When the purpose is making a difference, beneficial initiatives can come from anywhere in a system. Chaordic Design is a powerful framework for creating an environment that nurtures and connects change makers, whether for an organization as a whole, or for a self-selecting community within a larger context as in the Dutch bank.
In this particular story, a 2009 merger swept in new management. There was no longer high level support for the Change Community and there ceased to be monthly meetings. But the genie was out of the bottle. The ripples had made changes in forty-five departments of the bank. The new skills and experience of working “chaordically” cannot help but be part of ongoing stories of everyone involved. In fact, several of these Change Community members are now entrepreneurs using the Chaordic lens in designing their new ventures.
Related posts:
- Trust is the foundation of healthy groups (and everything)
- Effective Group Decision-making
- Why I’m writing “Make Light Work in Groups”
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