Creating the Conscious Corporation :Creating the Conscious Corporation Jerry L. Talley JLTalley & Associates SBODN August 2006


The Corporation: misdirected documentary :The Corporation: misdirected documentary Callous unconcern for the feelings of others Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships Reckless disregard for the safety of others Deceitfulness: repeated lying and conning others for profit Incapacity to experience guilt Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behavior DIAGNOSIS: Psychopath


An Exercise: The Intelligence of Groups :An Exercise: The Intelligence of Groups The Synergy Hypothesis The LCD hypothesis The Camel Hypothesis The Brightest Person Hypothesis The Averaging Hypothesis Suppose you had a group composed of people with varying IQ’s: What would be the intelligence of the group .. as a whole? 160 150 140 130 120 110 100


The Received View :The Received View Directives Strategic plan Priorities Headcount Budgets Policies Structure Information on conformance to directives


The Data-Driven Organization?! :The Data-Driven Organization?! Track corporate performance against industry standards Track process performance against process metrics Track project progress against plan Track individuals against quarterly “numbers” Goals, budget and schedule are formed independent of capability or need . . often independent of each other! Data collection, display, and distribution overshadows original purpose Employees spend effort deflecting blame rather than understanding causes Developmental efforts thwarted by contaminated data Deteriorating performance motivates poorly targeted improvement efforts Objective data squeezes out intuition, anecdotal data, or visioning


Good Intentions Gone Awry :Good Intentions Gone Awry An attempt to create collective intelligence through managed interaction of the pieces Deliberate data collection Structured data use Relies on cumulative self-interest Rests on executive design and oversight A conscious company would pursue the same outcomes, but through a very different path Support curiosity Emergent data uses Build collective interests Rests on innovative interactions and unfettered explorations


The Conscious Company?! :The Conscious Company?! The ability to sense its environment . . and itself A memory Widely shared models for creating meaning for external market for internal states for corporate purpose Capacity to experiment to expand the model


Can you see the skull? :Can you see the skull? Our perceptions are organized around the models we have in our heads. Can you also see the woman sitting at her mirror?


Do you see the old General? :Do you see the old General? Can you also find the two people talking under the arch? With a dog near by?


Filling in the blanks :Filling in the blanks


Seeing only what’s there? :Seeing only what’s there? Stare at the grid. Do you see hazy grey spots at the intersections? Look more closely at any single intersection.


Perception :Perception What critical external event does your organization routinely ignore or misperceive? How does your organization sense its own internal state? Morale? Engagement? Resilience? Willingness to take risks? Strain? Burnout? Executive credibility? Strategic commitment?


At your table (hypothetically)... :At your table (hypothetically)... Capture One interesting, revealing example One possible rule, trend, or lesson You need not capture the entire conversation Think and Share First answer the questions on your own Share your answers with each other


Memory :Memory How does your organization “keep data” (even if people change)? How far back does the memory extend? How do (new) employees access the memory when needed?


Modeling :Modeling Military? Sports? Nautical? Mechanical? Family? Medical? Organic? Just financial? What widely shared model does your company have of its place in the market? Of its internal operation? Of its customers? Do you see models imposed that do not fit well with the data? Do you see evidence of people working from distinctly different or even incompatible models?


Learning :Learning In what areas has your organization shown consistent improvement based on experience? Has your organization ever made the same mistake twice? How was the lesson missed?


What if we all wrote down . . . ? :What if we all wrote down . . . ? I will do . . . I will talk with . . . about . . . I will investigate . . . . . and then we walked by the Stickies on the way back to work?


The Essence of the Exercise :The Essence of the Exercise Elements Touches on all 4 components of consciousness Asks for both the general and specific Closing exercise bridges to beyond the meeting Consequences Infuses large group with overlapping conversations Invites people to continue the interaction rather than coming to closure Supports action by cultivating intention and developing consensus


The Conscious Company?! :The Conscious Company?! Relies on a dense network of related conversations An orientation of experimentation and learning Action and reflection Leverages the self-organizing capability of large groups Consciousness is not a directed, constructed event Can’t be “managed” Consciousness is an emergent event An unpredictable byproduct More than the sum of its parts Self-regulating An act of faith


Thank you! :Thank you! Jerry L. Talley JLTalley & Associates www.JLTalley.com (650) 967-1444