OD Workshop - Cultivating Democracy

OD Workshop - Cultivating Democracy

Chris Crosby

Both Kurt Lewin and John Dewey believed that democracy must be learned anew in each generation. It seems they were on to something.Nations and organizations live with the same struggle. The fundamental challenge of how to govern is born out in our homes, workplaces and our educational system. All organizations live somewhere on the continuum between too permissive and too autocratic.

But what does it mean to truly create a democratic organization? Many think it’s about ensuring all decide. Yet reality tells us that “ensuring all decide” is toward the too permissive side of the continuum. Such thinking often creates organizations that lack direction and operate with loose boundaries which can contribute to people feeling unsafe to speak their truths.

Come join LIOS president Chris Crosby as we talk about how to find balance between the extremes and create healthy thriving organizations.

During this talk we will explore:

• The forgotten foundations of democracy that are rooted in the origins of organization development.
• The distinction between inclusion and healthy structures.
• The difference between moving in an evolutionary way vs an ideological way, towards more organizational health.
• A simple decision-making model to help any work team or organization do the above.

About Your Facilitator

Chris Crosby, holds two M.A’s from the Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS). He is the President of LIOS as well, which he restarted in 2022 (LIOS was created by his father, Robert P Crosby in 1969). LIOS will soon have an approved MSLOD, Master of Science in Leadership and Organization Development with plans to add more degrees in the near future. He is the author of several papers and three books: Strategic Organizational Alignment: Power, Authority, Results, Strategic Engagement: Practical Tools to Raise Morale and Increase Results - Volume I: Core Activities and Volume II: System-wide Activities.

Finally, Chris is an adjunct faculty at Gonzaga University teaching ORGL 517 Organizational Change and Transformation in the change leadership track.

Beyond academia, Chris is a systems thinker who helps organizations succeed by aligning people to numerically measurable goals. His unique strategic engagement methods help organizations overcome obstacles previously thought unattainable. He has both internal and external experience. While internal at Alcoa, Chris helped multiple projects succeed including R&D, new capping machines, and a global ERP implementation. His extensive international experience includes work in 15 countries spanning 5 continents. His work crosses industries and uses a variety of models, methods and strategies to clarify
challenges and create implementation success.

COST:

$15 Members when pre-paid & pre-registered

$25 Non members when pre-paid & pre-registered

$10 for students/seniors pre-registered 

5:45 - 6:00 pm Join Zoom Meeting

6:00- 8:00 pm Training

Please be aware that our trainings could be recorded or photographed.