Read Tom Carpenter's profile, OSR 13 graduate

Tom Carpenter, OSR 13 graduate, is the founder of Handford Challenge, a public interest non-profit with a 
fundamentally different approach gained through his study of Organization Systems Renewal.

In 2007, Tom started Hanford Challenge, which aims for less confrontation and more listening to workers, managers, officials and other stakeholders.

“If you can go straight to the people who have the power to change something,” he says, “you’re shortcutting an expensive and usually painful process for people.”

Read Tom's full story and learn how he is using his OSR skills to bring about change.

Applications now accepted for Alumni Board

Now that the dust has settled from OSR 14 graduation and the Annual Conference, please take a moment to consider serving as a member of the OSR Alumni Association Board of Directors. The board is a great way to get to know graduates from other cohorts and to help support our community of life-long learners.

Since it’s official formation in 2004, the generous contributions of time and creativity of alumni have contributed to the continued evolution of our OSR Alumni Association. Last year the Alumni Board and volunteers continued the development of the alumni organization and contributed several exciting programs including:

• Beyond What and Why, a 1.5-day hands-on workshop featuring Don Swartz;
• The fourth Annual Conference: Designing life and work in an upended world with David Baum<;/li>
• Completion of the planning phase for Guides on the Side, a new program for mentoring OSR graduates.

Everything is possible with the commitment and support of our community.

If you’d like to become a member of the Alumni Association board, please contact any current board member. You’ll find contact information and downloadable details on the Alumni Association Web page.

Our goal is to receive board applications by Friday, July 17. Thank you and have a great summer!

OSR 14 student contributes new mentoring program for alumni

Kathy Coronetz is leading the design of a new Alumni Association mentoring program called Guides on the Side.  As part of her consultation project, Kathy conducted best practices research and created a conceptual design which she presented to the alumni Board of Directors on June 9th.  Next steps will be to develop a pilot which will be launched in the Fall of 2009.

If you would like to become a mentor to a recent OSR graduate, please update your OSR profile and contact information.

The Alumni Association wishes to thank Kathy and her board sponsors, Bob Woodruff and Paula Brekke for the many hours and hard work they contributed to make this program possible.

Invitation to OSR graduates: Serve on the Alumni Board

OSR graduates, you are invited to consider serving as Alumni Association Board members for a three-year term beginning September 2009. The OSR Alumni Association is expanding the current board and replacing retiring board members by filling eight new Board vacancies.

Five years since it's founding, the OSR Alumni Assocation offers graduates a variety of opportunities to serve the OSR community-at-large and practice OSR principles. Service on the board helps you connect and build new relationships while serving the mission of the association.

For additional information, please contact any current board member and visit the Alumni Association online.

Download application for 2009 Alumni Board opportunities.

Would you like an opportunity to practice creative team design?

Join OSR alumni and students for an information sharing session to explore opportunities to form a design team for the 2009 StoryWaves event during the November Pegasus Systems Thinking Conference in Seattle.

Members of the 2007 StoryWaves design team will share information on what is involved and how to get started. Larry West, alumni board member, is the sponsor of the 2009 event.

Two years ago, the Alumni Association created the StoryWaves evening during the Pegasus Seattle Conference. Design team members were alumni and current students. Below are some of their comments regarding this learning experience:

“In addition to working with a great bunch of people — exploring different design methods, which I absolutely loved — I also had two other benefits. First, I was able to have a hand in giving back something to a conference that I really love attending… Secondly, I got to introduce some new people to the Pegasus conference experience.” — OSR 11 graduate

“Whole systems learning embraces a balance of our minds, bodies and spirits. The experience of our StoryWaves design team prepared me as an incoming student through this wonderful and rewarding design experience.” — OSR 14 student

Design team forming for 2009 StoryWaves
Wednesday, April 22, 6–8 pm
Seattle University, Chardin Hall, Room 138
Reserve

Seasons greetings from the OSR Alumni Assocation

Greetings OSR Alumni, Students and Faculty,

We hope this holiday season finds the OSR community well and warm!  It is 21 degrees right now.  As we head into 2009, the OSR AA board plans to use the Grapevine to provide periodic news to highlight the work of Alumni volunteers on behalf of the OSR AA mission:

We are a community of OSR graduates committed to life-long learning, service, leadership, and the legacy of OSR. In this mission, the Alumni Association seeks to serve the community of OSR graduates, current and future students and friends of the programs.

Alumni, students and faculty are invited to contact any OSR AA board member to learn how they can become actively involved by clicking here.

Swartz workshop attendees develop principles for complex change

Participants in an OSR Alumni workshop came together at Seattle University over the weekend of October 18th to talk, learn and develop key principles for dealing with complex change in organizations. The workshop was led by OSR founder, Don Swartz (pictured below), and co-facilitated by alumni from several cohorts: Michelle Alverson, Lucy Garrick, Marilyn Ferguson-Wolf, David Kleweno, Colleen Ponto and Dee Endleman.

On Friday night, Don set the stage for the weekend by providing an overview on the unique issues associated with what he termed "transformational change."

Drawing from the diverse experiences of workshop managers and consultants who work in/with systems ranging from metropolitan school districts to health care, human resources, computer technology, state agencies, financial services, engineering firms, non-profits and public libraries, over 40 complex change dilemmas were identified and grouped in to six key themes:

1.    Setting up change for success
2.    Designing, planning and implementing change while doing daily work
3.    Sustaining the commitment to the change effort
4.    The impact of leaders on change efforts
5.    Preparing ourselves to be change agents
6.    Building relationships to design, implement and sustain change

Working together, participants shared stories, expertise and insights to illuminate dozens of key principles for dealing with complex change. Sharing experiences and expertise across a wide diversity of organizational experience revealed common issues and opportunities.

At one point Don advised the group,  "Beyond what and why, principle-based change should drive 'how-to' solutions for change. Principles of involvement are the same, but how you get there can be different depending on culture, context, country, etc."

Share your thoughts about the workshop. Click on "Comments" below.