Category Archives: Meetings-2024

Annual Networking/Social Meeting
and “Gold Elephant Book Exchange”

Note: For the first time in 2 years we are meeting in person! 
(Apologies to our loyal remote followers – we will be back on Zoom in January.)

Meeting Goals:
  – Connect: get to know others better – personally & professionally
  – Learn: share knowledge informally during the book exchange
  – Enjoy: fellowship + creative responses (and humor) of the game

Please bring a gift-wrapped book that is meaningful to you — perhaps a book from your own library to ‘pay it forward’ or one from a second hand bookstore. Don’t spend a lot of money – it’s the thought that counts!

The game will be similar to a traditional white elephant gift exchange — each person in turn will unwrap a book or ‘steal’ one that someone else has already opened. Unlike ‘white elephants’ (which are often useless), the books are ‘gold elephants’ that will contain some unique nuggets of wisdom when opened (or stolen) by the right recipient! Discovering those golden nuggets will be part of the game as people talk about the books they give (and the ones they get)!

Handout/Procedure for the ‘Gold Elephant Book Exchange’

Presenter / Facilitator: Jim Jameson

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Intros / Networking / Food
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation

Meeting Location:  

University of Dallas – SB Hall, Serafy Special Events Room *

    SB Hall:   2925 Gorman Dr,  Irving, TX 75062   
    SB Hall is #34 on the UD Campus Map      [Lat/Long Nav]  

Cost:   Suggested donation $10 for food.

Facilitator BIO:   

Jim Jameson is currently “semi-retired” from his various consulting roles and is exploring new avenues.  His professional mission has been to improve the success rate of technology adoption projects, working mainly in the areas of Business Analysis, Change Management, Collaboration, and Knowledge Management.  He believes that focusing on the people side of technology change is the key to improving ROI on transformational ‘IT solutions’.

Jim earned an MS degree in Information Systems and post-grad certificate in Knowledge Management, both from George Washington University in DC.

Creating Our 2025 Program!  

Hello OD Visionaries and Practitioners!

As we set our sights on crafting 12 exceptional ideas for 2025, we recognize the need to explore a variety of perspectives and suggestions. The more diverse our pool of ideas, the more our final selection will be representative of our community’s needs & interests.

To facilitate this, we’ve set up a Google Form for your advance contributions. Then on Thursday November 14 we’ll be holding a dynamic session on Zoom, where discussions will be animated and collaborative. Additionally, we will use a collaboration platform to serve as the space where these ideas will converge and evolve.

Please join us on November 14th for a session designed to be swift, interactive, and fulfilling. We’ve optimized the process to make your participation smooth and efficient.

Please get Involved:

• Submit your ideas now: Link to Form
• Join the November 14 Zoom discussion — Register Here
• Collaborate and shape the ideas:  [Link to be provided later]

Guiding us through this discovery process is our dedicated ‘Cat-Herding Team’:  Tristan Martinez, Terri Adkisson, Audrey Wyatt, Jim Jameson, and Pete Sorenson.

Are you ready?  Let’s collaboratively craft the blueprint for 2025! 
         
(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening November 14:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIOs:

The usual gang (see past meetings)! 

Size Matters: Navigating Team Communication Dynamics from Small to Large  

Join us on Thursday, October 10 for an engaging DFW OD Network session. This interactive presentation will explore the crucial differences in communication requirements between small and large teams, and how to effectively design for these varying interpersonal dynamics.

As a group we’ll explore:

• Defining “small” & “large” in team contexts and the impact on human system dynamics
• Examining team boundaries across functional, cross-functional, trans-organizational, and global perspectives
• Does the org style matter?  Hierarchies vs networks vs permissionless environments; alignment of teams within teams
• Service vs Asset-based organizations
• Team Communications: Content, relationships, power, status  (good place for improv exercise on one-up, one-down)
• Team vs Org culture: The role of psychological safety, innovation, and empowerment in team success

We’ll also look at the challenges of scaling communication during rapid growth, the concept of “good & bad friction” in team dynamics, and how org infrastructure affects team functioning.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into optimizing team communication across various scales and structures!

