Category Archives: Meetings

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

Meeting Goals:
–  Connect:   get to know one another 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 Gift Exchange’

Presenter / Facilitator:   Jim Jameson    

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

Facilitator BIO:
Jim Jameson is a Principal at Noah Consulting LLC (a firm specializing in Master Data Management for the Upstream Oil & Gas industry). His role is to improve the success rate of technology adoption projects, working mainly in the areas of Change Management, Collaboration, and Communications. He believes that focusing on the people side of technology change is the key to improving ROI on tranformational ‘IT solutions’.

OD Program Planning for 2013!

Program:    Please join us for our annual planning meeting where we use fun, interactive group exercises and discussion to determine how to best meet the needs of the growing DFW OD community in the upcoming year. Some key discussions will include:

  – What areas do you want to discuss and learn about in 2013?
  – What topics are critical to the success of your organizations?
  – What mix of daytime and nighttime meetings do we want to have? We have experimented with daytime meetings and had success.

Come with your ideas and your voice — This will be a highly participative meeting!

Facilitators:  Kelly Barker, Pete Sorensen, Nadine Bell, and Jonathan Bell.   (See BIOs below.)   

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

Facilitator Bios:    

Kelly Barker — Kelly is an advertising sales professional who has been working for a cutting edge online media company for the past three years. She specializes in Search Engine Marketing, organizational consulting, meeting facilitation, and team building.

Peter Jay Sorensen, CMC — Pete is an independent strategic organization design, change management consultant, coach, and social entrepreneur.  He is known for his ability to see the big picture, make sense of messes, and lead teams through the resolution of complex issues.

Nadine Bell, CPF, CMF, CTF, is a master facilitator specializing in strategic and action planning, StrengthsFinder and facilitation of face to face and virtual meetings in the private and public sectors globally. A Past Chair of IAF, Nadine teaches ToP and Consciously Competent facilitation methods.

Jonathan Bell is a facilitator with Prismatic Solutions. He uses participatory processes to develop consensus across a wide variety of groups and issues. He works with clients to collaboratively plan projects, expand creative problem solving, enhance productivity and positively impact the bottom line.

“The Future of OD”

Program:   Are you new to the field of OD or an experienced practitioner? It doesn’t matter because our panelists will share their experiences from starting out in OD to becoming thought-leaders in the field.

Join Miya, Mary Beth, and Kathryn as they discuss the future of OD and talk about a memorable OD initiative. They will also share their thoughts on the next big OD evolution and involve the audience in identifying ways we can help influence our organizations. Come prepared with your thoughts about our field’s future and we’ll see how our ideas compare.      

Panelists:   (See BIOs below.)
 >  Miya Maysent – Vice President, People and Organization for 7-Eleven, Inc.
 >  Mary Beth Dudley – Senior Human Resources Executive
 >  Kathryn Collins – Director Organizational & Management Development for RealPage

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

Panelist BIOs:    

Miya Maysent  is currently Vice President, People and Organization for 7-Eleven, Inc. – a privately-held company with over 10,000 employees. In her career, she has served as both an OD practitioner and HR Business Partner. Miya and her team are responsible for succession and talent planning, learning and development, and performance management. Prior to 7-Eleven, she worked for a publically-held energy company where she was responsible for organizational effectiveness initiatives, succession planning, talent management, and leadership education. She has Masters’ degrees in Industrial Organizational Psychology and Counseling Psychology from the University of Northern Texas.

Mary Beth Dudley  is a global senior-level Human Resources executive with extensive leadership experience in talent management and succession planning, organizational development, change management, and strategic planning. She has diverse and multi-industry experience in Fortune 100 companies, including Honeywell, Pepsi, and Gillette. She has led both operational and strategic roles at the field and corporate levels. Most recently she was Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development at GameStop, a publically-held company with over 10,000 employees. Mary Beth holds a Master’s degree in Labor & Industrial Relations and a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Michigan State University. She is also certified in the Center for Creative Leadership 360 tools.

Kathryn Collins  is Director of Organizational & Management Development for RealPage, where she drives business growth by leading initiatives in organization design, change management, employee engagement and team development. She is responsible for the company’s internal learning organization and for building the company’s leadership bench through succession planning, talent reviews and innovative leadership development programs. Kathryn’s career spans talent management, corporate communications and engineering in the software, high tech and retail industries in North America, Europe and Asia. She has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington, an MBA in Industrial Management from the University of Dallas, and an MS in Organization Development from the University of Texas at Dallas.

