change centre

Symposium: Managing skills for social service providers

christinaangela.rauh — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:22:18 +0000

In the changing environment for social service providers during a year of crisis in 2010, adjusting ones organisation to the challenges of an increasing competition is of crucial importance.
Therefore, this symposium aims to equip attendants with the knowledge needed in business transformation and change processes especially in the social service industry.
Focuses will lie on adapting to regional markets when facing change pressures as well as on living change in ones organizational culture. The seminar will cover the following topics:

- change in times of crisis in the social service industry
- learning change management skills for social service providers
- professionalizing your organisation with strategic change
- mergers as challenges

What: “Symposium CHANGE 2010”
When: 15th to 17th of September 2010
Where: Bad Waldsee
How much: 645 €

Further information: www.symposium-change2010.de
Registration: info@symposium-change2010.de

How Design can change Organizations

sebastian.weisse — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:31:12 +0000

Tim Brown´s book deals with the power of design and how it can help bring about organizational transformations. Design thinking: that is how Brown calls his approach. Instead of being just one part of the organizational process, design becomes the centre piece of a corporate culture. Or as Brown says: “Design is now too important to be left to designer.”
One part of his book deals with the set of principles that can help – if applied properly – to install design thinking in almost any typ of organization. Central to his thinking is the unpredictability of a project or process.
Centered around the human beings of an organization Brown aims to help them to be more innovative and solve gridlocked situations. No business strategy book works without examples that illustrate the message of the author. So the other part of Brown´s work shows how design thinking has helped to create some of the most innovative organizations, Bank of America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Google, Intel, Mattel, Mayo Clinic, Pixar, Procter & Gamble, or Shimano.
All in all a very worthwhile read for those who are interested in a more unique and exploratory book on business strategies and change.

Brown, Tim (2009):Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation: How Design Thinking Can Transform Organizations and Inspire Innovation. New York. HarperBusiness.

Change Communications Congress 2010 in Salzburg

sebastian.weisse — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:29:04 +0000

The historic setting of castle Klessheim near Salzburg is the venue for this change management convention. Experts and high level practioners from the fields of corporate commuications, marketing and human resources will come together to discuss change issues. The main theme of the congress will be if successful change processes have to be based on existing traditions and values – the German title sums it up very nicely “Traditionen, Werte, Rituale – nur wer sich ändert, bleibt sich treu?!“.
Key notes will be given by:

- Martin Hehemann // Head of Corporate Communications, Austrian Airlines
- Felicitas von Imhoff and Heiko Hünsch // Siemens
- Dagmar Ewert // Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing, Carl Zeiss
- Claudia Reichmuth // Group Communications, Allianz
- Silvia Wulf and Ulrike Jussen // AutoVision

The whole event will be topped off by a formal dinner and the awarding of the 2nd “International Change Communications Award”. Proposal projects can be handed in till the 15th October 2010 Symbiosis Award.

What: Change Communications Congress 2010
When: 11th of November
Where: Salzburg, Austria
How much: 490 € (till August 30th) // 590 € (regular)

Further information: Symbiosis Congress.

Convention in Berlin – Kommunikations Kongress 2010

sebastian.weisse — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:12:03 +0000

The Berlin Congress Center is the venue for this international congress on public relations. Organised by the German association of press officiers the convention is a major event featuring high profile participants and speakers from politics and business. The initial keynote will be given by Dr. Phillip Rösler the head of the German Minstry of Health. Best-case workshops and discussions will – amongst others – deal with:

- Change Communication
- Employer Branding
- Digital Public Affairs
- Social Media

What: Kommunikations Kongress 2010
When: 23rd – 24th September 2010
Where: Berlin Congress Center
How much: 790 € (early bird rate) // 980 € (regular)

Further information: http://www.kommunikationskongress.de/

The (slow) Dance of organisational Change

sebastian.weisse — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:19:45 +0000

Peter Senge is the founder and director of the Society for Organisational Learning at MIT. In his three books on the paradigm of the learning organisation – The Fifth Discipline, The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook, The Dance of Change – he develops the structure of an organisation, where individuals work closely together, where cutting-edge patterns of thinking are nutured and where people continually are learning together for the good of the whole. Senge´s approach goes beyond the usual business books in that he draws on natural sciences, spiritual values, psychology as well as business science to develop his unique ideas.
The “Dance of Change – The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations” is the last but not the least of this trilogy. By some reviewers it is regarded as the most essential of Senge´s cycle. The interested reader needs to clear some time on his schedule, because it is not a book that you can work through in one weekend. At 600 pages thick it offers detailed analysis on the issues of organisational change. It puts the readers in charge on how to read the book and browse in it in any order they like.
The premise of “The Dance of Change” is that the most viable solution for change management is not the usual approach. Managers should strive to get a clearer picture of what factors limit change in their organisations and activate leadership on all levels instead of pushing change from the top. On the practical side Senge offers the readers exercises, tools and techniques for implenting his approach in their organisations.
Senge, Peter (1999). The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations. London. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

