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Rochester Institute of Technology
Introduce yourself. If you use a personal story for your introduction, tie it in with Polarity Management. Be clear about how the introductory course fits into everything else that the institute offers. We are already doing this to some degree. What I mean by this includes thinking like: What will be covered in the intro course with the intent of “Awareness” only because “Understanding” will come in a later course and “Skill” will come through yet another course. NOTE: IF THIS IS LESS THAN A FULL DAY, IT WILL BE AN AWARENESS COURSE. IF IT IS A ONE DAY COURSE IT WILL BE AN UNDERSTANDING COURSE. Polarity Thinking: A Look across RIT Margaret Seidler, MPA, Polarity Management Master Material based on work of Barry Johnson, PhD, Founder of Polarity Partnerships, LLC
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Preferences Instructions: In your handout, notice that the two
columns are related. The items in the left column are related to the corresponding item in the right column. Go through the list and circle the alternative you prefer. The one on the left or the one on the right.
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1 Session Purpose Transfer your personal learning to organizational opportunities and challenges Experience a more thorough examination of chronic, complex issues Reveal connections between opposing views in the name of a Greater Purpose that is unifying Support your understanding and ability to ask questions/make contributions with difficult issues
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The Value of Either/Or Problem Solving
2 The Value of Either/Or Problem Solving Negative results from rejecting Either/Or Thinking Without Either/Or Thinking, one generation could not pass key elements of its culture to the next generation: Can’t learn Language Can’t learn Mathematics Have no sense of History Do not understand the basics of how the world works. 5. No moral compass – don’t know the difference between right and wrong. Two important results from getting the right answer: Success and rewards = “A” grades etc. When you are right, those who disagree with you are wrong. Positive results from Either/Or Thinking Either/Or Thinking is essential for one generation to pass key elements of its culture on to the next generation: Language – How do you spell ________? Mathematics – 4+4= _____ ? History – Who was the conqueror of Mexico? Bernal Diaz del Castillo ____? Cuauhtemoc ____? Hernan Cortez ____? Benito Juarez ____ ? Science – Why do apples fall down off trees rather than up? _____________________ Morals – According to many cultures and religions murder is: Right ____ Wrong ____
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Solution Problem
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Solution Problem
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Competitive Advantage
VALUES Entrepreneurial Initiative Speed and responsiveness Business unit freedom and innovation Business unit recognition 2 Solution Integration of business units Collaboration and mutual support Equality and mutuality Efficiencies of coordination Autonomous Business Units Integrated Business Units Strategy 3 Gap Bureaucracy and red tape Slow and unresponsive Excess conformity and lack of innovation Lack of unit recognition Fears Silos – isolation of the units Excess competition Inequality between the units Redundancies Problem 1 Can’t Compete
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Competitive Advantage
VALUES Entrepreneurial Initiative Business unit creativity Business unit freedom Business unit recognition VALUES Integration of business units Collaboration and mutual support Equality and mutuality Efficiencies of coordination Solution Autonomous Business Units Integrated Business Units FEARS Silos – isolation of the units Excess competition Inequality between the units Redundancies FEARS Bureaucracy and red tape Lack of business unit creativity Excess conformity Lack of unit recognition Problem Can’t Compete
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Competitive Advantage
3 Competitive Advantage VALUES Entrepreneurial Initiative Speed and responsiveness Business unit freedom & innovation Business unit recognition VALUES Integration of business units Collaboration and mutual support Equality and mutuality Efficiencies of coordination Autonomous Business Units Integrated Business Units and FEARS Bureaucracy and red tape Slow and unresponsive Excess conformity and lack of innovation Lack of unit recognition FEARS Silos – isolation of the units Excess competition Inequality between the units Redundancies Can’t Compete
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Putting Polarity Thinking to Work
4 Putting Polarity Thinking to Work See It Map It Tap It - #1 Assess Present Realities Tap It - # 2 Action Steps Tap It - #3 Early Warnings Continue Tapping - #1, 2, 3 The remaining 3 Steps
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Organizational Preferences
Student Centered and Professional Development & Scholarship Centered Innovation and Traditional Ways Flexibility and Structure Teamwork/Collaboration and Individual Initiative Cross-college Divisions and My Department Growth of Grants and Quality of Grant Work Amenities and Academics Teaching and Learning Technology Focus and Research Focus Have a taped vertical and horizontal line on the floor creating the 4 quadrants of a polarity map. Make a tape “+” sign in the inner corner of the two upsides and a tape “-” sign in the inner corner of the two downsides. Make sure there is enough space in each upside for all participants. Have participants quickly go through the list and put a check by their preference for each (30 Seconds) Ask participants to take their workbooks or this page with them and move to the upside of the pole that represents their preferred choice. Start off with one of the pairs. When individuals talk about why they chose the pole they chose, they stay in the upside quadrant to talk about the positives of their preferred pole. Ask them to go to the downside of the opposite pole if they want to talk about the limits or concerns associated with the opposite pole. Key points: We choose a pole both because there is something positive we associate with our preferred pole (its upside) AND there are some concerns we have with the opposite pole (its downside). Opposition becomes resource in filling out a complete map because each group has easy access to one upside and its opposite downside. Combining both points of view gives a more complete picture. The smaller your opposition the more you need to listen to them. This is because a large majority preferring one pole makes the group vulnerable to over-focusing on that pole and neglecting the pole favored by only a few. The group thus is vulnerable to the downside of their preferred pole.
