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.

Making the most of alumni group on LinkedIn

Over 50 students, alumni and faculty have connected via the OSR Alumni Association group on Linked-In. LinkedIn is a social networking site frequented by business and professional computer users.

This OSR group offers some unique features to complement OSR's official website, specifically the ability to carry on threaded discussions on a single topic and ability to post recommendations about members of your LinkedIn network. OSR students, alumni, core faculty and staff are invited to join and post discussions and take advantage of the LinkedIn group features. 

To be an OSR group member you must first sign up for a free LinkedIn account. (Your email box won't be flooded; LinkedIn prohibits group email and spamming).

If you are already a LinkedIn member, join the OSR Alumni Association group. To be notified of new OSR group discussions and updates, adjust your settings under My Groups and the OSR Alumni Association.

E-mail listserve set up for job seekers

Over the last few weeks I have spoken with many OSR alumni and students who are looking for work in these desperate times. I view this as an opportunity to build a stronger network of support and resources within the OSR Community.

As a first step toward building this expression of our community, I have set up a listserve with about a dozen members, those whom I believe to be currently seeking work. If you would like to be on this list, or you know of someone who would like to be added, please send an email to Bill Koenig.

There are many possible ways for this “collaborative” to support one another and I invite you to share your ideas and invitations with this group by simply replying or emailing.

Bill Koenig

New reading in positive psychology

Speakers at the Applying the Science of Positive Psychology to Improve Society symposium at Claremont Graduate University are touting their new books.

Cameron, Kim (2008). Positive Leadership: Strategies for extraordinary performance. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. "Shows how to reach beyond ordinary success to achieve extraordinary effectiveness, spectacular results, and what Cameron calls 'positively deviant performance' — performance far above the norm. Citing a wide range of research in organizational development and psychology as well as real-world examples, Cameron shows that to go from successful to exceptional, leaders must learn how to create a profoundly positive environment in the workplace."

Diener, Ed (2009). Well-Being and Public Policy. Oxford Press. Presents the case for national measures of subjective well-being to be used for policy purposes. Available April 2009.

Diener, Ed and Robert Biswas-Diener (2008). Happiness: Unlocking the mysteries of psychological wealth. Malden MA: Blackwell Publishing. This father and son team presents scientific evidence revealing that happiness is not overrated, and is good for people's health, social relationships, job success, longevity and altruism.

Dick Wilkinson (OSR 8) reviews a remarkable book on collaborative design

Stefen Sagmeister's, Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far has edged out Gordon MacKenzie's, Orbiting the Giant Hairball as my favorite book in whole systems design.  Both books are remarkable celebrations of the imagination.  Both are bold; both are inspirations.  Yet as a visual, intellectual and aesthetic demonstration at the intersection of collaboration, storytelling, design and art, Stefan wins by a nose.