 We look forward to seeing you there!

Large Scale Change —
The critical role of Organization Development in DFW Healthcare Systems:
Texas Health Resources (24 hospitals and 21k employees) and Parkland Health and Hospital System 

Program:    Some may wonder:  ‘With such big changes in the healthcare industry are organizations in critical condition?‘   Come and get an insider’s look at two different kinds of organizations in the same business. THR is a very large multi-site system that resulted from a series of Mergers and Acquisitions resulting in a “silo” culture that must move towards a single large “systems” organization and culture involving OD interventions and leadership development. Parkland is a large mostly single site, publicly funded organization with a politicized board of Directors chosen by Dallas County political actors and serving a predominantly low income population which is presently on probation with Medicare and needing serious culture change.  Much change is in progress in both institutions!

[ Did you notice the meeting time?  This is our annual in-depth meeting, which goes from lunch to mid-afternoon.  This format is used once each year in September or October to offer a deeper exploration of a current hot topic.  See location and schedule below. ]     

Panelists:   (See BIOs below.)

>  Sushma Aggarwal, Director of Organization Effectiveness, Texas Health Resources: Center For Learning and Career Development

>  Andrew Gray, Manager of Leadership and Organization Development, Parkland Hospital and Health Care

Event Organizers:     Gene Ruckle, Gene Ruckle Associates and UT Arlington College of Business and Glen Earl, O.D. Specialist, Parkland Hospital.

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

Panelist BIOs:    

Sushma Aggarwal  is Director of  Learning and Professional Development at Texas Health Resources.  She has over 15 years of professional experience in driving Organizational Effectiveness through leadership development; performance management; career and succession planning; and employee engagement. Her career passions include developing a high performance culture and growing an internal talent pipeline through leadership, mentoring, and coaching programs. Sushma holds an MS in Organization Development and Analysis and is currently enrolled in the PhD program through Fielding Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California.  Contact: (682) 236 – 6185.

Andrew Gray  is the Manager of the Leadership and Organizational Development department at Parkland Hospital in Dallas. He has worked as a training and organizational development professional for over 20 years.  During that time he has worked for a variety of organizations including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Illinois, The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and Match.com.  Andy has a Master of Liberal Arts degree in Human Behavior from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Psychology, also from SMU.  His areas of professional emphasis are organizational effectiveness surveys, leadership development, team building, performance management, and coaching.

  We look forward to seeing you there!

 Is Change Management the New OD?  What’s the Connection and Who Cares?

Program:    Practitioners of these two disciplines view them in a variety of ways — from completely independent to overlapping to complementary.  Some may see one as a subset of the other.  But how do our clients look at the services we offer?  Do they care more about the nature of the services or the results?  At this luncheon meeting the panelists and the audience will explore multiple perspectives on CM, OD, and other alphabetic acronyms TBD.

Two panelists recently attended the international ACMP (Association of Change Management Professionals) conference and will comment on the advancement of Change Management as a profession.  Our goal for this discussion is to forge a broader understanding of how clients are viewing our various disciplines through the broad lens of “change”, and especially how we can foster synergy between CM and OD from both the client and practitioner perspective.

[ Did you notice we said “luncheon meeting“?   This is a new format for OD Network meetings that we will use periodically to reach a broader audience in the DFW area.  See details below. ]     

Panelists:   Cindi Cunningham, Pete Sorenson, Jim Jameson, and Betsy Winkler.    (See BIOs below.)

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

Panelist BIOs:    

Cindi Cunningham  is an OD Consultant supporting American Airlines’ Airport Services and Cargo organizations as Leadership Development Program Coach. In a prior role, she served as an Organizational Change Management Specialist supporting the project team now building the PSS technology replacement for Sabre. Cindi is skilled in organizational assessment, employee engagement, process improvement, change management, and leadership development. She has also led customer-centric organizations in other travel and hospitality companies.

Peter Jay Sorenson, CMC  is an external consultant who focuses on designing well-crafted organizations that combine getting work done and achieving outcomes with being positive environments for people who work.  He is currently working with several energy related companies on critical performance issues in high consequence environments.  Pete is known for his ability to see the big picture, make sense of messes, and lead teams in resolving complex issues.   

Jim Jameson  supports technology adoption through proactive change management to improve project success rates.  His goals include improved ROI on IT related projects while fostering a culture of collaboration, learning, and innovation.   Jim’s focus on the people side of technology change is intended to broaden the perspectives of business users and teach them to work in new ways in response to a change in their tools or ‘environment’.

