Blog Posts from October 2009
Creating Compelling Purpose in a Group That Meets on a Regular Basis
One of the strongest messages that came from our Extraordinary Groups field study was the importance of a Compelling Purpose. We humans have a need to join with others in a common Purpose, to unite our energies to accomplish something important, something that we cannot achieve alone. Read Full Post.
Full Engagement: Encouraging People to Contribute Their Very Best
Today's organizations face tremendous challenges and opportunities that:
- Cannot be effectively addressed in silos or through hierarchical dictates
- Require relevant and diverse perspectives, skills, knowledge, and experiences of people, who are typically organized into groups of two to twenty
- Need those group members to be highly motivated to make the work of their group a top priority
Increasingly, the first two points are commonly understood and pursued. Unfortunately, many organizations fail at the third: taking the action that will inspire group members to fully commit themselves to the task at hand. Read Full Post.
To See Extraordinary Groups, Read the News
During the last three+ years that Geoff Bellman and I have been working on Extraordinary Groups, the news has often been a source of examples of groups that are amazing. An initial clue to the example is the word-choice within printed headlines or a broadcaster's lead-in: words such as inspiring, amazing, fantastic, or unexpected describe an experience or results. Read Full Post.
An Exercise: What Role Do Groups Play in Your Life?
We humans need to group. We've been grouping for thousands of years. By applying the Group Needs Model described in Extraordinary Groups, you can better understand the dynamics of your groups and see ways of behaving that will increase both the effectiveness of the group and, as a result, the quality of your experience. Read Full Post.