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Conflict Issue What I want What they want What they don’t want What I
Change theories and Conflict theories could inform each other. All human systems change (regime change or otherwise) involves a conflict between those desiring the change and those with reservations about that change. They appear to be at “cross purposes” with each other. Change strategies are intended to address this “resistance” experienced by those at cross purposes with the change. The “X” on the left above is a simple graphic of the conflicted energy going at right angles to each other. Conflict situations also have individuals or groups with desires that appear at cross purposes. The “X” on the right above shows the two energy arrows at right angles to each other. If the conflict is over a polarity rather than a problem to solve, the conflict and the change effort sit within the same type of energy system which is the infinity loop oscillating around two poles of a polarity. What is different is the name of the poles.
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Complex Issues can cause Conflict…
Get winners and losers. Lose sight of the big picture. Stop listening to the “other” side. Limit possibilities and options because we are focused on being “right.” Can engender anger, resentment, even hate.
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How to deal with Complex or Conflicting Issues
Articulate a Goal “Greater Purpose” of common interest (At the end of the day, we all want…) Recognize that multiple viewpoints exist and are essential Understand how to get the best of differences Consciously manage the tension over time Bring awareness of the complexity in a simple way (Introduce Polarity Thinking)
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Higher Common Purpose What I want What they want Self Other What they
5 Higher Common Purpose What I want What they want Self Other What they Don’t want What I Don’t want From a polarity perspective the energy which appears at cross purposes in change efforts and in polarity based conflicts is, in fact, a part of the same energy system which is the whole infinity loop. With the polarities within a conflict or a change effort, there is always the possibility of creating a virtuous circle rather than a vicious circle. Because of this common thread (infinity loop) within change processes and conflict resolution processes, it makes sense for change strategists to learn from conflict resolution strategists and the reverse.
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11 Important Organizational Polarities
6 11 Important Organizational Polarities From Polarity Management Associates Centralized Coordination AND Decentralized Initiatives Recognize the Individual AND Recognize the Team Reduce Cost AND Improve Quality Competing with Others AND Collaborating with Others Stability AND Change Celebrating Our Differences AND Celebrating Our Commonalities Care for My Part of the Organization AND Care for the Whole Organization Showing Respect for Every Person AND Showing Respect Based on Performance Getting the Job Done (task) AND Building Relationships Taking Care of the Organization AND Taking Care of the Customer Work AND Home 3 Organizational Polarities From The Three Tensions by Dominic Dodd and Ken Favaro Profitability AND Growth Today AND Tomorrow The Whole AND The Parts 1 Organizational Polarity From Built to Last by Collins and Porras Preserve the Core AND Stimulate Progress 7 Organizational Polarities From Managing on the Edge by Richard Tanner Pascale (Left column = the 7 areas of “Excellence” from In Search of Excellence) Strategy ……...Planned AND Opportunistic Structure…..….Elitist AND Pluralistic Systems..……..Mandatory AND Discretionary Style…………..Managerial AND Transformational Staff…………..Collegiality AND Individuality Shared Values…Hard Minds AND Soft Hearts Skills…………..Maximize AND Meta-mize 10 Strategic Management Polarities From Strategy Synthesis by Bob de Wit and Ron Meyer Logic AND Creativity Deliberateness AND Emergentness Revolution AND Evolution Markets AND Resources Responsiveness AND Synergy Competition AND Collaboration Compliance AND Choice Control AND Chaos Globalization AND Localization Profitability AND Responsibility Have a taped vertical and horizontal line on the floor creating the 4 quadrants of a polarity map. Make a tape “+” sign in the inner corner of the two upsides and a tape “-” sign in the inner corner of the two downsides. Make sure there is enough space in each upside for all participants. Have participants quickly go through the list and put a check by their preference for each (30 Seconds) Ask participants to take their workbooks or this page with them and move to the upside of the pole that represents their preferred choice. Start off with one of the pairs. When individuals talk about why they chose the pole they chose, they stay in the upside quadrant to talk about the positives of their preferred pole. Ask them to go to the downside of the opposite pole if they want to talk about the limits or concerns associated with the opposite pole. Key points: We choose a pole both because there is something positive we associate with our preferred pole (its upside) AND there are some concerns we have with the opposite pole (its downside). Opposition becomes resource in filling out a complete map because each group has easy access to one upside and its opposite downside. Combining both points of view gives a more complete picture. The smaller your opposition the more you need to listen to them. This is because a large majority preferring one pole makes the group vulnerable to over-focusing on that pole and neglecting the pole favored by only a few. The group thus is vulnerable to the downside of their preferred pole.
