Consultant Q&A
Vincent Ventresca Responds:
Your question is interesting and poses the complex
topic of bridging cultural norms in business to those in
society. I find the easiest way to approach these issues
is to maintain consistency built around core values
translated into social milieu. I will do my best to
translate these statements into a useful context.
Groups of people in social settings behave
differently than those in corporate settings. This is due
to the individual’s ability to operate in
predetermined paradigms vs.
personal. Find a middle ground for people to feel bought
in, flexible, non-constrained
and expressive. To answer your points, I recommend the
following steps:
1. Select a leadership group within the organization and
charter them to create a vision
for your social club.
2. Prior to selecting the group, provide a framework that
depicts a consensus drive,
forward looking statement
reflective of your club’s future goals.
3. Refine this statement with the total membership and
promote buy-in through
collaboration. Don’t expect
this process to be easy, as you will uncover personal
issues and misconceptions rather
quickly.
4. Once your vision statement is in place, build a
structure of accountability
representative
to that of an organization.
5.
Elect committees, subcommittees and leaders. Define their
responsibilities
and tie them to the vision statement;
which is driven by the core values that
nurture development.
The following core values should provide you
with a framework to build all of the aforementioned items
upon. Shifting behavior to match these values will be a
long, continuous process. The only way you will succeed
is if someone within the new leadership group champions
and models the norms.
• We will be thoughtful of
others’ situations and variables before making
statements
and be thoughtful of the impact of our
statements as they relate to all
circumstances. We will consider how our
actions and statements impact the
recipients and never deliver a communication
that results in dissention.
• We will be respectful of
our surroundings and others’ feelings and needs.
At
all times we will represent ourselves
as stewards and show an open willingness
to understand and help one
another.
• We will be considerate
towards circumstances and individuals with which we
interact. Empathy and collaborative
intention will drive our interactions. We will
show consideration toward each other’s
efforts and focus on building the bond
required to
create a trusting environment.
• We will think before
expressing opinions and promote this by embracing
skills
to listen and
respond productively. We will exercise this by
considering
circumstances in which items are raised
and environments in which they will
be received.
• We will be conscientious in
physical and intellectual endeavors. We will
recognize
how our appearance, words, tone and body
expression impact others. We will
strive to create a caring and welcoming
feeling to all, at all times and always be
aware that our presence can impact
perception and reputation.
I am confident if you follow these steps with
the commitment you projected in your question, you will
find success. However, never expect immediate change, if
you do, you will sabotage your efforts.
Keep in mind what you should be concentrating
on. Studying is not form but function—sociology and
psychology driven by a common goal reflected in your
mission statement. Thus, the circle is
complete.
VINCENT VENTRESCA,
PMP is a project consultant at Advanced Management
Services, Inc. His firm consults and trains in continuous
improvement, project management and management
development. He focuses on integrating quality principles
into project and organizational development practices and
the synergy of people, process and technology. He can be
reached at vventresca@amsconsulting.com.
H. James
Harrington Responds
Question for
Consultants
February 2001
News for a Change Homepage