Betsy Winkler  has been working as a business consultant and change leader for 20 years. She previously led the Change Leadership Center of Excellence for PepsiCo, and is a Change Leadership speaker at the 2011 Organization Development Network national conference. Her experience includes working with many multi-national companies on large, complex change and communications programs to drive business value. Betsy’s work in organization development encompasses employee engagement (such as surveys and action planning), as well as designing, developing and implementing global reward and recognition programs.

Healing the Organization – Strategies for Post RIF Recovery

Facilitator:  Judy Benavides, SPHR — an HR Business Partner with experience in Financial Services, High Tech, and Defense Contracts.

Program:  As organizations navigate a landscape marked by competitive pressures, global supply chains, outsourcing partners, and technology innovations, it seems that Reductions in Force (RIFs) have become a common strategy for “rightsizing” the workforce.  But what is the true impact of a RIF?

Join the OD community for an interactive discussion of productive options for a path forward in this challenging environment. Together we’ll explore the leadership strategies that build organizational agility, empower employees, and reduce systemic codependency. We’ll discuss our role in aligning OD interventions and HR practices with the “free agency” that is required in today’s workplace.

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

Facilitator Bio:    

Judy Benavides is an HR Business Partner working in the defense and aerospace systems industry. She has partnered with leaders through major culture change and organizational transformation. Judy’s career has included HR Business Partner and Leadership Development roles at Fidelity Investments, Placemark Investments, and CoreLogic. She brings a passion for talent development and leadership with a practical results driven approach.

Judy holds an MBA with a concentration in Human Resource Management from the University of Dallas. Judy has an SPHR certification and is certified as a Human Resources Strategist by the Human Capital Institute.

Contact:  Judy.benavides@yahoo.com    214-676-4455

Organization Assessment:
From Aye to Zed 

Facilitator:  Ed Savage, Manager of Training and Development for L-3 Communications

Program:  Need to do an organization assessment?  Uncertain about how to go about it or looking for tips to improve your toolbox?  Join Ed Savage as he shares 30 years of learnings on organization assessments. Find out the simple and the complex, the broad and the deep, and some greats and goofs. Talk with Ed and the rest of the OD experts at the next DFW OD Network meeting June 14th.

PS: Do you have a current need to assess an organization? Send Ed a brief context and he will choose one of your real-world challenges as a case study for the evening.  So keep those cards and letters (oops, emails) and Linked-In comments coming!

(Please join our LinkedIn Group if you haven’t yet done so!)  

Facilitator Bio:    

Dr. Ed Savage  is the Manager of Training and Development for L-3 Communications Mission Integration Division in Greenville, TX — a 5,000 employee aerospace business. Ed has 30 years working leadership development and organization change in Fortune 500 businesses. He has conceived, designed, developed, and delivered leadership and organization change initiatives of all sorts domestically and internationally. Ed holds two graduate degrees from Pepperdine University, a doctorate in Organization Change, and a Masters in Organizational Development (as well as a BS in Management) from Sacred Heart University. He earned professional certifications of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Registered Organization Development Consultant.

Contact:   Edward.W.Savage@L-3com.com    903-457-6078   903-453-7425 (Blackberry)

We ‘Like’ It!
 The Impact of Social Media on OD and Learning

By:  Rick Palmer, Director of Training and Organization Design at The Beryl Companies,  and  Tammy Preble, Sr. Instructional Designer at RadioShack.

Program:    Chances are you are involved with social media.  Maybe you keep up with friends on Facebook, search for business or job leads on LinkedIn or put out the occasional tweet.  With the emergence of social media, much attention has been focused on its impact on marketing and entertainment. While social learning has existed long before social media, a growing body of knowledge is demonstrating its potential to facilitate learning across organizations.  Our program will engage participants in the discovery and sharing of social learning best practices and how it can be leveraged to influence employee growth and change in organizations today.

Your exploration of social learning can begin prior to our May program.  Pay close attention to our LinkedIn Group over the next few weeks for the start of our social learning scavenger hunt.  If you are not a member of this LinkedIn group, please join!

Handouts:      Presentation        Icebreaker  (‘Bingo Card’)

Facilitator Bios:    

Tammy Preble is a Sr. Instructional Designer with an M.Ed in Learning & Instructional Technology from Arizona State University. Last year, she received her Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) certification from ASTD. Tammy is currently designing a social learning solution for RadioShack’s District Manager training program. She is passionate about designing learning that is just enough and just-in-time to help people to do what they do best every day.