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Built to Last… PRESERVE Core Values Core Purpose CHANGE Cultural &
Operating practices, Goals & strategies PRESERVE Core Values Core Purpose 1994 Built to Last… The Genius of the “And” By Jim Collins & Jerry Porras
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and The Polarity Management™ Consultant Development Intensive
High Performing Organization Traditionalists Pioneers and The Polarity Management™ Consultant Development Intensive Delivered by: Robert Jacobs, Barry Johnson, Liz Monroe-Cook, Beena Sharma and Elaine Yarbrough Sponsored by PMA October and December 6-7, 2007 This book belongs to ____________________ Low Performing Organization
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Value of Differences Traditionalists Pioneers Honor the past
Celebrate successes Strong connection to core purpose Risk adverse Pioneers See what “can” be Seek to try different approaches Recognize the need for change Will take risk to improve
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The Polarity of People at Work
7 The Polarity of People at Work + Predictable, comfortable Build momentum on current work Avoid unnecessary risk + Fresh new ideas, excited Innovate for the future Fix what is broken Traditionalists Pioneers - Boring, stuck Neglect the long term picture Hide from things that are broken Chaotic, loss of focus Overwhelmed by change Risky (fix anything AND everything – no matter need) These 2 options are actually 2 sides of a polarity On one side is the conventional approach On the other side is the collaborative approach Polarity management gives us a tool to help us know when to use a play from book 1 and when to use a play from book 2.
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Stability Change Polarity Thinking enhances
8 Polarity Thinking enhances Our ability to Identify and Appreciate our Past and Anticipate our Future. To: An historical strength which leads to the downside below. To: Solution Preferred Future Stability Change Unanticipated Consequences New Problem From: Problem Present State The final arrow in the infinity loop completes the process. When you see the whole infinity loop and understand that all polarities oscillate around the two poles, it will radically effect your approach to change. The change is seen as a part of an ongoing process which has a history you can identify by backing up the loop and a future you can anticipate by looking forward on the loop. You can also anticipate the resistance and incorporate its wisdom into the change process. When a change is seen as a solution to a problem rather than as a natural self-correction in an ongoing oscillation between two poles, the misperception reduces the attainability, speed, and sustainability of the change effort. 21
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Key Points Every change effort is part of a polarity energy system.
9 Key Points Every change effort is part of a polarity energy system. Treating a polarity as if it were a problem to solve Reduces the attainability Slows down the process by increasing resistance Even if the resistance is overcome, the goal of the change effort is inherently unsustainable If you want to guarantee the failure of a change effort, tie it to one pole of a polarity. If you want success, tie it to both poles Because polarities are indestructible, any polarity you identify will be a solid base on which to build a sustainable change and a sustainable organization. Review this summary slide.
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10 Taking it Home! What practical applications do you see for polarity methods? How will you take this back? What steps can you take within the coming summer break, new school year? Who can you join with to make this happen? What's likely to get in your way of what you see as possible now at the end of this session, and how can you best address that now and anticipate/find support?
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Thank You! For more info go to… www.mypowersurge.com Margaret Seidler
11 Thank You! Margaret Seidler Author of Power Surge For more info go to…
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