“I could not see the benefit of the Living Scroll, until I experienced the process”. Brian, a seasoned executive, recounted his doubts and now satisfaction after we completed this exercise with his leadership team for a public utilities company. Two executives from the oil and gas industry come up after the Living Scroll was over and shared, “In all our 20 plus years in management and leadership positions, we have never been a part of an activity so useful and engaging”. Comments like these are common as we use a simple tool called The Living Scroll to help diagnose the change required for organizations to continue on a path of growth and improvement. The Living Scroll is a facilitated journey through the life of an organization that helps participants see the need for change, create a sense of urgency within the organization, and define what other tools are necessary to move the change forward. (more…)

            The movie, “Chicken Run”, is not just a kid’s movie about chickens, but it is a movie loaded with organizational dynamics.  I have pulled out a few lessons from the movie in the form of an acronym C.H.I.C.K.E.N. R.U.N. that are worth reflecting on.   If you find this interesting, I encourage you to watch the movie and find some additional principles that we can all benefit from.

·         Communication (even among chickens) of strategy to all levels leads to buy-in.

·         High involvement organizations involve all the chickens in the coop.

·         Individualism breaks only one bird out.

·        Collectivism thinks about how to break all the birds out at once.

·        Know thyself!  Your organizational culture affects your organizational design.

·         Eggsellent answers come when you least expect them.

·         Never give up!  Continuous improvement leads to success.

·         Reward your staff and they will reward you.

·         Utilize your networks, even if they are rats!

·         Never trust a Cock (or consultant) who says, “Trust me”! (more…)