posted Mar 12, 2009 5:03 PM by William Smith
[
updated Mar 13, 2009 6:29 AM
]
University Seminar on Complex Systems
Funger Hall 320, 2201 G Street NW, from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 will be William E. Smith PHD Director of ODII www.odii.com
The presentation covers a
new theory of organization that has emerged from more than three decades of
action research. The applications that contributed to the action part covered
the whole gamut of organization levels from individuals trying to achieve high
performance within their individual jobs, all the way through teams and
organizations to multiple organization involved in the design of large scale
World Bank Projects, through the design of whole sectors of the economy, whole countries
and ultimately to the design of the Global
Development system itself.
The story behind the
development of this theory and practice, called A,I C for Appreciation, Influence and Control, the names of the three power
relationships that form the base of the emerging organizing fractal, is
recounted in the book “The Creative Power: Transforming Ourselves, Our
organizations and Our World” William E. Smith.
This presentation will
focus on understanding the five-dimensional, holonomic organizing fractal of AIC relationships that has emerged. It will show its origins in the contributions
made by Science, Philosophy and Theology. It will also show how complexity
theory is organization in the fourth dimension and how the addition of a fifth
dimension reveals the simplicity behind Complexity.
|
posted Mar 12, 2009 4:58 PM by William Smith
[
updated Apr 10, 2009 3:50 PM
]
ODII
is testing a new computerized beta version of its Power Map. The Power
Map is an instrument that uses color preferences to give you insight
into your purpose,the power it creates and how you use tht power. It
helps you understand and develop the full potential of your leadership
capacities. The
Power Map is based on the five-dimensional power theory AIC
(Appreciation Influence and Control) described in the book "The
Creative Power: Transforming Ourselves, Our Organizations and Our
World" William E. Smith (2009) in which the properties of color as a
five dimensional language of our brain and nervous system are developed. A
Beta, computerized version of the Map will be introduced in the second half of April. 2009 the Beta Version will
be available free to those who agree to provide feedback on their
experience with the instrument. contact wesmith@odii.com if you would like to try the beta version. The Power Map is not a personality test but a holonomic, educational and
development process that needs to be repeated several times over time
to gain its full value. The Power Map :. - Reveals
both the conscious and unconscious aspects of your purposes and how
they influence the actions you take and the reactions you receive from
your world.
- Creates a dynamic view of the reciprocal power relationships that exist between yourself, others and your world.
- Recognizes
that how you go about the pursuit of your purpose depends on the
situation you are in and gives you feedback on your power dynamics as
they occur in different environments.
- Summarizes your power pattern as the development of your leadership potential over time: from what you have learnt from
past experience to what you hope for in the future and how you are
currently managing those possibilities and constraint
The Powr Map can be used as the base building block in coaching for
leaadership development, organizational, institutional, and cultural
change and transformation. |
posted Jan 30, 2009 7:37 AM by William Smith
[
updated Mar 13, 2009 8:35 AM
]
Developing
Your Creative Power
To
Transform Yourself, Your Organization And Your World.
Bill Smith and friends will lead an extended
introduction to The Creative Power at a workshop on Friday,
April 3, 2009, 1-4 PM on the Penn campus.
You and your colleagues are invited to
attend.
Please reserve your place by e-mailing your
name(s) to:
John
Eldred (215-704-4890 cell)
jeldred@sas.upenn.edu
There will be a nominal fee of $75.00 payable
at the event. This fee will cover a copy of the book and meeting expenses.
Please make checks payable to Dr. William Smith.
Participation in this seminar will enable you
to apply the basic ideas in The Creative
Power both to your own role and to your organization and to join the
growing number of professionals who are forming a community of interest in this
renewal movement.
You will experience all three of the creative
power fields, appreciation, influence and control. Through a process of Power Mapping
you will discover your own pattern of purpose and power and how it influences
your past, present and future approach to leadership.
Please contact John Eldred for questions and
suggestions for specific topics for the session.
|
posted Jan 8, 2009 4:42 PM by William Smith
[
updated Mar 10, 2009 12:36 PM
]
William E. Smith Lecture
|
Event:
|
Dinner Lecture
|
|
Featured Speaker:
|
William E. Smith, Ph.D.
Director, Organizing
for Development, an International Institute (ODII)
|
|
Topic:
|
The Transformational Origins and Opportunity in Our Current Crisis:
A New Philosophy, Theory and Model of the Organizing Process. "
Bill places our current
financial crisis in the context of an evolution of our concepts and practice of
organization which in turn depend on our concepts of purpose and power.
In his newly released book “The Creative Power: Transforming Ourselves,
Our Organizations and our World” he gives a full accounting of the theoretical
and practical origins of this evolution.
At our session Bill will
review the three stories that are intertwined in the book, his own career long
search for explanations of examples of high performance, the story of the
evolution of organizational theory, and, finally, a story that only emerged in
the actual writing of the book, the story of the human spirit that finds ways
to cope no matter what the prevailing organizational theories and practices.