Speakers:  Terri Adkisson and Pete Sorenson   {see BIOs below} 

         
(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening October 10:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIOs:

Terri Adkisson sees things that aren’t there yet but should be, resulting in profitable innovation and change. As an external Chief Clarity Officer and problem solver for CEOs and boards, she helps focus their company’s genius.  Terri brings her wealth of strategy, operations, and organizational development experience to guide leaders through complex challenges, often using both systems thinking and the power of story to illuminate solutions and chart clear paths forward. She shifts client organizations from a tale of uncertainty amid chaos to one of effectively balancing their corporate What & Why with their How.

Based in Dallas, Texas, she holds an MBA from UT Austin, is a co-author of two books on virtual facilitation, and has worked with organizations in over 20 industries.  Her canine office assistant Tango often makes guest appearances on DFW OD Network Zoom meetings.

Pete Sorenson is a freelance designer of teams, organizations, networks, and ecosystems. He has been doing this for a long time and he is still trying to figure things out. He has curiosity, a sense of adventure, a penchant for experimentation and innovation, as well as a sense of humor. He listens well.

He is searching for the next generations of ideas that can be used to design the gaggles of human beings doing work in the digitally fueled, messy context that is the future of our local, national, and global societies. He works to develop the next generations of humans to do that work. He looks for signals that come from on and over the horizon that can give us clues about what comes next and what will work.
     

From Words to Impact: 
Mastering Motivating Language  

Communication is vital to growing positive organizational performance and stakeholder well-being. Yet the communication skills that cultivate these valuable outcomes are not always intuitive. These abilities are states, not traits, which are learned and developed.

Just as important, many current guidelines for effective communication are vague, not relevant to real-world applications, and/or limit communications’ rich potential to fulfill critical goals such as higher performance, job satisfaction, retention, psychological safety, and to nurture a culture which aligns organizational vision with employees’ diverse values. Fortunately, the Motivating Language framework promotes these aspirations through translating evidence into a comprehensive road map.

This session introduces you to the Motivating Language framework and its three dimensions (hands, heart, and spirit) and offers practical applications for resourcing Motivating Language in the workplace. This model has been tested and refined over the past thirty years within a wide range of organizations to create relevant guidelines for most organizational settings. Highlights of this session include:

• The prerequisites needed for implementing successful Motivating Language

• Guidance for leaders (formal and informal) to effectively practice Motivating Language

• Interactive and collaborative activities to enhance Motivating Language skills.

Please join us on September 12 for this highly interactive session!
              

Speakers:  Milton Mayfield and Jacqueline Mayfield  {see BIOs below} 

         
(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

  
Schedule for Thursday Evening September 12:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIOs:

MILTON MAYFIELD co-founded Hands, Heart, and Spirit – an institute dedicated to optimizing work-life experiences, stakeholder well-being, and organizational outcomes through better communication. He has consulted with such companies as Sony Mexico, BBVA Compass, the Texas Department of Transportation, Virginia Tech, and Florida Hospital. He retired as Professor of Management from the A.R. Sanchez Jr. School of Business at Texas A&M International University where he received the university award for outstanding scholarship, and earned his PhD in business administration from the University of Alabama.

JACQUELINE MAYFIELD co-founded Hands, Heart, and Spirit. She has worked for and consulted with such companies as Blue Cross Blue Shield, BBVA Compass, the Texas Department of Transportation, Virginia Tech, and Florida Hospital. She retired as the Radcliffe Killam Distinguished Professor of Management from the A. R. Sanchez Jr.  School of Business at Texas A&M International University, holds a PhD in business administration from the University of Alabama, an MBA from the George Washington University, an MAT in French from the University of Chicago, and a BA in French from the George Washington University.

Milton and Jacqueline serve as Co-Editors of the International Journal of Business Communication and for Palgrave Macmillans’ book series New Perspectives in Organizational Communication.  Their most recent books on organizational communication are Motivating Language Theory: Effective Leader Talk in the Workplace and Fundamental Theories of Business Communication: Laying a Foundation for the Field.

