LargeScaleIntervention

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"Large Group Interventions: Engaging the Whole System for Rapid Change"

By Barbara Benedict Bunker and Billie T. Alban

(Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California, 1997, ISBN 0-7879-0324-8)

Reviewed by Matt M. Starcevich, Ph. D.

In helping executives introduce significant organization changes, part of my and their frustration is how do you make it happen faster with a sense of urgency, alignment, and commitment? In retrospect, the top down approach including a well intentions steering committee never developed a critical mass to support the needed changes. This is why I have become so excited about Large Scale Technologies. (See, A Parable on Organization Change: Reducing Cycle Time with Large Scale Technologies for a light discussion of the theory and a sample meeting design).

Large group interventions can provide a process, bringing as many as 2,000 employees and customers together in one location for activities as diverse as creating future direction, restructuring the organization, solving problems, and generating new ideas and products.

This book is for the consultant or operating manager concerned with helping organizations through the change process. It is a "how to" book. For the first time, all the current large-scale methods have been brought together in one volume. In it, the twelve approaches currently being used by major corporations, nonprofit organizations, and communities to implement large-scale change and renewal are presented and compared. Depending on the purpose of the change being introduced, the reader can adapt the best method to their conditions and situations.

After a brief discussion (Part One) of the need for and theoretical evolution of this methodology from 1940 to the present, a chapter is devoted to each of the twelve known large group interventions. For each method, the reader will clearly understand the purpose of the method, the key elements in the meeting design, and answers to commonly asked questions about a specific method. The methods are grouped by their focus into three Parts:

Part Two, The Methods: Creating the Future Together

   The Search Conference

    Future Search

    Real Time Strategic Change

    ICA Strategic Planning Process

Participants co-create and decide on the vision of the organization’s future or shape a specific issue in the organization’s life.

Part Three, The Methods: Work Design

    The Conference Model

    Fast Cycle Full Participation Work Design

    Real Time Work Design

    Participative Design

These methods are used to restructure or redesign organization, usually after a new vision of the organization has been defined. Their key feature is their commitment to building full participation by involving significant numbers of people (stakeholders) in the restructure or redesign process.

Part Four, The Methods: Whole-System Participative Work

    Simu-Real

    Work-Out

    Open Space Technology

    Large Scale Interactive Events

These methods do not propose creating a new future or direction; instead, they deal primarily with a plant or division’s day-to-day issues. Their purpose is to surface work-related issues, especially cross-functional work tasks, policies, and procedures, and to discover ways to address these issues. The cost savings and efficiencies realized by General Electric’s, Work-Out, developed by Jack Welch, have received the most publicity.

Each of these Parts ends with a summary table and narrative comparing the outcomes, design format, decision making process, stakeholder participation, size of the event, and emphasis on action planning for each of the methods discussed.

The final part of the book, Part Five, includes a chapter on the dynamics of large groups and some of the innovations that are occurring in the field today. Concluding with a discussion of how companies can choose the method that is most appropriate for their organization or community and a description of some of the guiding principles and values that underlie these large group methods.

For those with an interested in knowing more about a particular method, an appendix listing additional reading, videos, training programs, and how to contact these sources rounds out this excellent resource.

My wish is that more executives would take the time to read this book and glimpse what could be if the "top down" mind set for organization change is let go, the reality is that those tasked with helping to implement change will take the time. For those, the book will prove to be a valuable resource.

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