Rick Palmer is the Director of Training and Organization Design at The Beryl Companies. He has held leadership roles in training, operations, quality assurance and human resources and has consistently demonstrated success in the education, insurance, hospitality, financial services and healthcare industries. Rick also serves as President-Elect for the Fort Worth/Mid-Cities Chapter of the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) and is the host of the chapter’s podcast. Rick holds an MA in Speech Communication and a BA in Psychology, both from Southwest Texas State University. He is passionate about helping people build great careers.

“Positive Deviance: Imagining Extraordinary Performance and Organizational Change”

By:     Dr. Jude Olson, Senior OD Consultant & Executive Coach at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company  and  Lorea Belle Seidel, Director of Organizational Effectiveness at Southern Methodist University.

Program Description:      For our April meeting Jude and Lorea will lead a discussion on Positive Psychology and how it can inform OD work.    Her presentation will  primarily draw from a book by Kim S. Cameron, Jane Dutton and Robert Quinn entitled Positive Organizational Scholarship – Foundations of a New Discipline and an article called “Your Company’s Secret Change Agents” by Richard Tanner Pascale and Jerry Sternin.   

Jude will focus on Appreciative Inquiry, Appreciative Coaching and Positive Deviance approaches in this framework, referencing her Lockheed Martin project on Leadership Summits as a real world example.

Lorea will introduce the Thin Book on Appreciative Inquiry by Sue Hammond as a resource and will facilitate ‘practice’ in the room.

Bring your imagination and experiences with positive phenomena in your own workplaces to share . . .  

Resources – Reading List and Websites    <– Click for more  

Presenter Bio:      Dr. Jude Olson is currently Head Coach and Senior Consultant in Organization and Leadership Development with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, Texas.  She has been recognized for bringing innovation in consulting with senior management on major culture change initiatives, knowledge management, collaborative teaming and executive coaching.  She also supports LMC in building corporate capability for strategic change and executive coaching.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 1997, Jude spent six years with Drake Beam Morin, Inc., an international consulting firm specializing in career transition and corporate restructuring activities.  As a Senior Vice President and Regional Consulting Partner, she marketed, managed and consulted on change projects within a variety of industries. She has been an organization development consultant for Mervyn’s corporate headquarters in California and an independent consultant in Texas.  She has served on the adjunct faculty for the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University and the University of Texas at Dallas teaching Organization Management and Organization Development.

A native of Pennsylvania, she earned a B.S. in Journalism and M.Ed in Counseling Psychology from Temple University; and a Ph.D. in Human and Organization Systems from Fielding Graduate University. She published in the Elsevier book series on Complex Collaboration (2004) and “Inventing the Joint Strike Fighter—Applying Appreciative Inquiry to Collaborative Startups” in the OD Practitioner Journal.  Her most recent publications include a chapter in the 2008 Jossey-Bass book, “The Handbook of High Performance Virtual Teams: A Toolkit for Collaborating across Boundaries.”  She is a frequent presenter at the Academy of Management annual meetings and joined the Organization Change and Development Board as a Scholar-Practitioner industry representative from 2007-2010. She most recently has been a guest lecturer in Canberra, Australia for Queensland University of Technology on Complex Program Leadership for their Executive Education and EMBA programs.   

Lorea Belle Seidel, M.Ed., SPHR is Director of Organizational Effectiveness & Associate Director of Human Resources at Southern Methodist University.
Learning is a lifelong theme both personally and professionally for Lorea. At Texas Tech University, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and Marketing followed by a Master’s degree in Community Counseling. During graduate school, she became fascinated with human behavior within the world of work and focused her counseling doctoral studies on organizational behavior. She draws upon this diverse educational background in addition to her experience in human resources, career and personal counseling, business and non-profit management to provide oversight for a variety of programs at SMU.
Lorea is responsible for the Organizational Effectiveness team and additional cross-functional teams that provide staff and faculty with professional development opportunities, new employee and manager orientation, internal consulting, employee relations counseling, leadership coaching services, employee recognition programs, work-life services, and wellness programming. Internal consulting services may include strategic planning, graphic facilitation, organizational design, systems improvement, and change management. Recently, Lorea has begun exploring how the emerging body of research connected with positive psychology can be applied to support the development of a high performing and highly-engaged work culture. Lorea’s areas of expertise include leadership coaching, interpersonal communications, creative thinking tools, employee engagement and retention strategies, performance management, personality and work-style assessment, priority management, team dynamics, and career development.

[ This was the  LinkedIn Event ]      April 12, 2012