The Power of Stories:  
Driving Positive Change in Your  Organization & Career 

Join experts Carly Riehle, Doug Bellah, and Terri Adkisson for an engaging discussion on the impact of storytelling in the workplace. In this session, you’ll discover:

• How stories have shaped cultures throughout history and continue to influence our work environments
• Practical ways to use storytelling to inspire change in your organization and personal career
• Real-world examples, interactive discussion, and activities showing how leaders can craft compelling narratives to unite teams and align goals across all levels of an organization

Please join us on August 8 to hear the rest of the story!                

Speakers:  Carly Riehle, Doug Bellah, Terri Adkisson  {see BIOs below} 

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening August 8:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIOs:

Carly Riehle is the manager of a Strategic Program Management Office working on enterprise wide, large scale change initiatives.  She has nearly 20 years of experience as a covert OD consultant having worked inside organizations in multiple industries including for-profit education, shipping, residential construction, and banking.

She is a project manager at heart, who thrives on helping others meet their goals and has been PMP certified since 2014.  Storytelling helps her connect with project stakeholders, team members and fellow project managers, to build trusting relationships and guide people towards a common goal.

Carly has a Master’s degree in Organizational Development from Pepperdine University and lives in Bedford, TX with her husband and three sons.  She serves in her church and speaks on OD related topics across the Dallas Fort Worth Area.

Doug Bellah‘s mission is to empower teams and organizations to create spaces where impactful questions, conversations, and stories can drive enduring change. He is passionate about enabling employees to express their thoughts, share ideas, and shape new narratives within and beyond meetings. Doug is curious about how storytelling influences psychological safety, trust, relationship building, and inclusion, enhancing creativity, knowledge sharing, and co-creation.

Through a hands-on learning approach, he guides teams and organizations to create spaces where thought-provoking “what if” questions lead to practical steps for meaningful change and inclusion. With insights from leadership roles in retail, manufacturing, and broadcast media, combined with his doctoral degree in organization development and change, Doug ensures everyone in the meeting space feels at ease expressing their thoughts. He currently lives in the greater Grand Rapids, MI area with his wife and four kids.

Terri Adkisson sees things that aren’t there yet but should be, resulting in profitable innovation and change. As an external Chief Clarity Officer and problem solver for CEOs and boards, she helps focus their company’s genius.  Terri brings her wealth of strategy, operations, and organizational development experience to guide leaders through complex challenges, using the power of story to illuminate solutions and chart clear paths forward. Storytelling helps her shift clients from a tale of uncertainty amid chaos to one of effectively balancing their corporate What & Why with their How.

Based in Dallas, Texas, she holds an MBA from UT Austin, is a co-author of two books on virtual facilitation, and has worked with organizations in over 20 industries.  Her canine office assistant Tango often makes guest appearances on DFW OD Network Zoom meetings.        

Who Should OD Be
Cross-pollinating With? 

Cross-pollination is a strategy that has been implemented in business settings for many years.  By this we mean bringing people from different disciplines or departments together for the express purpose of allowing their skills and knowledge to influence each other. 

The practice of cross-pollination leads to enhanced creativity, innovative thinking, and creative solutions to puzzling challenges.

Businesses rely on OD professionals to provide insight and actions to address these challenges. But how do we ‘practice what we preach’?  This program will address the question of who and how OD professionals should be using cross-pollinating tactics to enhance their own creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills.

Following a presentation that highlights the best examples of successful business cross-pollination strategies, we will discuss a few questions in small groups – allowing our skills, knowledge, and experience to influence each other in our own cross-pollination exercise!

Please join us on July 11 to contribute your pieces to our puzzle!

Speaker:  Janette Helm   {see Bios below} 

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening July 11:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIO:

Janette Helm, MA, is an OD Consultant, RN, Certified Wellness Practitioner, and Certified Health Education Specialist. She is recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

She is an Adjunct Faculty member in the School of Executive Education at Indiana University, Indianapolis, facilitating leadership development workshops for healthcare executives and non-profit organizations. She draws on her experience in health care Organizational Development, Education, and Mission leadership roles, as well as her volunteer work in multiple organizations.