How to overcome change resistance

christinaangela.rauh — Mon, 31 May 2010 18:45:41 +0000

Changing one’s behaviour is oftentimes very difficult, though the desired change seems reasonable and logical. Coevally, psychological research shows that the human brain is composed of two diverging systems concerning decision making: The rational one and the emotional one.
The authors, Chip and Dan Heath, build on these findings theoretically and state that in order to achieve behaviour change, both parts of the brain have to be in line with the aspired aim. They underline the practical validity of this concept by a great variety of real life examples:
From individually altering one’s recycling habits to convincing others of consuming healthier food, from rebranding one’s business to overcoming corruption in governments, all these cases demonstrate very convincingly the way of overcoming change reluctance. This book is highly recommended for business executives as well as all human beings fighting for individual change.
Heath, C. & Heath, D. (2010). SWITCH. How to change things when change is hard. Broadway Business

The Necessary Revolution

sebastian.weisse — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:15:19 +0000

Author Peter Senge and his co-authors show in “The Necessary Revolution” how individual companies and people are leading the way towards a less exploitative and wasteful economic behaviour. Avoiding any pie-in-the-sky rhetorics this book gives examples from around the globe of indivdual and collaborative efforts to tackle the social and environmental problems of our interdependent society – from Swedens futuristic but nevertheless real “Green Zone” to Coke´s and WWF´s combined efforts for sustainable water.
These examples show that sustainbility is not mere feel-good actions without real outcomes, instead it creates concrete benefits and value for the peope and companies involved. An interesting discovery of the book is that persons leading these change processes are often not flag-wavers in top positions but keen individuals transforming the world from the bottom up.
Part manifesto part business case study “The Necessary Revolution” is an important read in times were change is essential.
Senge, Peter (2010). The Necessary Revolution – Working together to create a sustainable World. New York: Broadway Books.

Successful change by top management’s power

christinaangela.rauh — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:55:34 +0000

Written by two practitioners in the field of consultancy, this quite controversial book addresses the oftentimes tabooed concept of power. The authors argue that half of all change management processes fail due to a lack of adequate leadership.
According to them, the top management level plays the decisive role in conflict resolution within an organisation. Therefore strong executives must not shy away from resolving these conflicts and communicating new strategies forcefully. Furthermore, change management is seen here as an enduring management task, not as a solution only in times of crisis.
The great plus of this guide is its clear thesis drawing a different picture of leadership, one that breaks with the common emphasis on consensus. It is easy to read (in German), yet does not aim at giving in detail advice for the reader to apply.
Oltmanns, T. & Nemeyer, D. (2010). Machtfrage Change. Warum Veränderungsprojekte meist auf Führungsebene scheitern und wie Sie es besser machen. Campus Verlag

New Magazine on Change in the Working Environment

sebastian.weisse — Sat, 08 May 2010 19:21:55 +0000

The “Work Style Magazine” is the unique worldwide publication on trends and changes in working habits and attitudes. It provides its readers with reviews, studies, and suggestions on topics all around work, life style and the business world. Primarily the magazine focuses on managers, HR directors, consultants, head hunters, and students, but may also appeal to a broader audience due to its interesting articles and fresh-cut layout.
The current issue features among others articles on: knowing how to sail through rough waters, Tiger Woods and crises management, Barack Obama and the financial industry, a special edition on NYC, interviews with Erik Buell and Ben Southall, as well as a work city guide on São Paulo.
All in all “Work Style Magazine” is an entertaining read and worth the buy if you stumble upon it in your local newsstand.
Further information: www.theworkstylemagazine.com

Conference: Socio-Economic Impact of environmental Change

sebastian.weisse — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:55:53 +0000

This event is the 10th in a series of European conferences on the socio-economic causes and impacts of global environmental change. The series aims to join social scientist from different backgrounds to discuss global policies and research on the human dimension of the environmental issues we are facing today.
While reports and programs such as the Brundtland Report or the Millennium Development Goals have emphasized the relevance of these issues time and time again much remains to be done. Industrialized and developing countries are facing potentially drastic environmental changes and will have to ensure thorough adaption processes to sustain the quality of life of their citizens and further economic growth.
The conference will try to bridge the gap between social scientific efforts to conceptualize environmental change, and its policies and governance structures – as well as the corresponding efforts in mainstream economic analysis.
What: 10th “European Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change”
When: 8th – 9th October 2010
Where: Environmental Policy Research Centre, Freie Universität Berlin
Further information and call for papers: http://www.berlinconference.org/2010/call-for-papers/