In the telling of the
stories Bill will illustrate how our current crisis is a product of the same
evolution. He will indicate how Obama is an instinctive carrier of the evolutionary
forces that are ready for all of us to harness and which he has already
incorporated in his seemingly miraculous rise to the Presidency.
Bill will end with
highlights of implications of the new philosophy, model and organizing process
for ourselves as leaders, our organizations and our world. .
|
|
Date:
|
Thursday, January 22, 2009
|
|
Time:
|
5:15 - 6:15 p.m.
|
|
Fees:
|
There is no charge for ODEN
members or other members of the Organizational Dynamics community. Others
may be charged $25.00 at the door.
|
|
Place:
|
Hourglass Room, University
Club, second floor
Inn at Penn
Walnut Street between 36th and 37th Street
|
|
Registration:
|
Registration is not necessary if you are a student or
faculty member scheduled for class on Thursday, January 22. All others must
register by email at dynamics@sas.upenn.edu
|
|
|
posted Jan 8, 2009 12:41 PM by William Smith
[
updated Jan 21, 2009 9:59 AM
]
DC Plexus
Fractal January Meeting
Tuesday, January 13
6:15-8:45pm
Place: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services
Center, Conference Room A
4805 Edgemoor Lane
- 2nd Floor
Bethesda, Maryland
20814
(across from Red Line Metro Bethesda)
Nature’s Creative Power in You
(Simplifying Organization and Complexity Sciences through
Neural Sciences)
Guest Speaker: Bill Smith
Bill, an
organizational scientist, began a search for an explanation of examples of
exceptional performance in organizations that could not be accounted for with
the reigning paradigm of organization theory and science. Along the way his action research experience
taught him that power was a central explanatory variable yet organization
theory at that time declared that power was so ubiquitous that it had no
explanatory value. Similarly, Bill found that the source of power was purpose
but science denied that purpose has any place in the explanation of natural
phenomenon.
In order to account for his explanations of exceptional
performance in practice, Bill had to create new theories of purpose, power and
organization. He had to step outside the bounds of current thinking in
organization and science to include theology, philosophy the biological and
neural sciences. To explain his findings
Bill uses the organization of the three nested systems formed by our brain, its
visual system and our color perception system.
He then shows how the nested, five-dimensional, fractal organizing
process applies equally to the organization of the physical world, our social
world and the world of mind.
The resulting AIC
theory (appreciation, influence and
control), according to Alan Barstow
of Organization Dynamics at the University
of Pennsylvania produces
a
“…
rosetta stone of organizational theory and models. All the concepts and
principles you have read about and used over the years are not just explained
in this book; they are connected”
Bill’s final coup de
grace is to show the reader their own particular pattern of purpose, power
and organizing process. Using a Power Mapping Process based on the natural
organizing process of the neural system linking our brain, visual and color
perception systems, you can discover and explore your own pattern of purpose,
power and organization.
The session will be organized using Bill’s AIC process. We
will use an abbreviated version of the Power Map to illustrate the three
theories at work within you. Bill will then give a brief overview of how this
pattern of AIC power relationships works in organizations and communities to help us become more “power-full” in
achieving our highest possible levels of purpose. As a ‘lagneiappe’ you will
also be able to understand and explain Obama’s special pattern of power use.
For directions - check out the Plexus DC blog at http://www.plexusdc.org/
There is no
fee for participating in this meeting.
Stop by Le Madeleine across the street and pick up a snack. Bring Friends.
Note: Of
the 'automatic' doors at the BCC
Regional Service
Center building are
locked when you get there, push the buzzer and we should be able to let you in
....
|
Meeting ReviewLisa explains role role
of Plexus
meetings as a place to explore ideas about complexity, the topic naturally requires us not to be shy of asking questions. Bill explains that this is the first event for him of a new phase of organizing his own work and this session and this embryonic wiki are the first step. He briefly recounts the three stories that provide the base for the book: his own search for the factors that produce high performing organizations, the evoution of organization theory, and our own story-that of the human spirit that finds a way no matter what the theory. Th Creative Power he explains as a relationship between us and our environments. He use the large A, I and C to describe is our going out to the world with appreciative, influence or control Ends. The small a, i and c represent our expectation bout how the world will react to us. and hence influences the Mean we choose to obtain our Ends
Bill then gave an abbreviated for of his Power Map that uses color preferences to to reveal our individual Power map. In this case our preference for A,I and C Ends versus our choice of a,i and c means. The full map give additional feedback on how we use power in control, influence and appreciative situations. Lisa led groups into a discussion of what they learnt. Overall the group was fascinated with the idea of the three divisions of the world into A, I and C powers. Although there wasn't time to give justification or validity to the color concepts the group nevertheless found a great deal of resonance with their personal feedback.
|
|