Janette’s top strength in the Clifton “StrengthFinders” assessment is “Connectedness,” followed closely by “Learner.” Both strengths led to her interest in the topic of “cross-pollination” for ODs.

Psychological Safety:   
Measures, Experience, You & Me 

This meeting is both a research and experiential session. We will highlight psychological safety literature for future consideration. Participants will be guided in interactive sharing and decision-making exercises designed to enhance psychological safety in group settings. Dr. Bennett has used these exercises in his evidence-based Team Awareness training practices for over twenty years.

We will review different definitions and models of psychological safety to provide participants with an understanding that psychological safety, like most psychological constructs adapted for the workplace, is multidimensional and subject to interpretation. Accordingly, our use of experiential exercises will afford participants an internal/emotional sense of what “psychological safety” means to them at a personal level.

Please join us on June 13 to learn about and experience Psychological Safety!

Speakers:  Dr. Joel Bennett and David Reazin     {see Bios below}
           
(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening June 13:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIOs:

Dr. Joel Bennett is President of Organizational Wellness & Learning Systems (OWLS), author of nine books and over 30 peer-reviewed research articles and trainer of over 1,000 facilitators and coaches.  OWLS programs have reached over 250,000 workers in the US and internationally.

David Reazin works at the Environmental Protection Agency in the Community Infrastructure Section.  Projects include Congressional Earmark infrastructure projects and he also serves as the Recovery and Mitigation Coordinator working with FEMA and other federal agencies on natural disasters.  He holds a BA in Chemistry, BA and MS in Geology from Indiana University, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Dialogue in Organizations:    
Be Curious & Seek Shared Understanding    

A lot is happening in organizations and ecosystems today. Change is moving at a head spinning pace. Sometimes in our haste to get things done we forget that to align and coordinate to get things done we need to focus on building constructive, nourishing human connections.

Are we curious enough to wonder how an issue looks from another person’s perspective? Do we wonder about a perspective we lack that might make a huge difference?

Listening to understand, rather than to respond, is a way to unlock better options and enlist others to join us in collective action.

So how do we go about developing such a shared understanding? Is there an approach that is foundational to collective progress?

Yes, there is an approach, dialogue, which increases the possibility of building shared understanding by asking us to “hold our ideas lightly” and to recognize that the other is “a person first and an opinion second.”

Those are big asks, not easy to do and they take practice. We’ll get started on that practice when you join Nancy and Pete as we collaboratively explore an approach to Dialogue in Organizations that can work!

Please join us on April 11 for this important conversation!

Speakers:  Nancy Dixon and Pete Sorenson     {see Bios below} 

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening April 11:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIOs:  

Nancy Dixon:     I’m a long time academic turned consultant and coach.  I’m a runner, a committed yoga practitioner, a meditator, a mother of two and a grandmother of three. What I care deeply about is that the people who work in any organization have a voice to influence what their organization does and what it stands for. My aspiration is to help make organizations worthy of organizational members putting their life’s blood into their work, because all of us have a desire to have our labor serve something that we view as worthy. I believe that happens when organizations learn how to hold meaningful conversations among their employees.

At heart I’m a writer and have written eight books and over 80 articles about how to make those conversations happen in organizations. My latest thinking is in my blog called “conversation matters” at www.nancydixonblog.com/.

Pete Sorenson:     I’m a freelance designer of teams, organizations, systems, networks, and ecosystems. I have been doing this for a long time and I am still trying to figure things out. I am curious, have a sense of adventure, a penchant for experimentation and innovation, and a sense of humor. I listen well. People having a voice in organizations is important to me. It is important as a part of people fulfilling their potential as humans. It is important as a way for organizations to tap into the information, perspective, and engagement that can help organizations fulfill their potential.

I will be starting a Substack soon called “Puzzling On Organizations & Ecosystems.”  I am puzzling about Human Centered Artificial Intelligence a lot lately.

