Effectiveness of AoH - business sustainability change

[Amanda Fenton]

From the email list February 2013...

Does anyone have any supporting evidence as the the benefit of participatory change leadership processes such as those used in the Art of Hosting. These can be in the form of case studies, research articles etc... particularly in a business sustainability change context: anything from a social enterprise start-up to a mainstream corporate. Or even people you could put me in touch with that have first hand experience. I am basically trying to sell the benefits of inviting in this type of training in a business school context. 

Phil Long

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So much of the basis for this work has come out if business schools actually that it shouldn't be too hard. I would focus on Peter Senge and Otto Scharmer's work. Theory U and systems thinking, for which AoH is a powerful actual oozing methodology are both wisely known in business schools. 

Chris

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see here for a recent Stamford Social Innovation review ...

http://www.ssireview.org/blog/entry/system_change_through_people_power

Tim

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Hi Phil,

Here are some solid references which are not using AoH practices as such, but which have turn the concept of leadership on its head with practices that are essentially participative.

The Harvard business review agrees the biggest tomato processing company in the US is one of these companies "Morning Star" ( see article above: First, Let's Fire All the Managers).

Along the same lines, here is a book full of these companies which outperform their competitors. http://www.amazon.com/Freedom-Inc-Employees-Business-Productivity/d... These "free" companies (that have developed a leadership style that does not tell staff how to do things, but helps them figure it out) have learn the following lessons:
Stop telling and start listening
Start openly and actively sharing vision of the company so people will "own" it.
Stop trying to motivate people.
Stay alert.
If you enjoy Gore Tex products from W.L. Gore and Associates, is one of the . Favi in France that has the highest growth in its sector exporting to China the biggest thread to the sector in Europe. Zappos.com which offers new employee 4 weeks training after which they offer them $2,000 if they choose NOT to stay with the company because it may not be one for them…

Enjoy

Jean-Christophe

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