Our very first episode of 2012 is a wrap! We kicked off our Complexity Series on January 12, 2012. This episode is also available for viewing on our Episodes Page.

Our community tells us that the conversation was rich, engaging, and compelling. Our Corner Office Explorers Debra Pickfield, Jean Letourneau and Special Guest David Snowden discussed different facets of complexity and gave specific action items that our community can start implementing in their organizations right now. In fact, the conversation was so fruitful that we extended the show beyond the usual 30 minutes (a Corner Office first!).  

Partners and Sponsors of this Episode:

  
This show was broadcast live on-location at THiNKSPOT Burlington.

Resources:
- Corner Office Ep. 1 - Decision Making in Complex Environments with David Snowden
- The Origins of Cynefin
- Making Sense... Gaining Cognitive Edge (Event)

We also had a few questions come in after the show aired. Debra, Jean and David have agreed to answer them in the comments section. Please feel free to add to the conversation.

The next Corner Office Live episode will be live on air on February 16th, 2012 at 4 p.m. EST. Details will be posted on this blog, make sure you're subscribed!

Have you noticed how things are no longer simple... or even complicated?  Things have become very complex and at times even chaotic! On these occasions I wish I was Captain Picard with access to my very own Mr. Data. He would counsel me on what to do next.

On the other hand, Mr. Data was not alone. He had his pal Geordi, Councilor Troi, Worf, Number One and Dr. Crusher to work with and unmask ‘unknown unknowns’. They didn’t view ‘unknowns’ as challenges. They didn’t complain about it. They didn’t fret when they failed. They just tried a different approach. They embraced every encounter as an exploration. An experiment.  An opportunity to learn and improve.

Now I can hear you saying Susan…Star Trek was a tv show. Yes it was. But here’s the thing. Like some of us who navigate organizations and lead teams, Captain Picard also led a group of curious and knowledgeable people. The only difference is they figured out how to make complexity work for them.

As we shared in our last episode, the purpose of Corner Office is to pursue the things we don’t know we don’t know. On January 12^th, 2012 at 4 p.m. EST (in Corner Office) we are launching a series on complexity and contemporary business.

Our Explorers, Debra Pickfield and Jean Letourneau will be joined by David Snowden, a Corner Office friend. David was our guest in Corner Office for our premier episode in 2010. Decision Making in Complex Environments is our most viewed episode.

In this episode Corner Office Explorers and David will embark on a journey to uncover:

• Why addressing complexity in business is no longer an option but a necessity?
• How to move from concept to application?
• And bust open some myths about complexity and decision-making.

We will be streaming live and invite you to join the conversation. For 30 minutes you will have access to three innovative thinkers. They will challenge you to think about your organization and the world in a whole new way. In fact, you can tap into their wisdom right now and pose a question right below on this blog. We will monitor this channel and answer your questions during the show.

In the meantime we have a question for you. How is your organization dealing with complexity?

If you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share about this post, please register or login to leave a comment or contact Susan via your preferred method (Twitter: @SusanRadoejvic #COLive)

Like most people I have been following the EU debt worries, specifically the call, by the former Greek Prime Minister Papandreou, for the now defunct Greek Referendum and the Occupy movement. There are three points that I observed from watching these stories unfold.

• First, they are experiments exploring solutions to some tough issues
• Next, with experiments we don’t always know the outcomes
• And finally, experiments require us to give up control

Case in point, Prime Minister Papandreou called a referendum because he wanted to hear from citizens their thoughts on the financial issues they are facing. EU Leadership thought this didn’t fit into the discussed plan and encouraged him to shut it down. And while we sympathize with the people in the neighbourhoods where the Occupied are sitting and with the Occupiers, the point recently made by the London Ontario police, when they arrived in the middle of the night to remove tents and Occupiers’ belongings, is that local politicians don’t know what outcomes will develop and are concerned it will get out of control. Therefore they thought it best to shut it down. In my opinion.

Side bar: None of these reactions have contributed to or produced a viable solution.