 Compassion at Work:  
Dispelling Myths & Creating Compassionate Communities 

Compassion at work may sound like a paradox or oxymoron but there is a growing body of research that suggests that is exactly what we need to create healthy organizations with engaged, innovative employees who create strategic competitive advantage.  Too often the workplace is a source of suffering despite our best attempts to create diverse, equitable, and psychologically safe organizations.

In this session, we’ll look at the latest research to understand suffering at work and attempt to dispel the myths leaders tell about why compassion won’t work in their organizations.   We’ll also discuss sources of pain that require compassion, and how to:

• notice pain and suffering at work,
• interpret what is shared,
• turn on feelings and empathy, and
• act in compassionate ways.

We will discuss the term Compassion Competence at an individual, group and organizational level, and how to create a plan to build more compassionate workplace communities.  The discussion will also look at current resources for the foundation of this discussion including the 2017 book: “Awakening Compassion at Work: the Quiet Power that Elevates People and Organizations” by Monica Worline and Jane Dutton (University of Michigan, Ross School of Management).

I hope you will care to join us on February 8 for this timely topic!

Speaker:  Carly Riehle, MSOD       {see Bio below} 

         
(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening February 8:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker Bio:  

Carly Riehle is a recent graduate of the Pepperdine University, Gradziadio School of Business program, Master of Science in Organizational Development. She has nearly 20 years of experience as a covert OD consultant having worked inside organizations in multiple industries including for-profit education, shipping, residential construction, and banking.  She is a project manager at heart, who thrives on helping others meet their goals and has been PMP certified since 2014.  Carly currently manages the Strategic Program Management Office for a $5B privately held bank in north Texas.    She is also a steward for the Socio Technical System Roundtable; and is serving as Project Manager for a book to be written by the non-profit organization, CCMV.

In her personal life, Carly is an avid researcher and a passionate collector of the stories that leaders in organizations tell that help or hinder their success.  While her primary roles of wife, mother, church youth leader, friend, manager and employee fill her days, she looks forward earning her Ph.D. in the coming years to satisfy a desire to continue to learn and scientifically test her theories about the impact of stories on personal and organizational effectiveness. For more information: carlyriehle@gmail.com

 Is Future Search in your
(or your client’s) Future?  

Future Search uses the wisdom of the whole system to create a shared vision, validate a common mission, plan action, and commit to implementation. It brings representatives and stakeholders from all parts of an organization and its ecosystem together in one place.  In same and mixed groups and as a whole group individuals explore and align on what they want for the future and plan to achieve it.

In our session we will:

• Experience a Future Search process
• Learn about the Future Search methodology
• Explore possibilities for a Future Search – what’s possible when people or parts of a system that typically disagree can find common ground

Please join us on January 11 to kick off the new year with a fascinating look into our potential Futures!

Facilitator:  Rosalind Spigel,  SpigelConsulting.com        {see Bio below} 

         
(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so, and comment on the discussions.)

Schedule for Thursday Evening January 11:  (CT)    
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros  
   –  7:15  Program Begins Promptly    
   –  8:45  Closing and Wrap Up
   –  9:00  Program Ends

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Facilitator Bio  

Rosalind Spigel, MSOD, ACC, brings creativity and insight to organizational systems to support engagement and alignment of stakeholders to achieve shared goals in their shared vision. In consultation with her clients, Rosalind designs and facilitates customized strategic planning and implementation, board development, leadership coaching, DE&I initiatives, capacity building interventions, and workshops. A certified Standards of Excellence© consultant, Rosalind is also a consultant with several nonprofit organizations.

Rosalind earned her MSOD from the American University/National Training Laboratories and received her coach training from the Gestalt International Study Center. She is trained to lead Future Search conferences and is certified in DISC. She is the recipient of the Hal Kellner Award for contributions to issues of diversity and social justice and has published on leadership, gender bias, and most recently as a co-author, Dissecting Meaning, Scope, and Roles of Social Justice and Social Action. For more information, SpigelConsulting.com.