The thing about experiments is they can also be very powerful leadership intervention tools. This is why, at our Agency, we decided to use our online business show Corner Office to conduct our own experiments to show corporate leaders how to bring about positive and long lasting results.

Live streaming on November 17^th, 3 p.m. EST Debra Pickfield, Principal of THiNKSPOT Burlington and Jean Letourneau, President & CEO of SBVCG Inc. will put on explorer hats.  

For 30 minutes, our Explorers will share the Corner Office story – its purpose, goal and ongoing evolution. We will explain how we experimented with methods, resources, tools and technology to create an experience that:

• Is relevant to our in-house audience and online community
• Offers practical take-aways
• And creates a safe environment to participate

Together we will paddle in unchartered waters, deal with unknown outcomes, unpack complex challenges and answer unasked (more like those avoided) questions. Oh and did we mention our in-house audience and you, our online community are invited to participate.

We’re giving up control and we don’t know what the outcomes are going to be. That said we do believe it will be a thought-provoking journey that you may not want to miss so…join us!

This episode is now available for viewing on our #COLive Episodes page.

If you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share about this post, please register or login to leave a comment or contact Susan via your preferred method (Twitter: @SusanRadojevic. #COLive.)

Recently I was reminded of something my mother once said to me when I was growing up. She said, ‘Susan before you start this project take some time to understand why you are doing it.’ I believe my mother was on to something.

Finding solutions to today’s complex opportunities require a clear understanding of purpose, tapping into the wisdom of many and (carefully) investing something we cannot get more of…time.

Take for instance a recent Request for Proposal (RFP) we received to perform event portfolio alignment. The 25-page RFP (initially) revealed the organization’s leadership was on the right track.

• They had identified that their event portfolio investment was no longer effective.
• And they had decided to invest time, human and financial resources to find a solution.

Side Bar: If an organization allocates an average of 32% of its annual marketing investment to its enterprise-wide meetings and events and if only 5% (on average) of their outlay is aligned, measured and designed to drive a return on value and investment. It makes sense to find out why isn’t the other 95% of the 32% investment also aligned to drive a return.

A Classic Move

Next, the organization’s leadership did something that 9 out 10, who decide to assess their event portfolio investment, do. They jumped directly to tactics.  The reason for this classic move is because its leadership failed to recognize their portfolio of events as a whole system and a strategic leadership intervention tool (an approach that empowers leaders to bring about a lasting and positive change in behaviour and attitude in people). As a result  they missed exploring a whole systems thinking approach to answer key questions which can impact the success of the event alignment goals. Questions like:

• Why invest in an event portfolio in the first place?
• What corporate goals are events currently driving?
• And how is the event portfolio supporting the organization’s purpose?

Hard as we try, to prove otherwise, the fact remains that multi-faceted projects involving people (like an event portfolio alignment) is not a fast, easy or cookie-cutter task. It takes the right methods, resources, tools, technology, support and guidance to deliver. Because the possibilities are emergent, event alignment cannot be performed in a vacuum using linear decision-making.

As Event Alignment Strategists, our experience tells us, for an organization to achieve the greatest success with their portfolio of events; corporate leaders need to understand the purpose of their events and the alignment and how each relates to their vision and overall business strategy and goals. Missing this critical first step will produce results that fall far short of the investment of time, human and financial resources made.

So let us ask you, what is the purpose of your organization’s event portfolio investment?

If you have any questions or thoughts you would like to share about this post, please register or login to leave a comment, or contact Susan via your preferred method (Twitter: @SusanRadojevic. #COLive.)

Related Post: Event Portfolio Alignment 101

This is an excerpt from the blog: How Physical Space & Design Help Achieve Event Goals

"In July I watched (online) a presentation of SAP’s SAPPHIRE NOW case study funded by the MPI Foundation. The design and outcomes of SAP’s annual business technology conference is a brilliant example of how physical space plays an important role in event design to drive business goals.

Side Bar: We define events as face-to-face, virtual or hybrid gatherings that an organization invests in for the purpose of building business success.