Article Collections

Each of the collections below contain several 2-3 page articles by experts in their respective fields. The cost is $15 per article collection.

Try the following selection, "Seniors of Organizational Development," for free. Just click on the picture below to download.

Seniors of Organizational Development

   This issue offers brief articles by (and in one case, about) senior consultingants who have been gurus for consultants in the field of OD. Billie Alban, Dick and Emily Axelrod, Geoff Bellman, Peter Block, Barbara Bunker, Kathie Dannemille, and Bob Tannenbaum all discuss issues important to their consulting.

• Large Group Interventions Have Changed Our Consulting - Billie Alban and Barbara review the way the foundational principles of these methods have changes the way they do everything else.

• Purpose is the Cornerstone - Dick and Emily Axelrod describe how purpose enables people to find meaning in change.

• Richard Beckhard: Maker of Models - Paula Yardley Griffin. We interviewed Dick to talk about the models he contributed to the field..

• The Consulting Life: Achieving Balance and Meaning -Geoff Bellman describes how he balances work and everything else to achieve what he wants in his life.

• Thoughts on Consulting and Leadership - Peter Block. Here are some important insights from the author of Flawless Consulting.

• The Values of Whole System Change - Kathleen Dannemiller comments on the values that support whole-system change.

• My Professional Guidelines - Robert Tannenbaum described the guiding notions that served him for fifty years.

Coaching

The Foundations of Coaching

• Coaching: A Map of the Territory - Jordan Goldrich Jordan provides a scouting report of methods, schools, and philosophies in the field.
  

• Roots of Executive Coaching - Dan Kennedy explains how sports coaching evolved into executive coaching.
  

• Where Does Executive Coaching Come From? - Robert Witherspoon reviews the theoretical roots of his coaching.
  

• Roots of Personal Coaching - Rich Fettke identifies five factors that made coaching an "overnight success" (after 20 years).
  

• Personal Coaching's Evolution From Therapy - Dr. Patrick Williams explains how coaching evolved from three streams of work and how it differs from therapy.

Coaching Tools

In this issue, you'll find six articles that provide a wealth of tools you will use again and again in your coaching. The authors are seasoned and successful coaches who share the learnings of years of experience. What gets in the way of developing new habits? What are some specific skills the best coaches use well? What are the steps in coaching emotional intelligence? They're all here.

• Coach Your Clients to Create Powerful Habits - Michele Christiansen and Steve Shull describe an effective framework. For helping coaches and consultants develop the skill of habit building, both for themselves and for their clients.

• Fourteen Tools of a Master Coach - Brad Swift Here are a group of tools you can use to help your clients build a masterful life.

• Emotional Intelligence: Coaching For Empathy - Dr. Patsi Krakoff explains that emotional intelligence, especially empathy, can only be learned experientially - a perfect fit for the professional coach.

• Blending Coaching and Consulting for Real Value - Cheryl Belles' experience suggests that the most effective coaches and consultants create value for their clients by using a blend of these two skill sets.

• Be Your Own Coach - Paul Kwiesinski suggests constructing a review sheet to help yourself be more effective, or perhaps build one for your clients.

• Time For a Rite of Passage? - Debra Hansen offers some ideas for marking those important transitions.

Life Planning

• Plan Your Board of Directors - Lois Zachary shows you how to use a personal board of directors as a mentor group.

• Finding Values From The Body - Julie Schwartz points out that one way to find out what you really value is to look at your body.

• Give Yourself a New Label - Want a new identity? Rita Bailey shows you how to use this powerful technique.

• Where Has The Passion Gone? - Something missing? Lindsay Colitses suggest that you may not have to change everything.

• Helping Others Unleash Potential - Kevin Eikenberry offers thirteen things you can do to help others get where they want to go.

• Setting Intentions: A New Paradigm for Goal Setting - David Breslow has some ideas for setting goals that have power, and some pitfalls to avoid.

• Three Questions to Improve Your Goal Setting - Beth Hand offers suggestions that will make and goal setting process more powerful.

• Life Get Blurry - Six things Ken Gosnell says we do to get in our own way.

• Reversing Time: A Planning Exercise - Steve Randall offers a new perspective on setting goals.
  

Leadership

Developing Leaders in a New Century

For leaders, and for those who select, coach and develop them, the world is new in so many ways — new technologies, new globalization, new priorities, new structures. So we’ve asked some of those who are working to develop the next generation of leaders to share some methods and ideas that they find are effective in this new world. We open with an article describing a complete program that combines a number of new and classic methods. Then you’ll find articles that highlight some of the methods and leadership characteristics that are being emphasized today: inclusion, appreciative inquiry, sustainability. And we close with an overview of the state of the art in leadership development methods.

• Training Tomorrow’s Leaders Today - Jerry Garfield reviews the results of a new program for leader development that had a profound impact on a group of nonprofit executives.
  
  
• Coaching Leaders Play to Their Strengths - Andrea Sigetich tells readers that leaders can get a lot more value from leveraging their strengths than from spending time and resources becoming “well rounded.”
  
  
• Teaching Leaders to Fish - Jerry Straks describes the road to helping clients learn leadership practices that last—the six “P”s of sustainability.
  
  
• Developing Constructive Leader Impact - Robert Cooke and Linda Sharkey point out that leaders can have a positive, constructive impact on the people around them. Rob and Linda have research with 3,900 US managers to prove it.
  
  
• The New Leader—From Telling to Asking - Judith Glaser, the author of The DNA of Leadership describes one of the important attributes of the effective leader — the ability to get people to speak up.
  
  
• What’s New in Leadership Development? - Arthur Lerner describes how they’re doing it in the best leadership development programs. Arthur offers an overview of what’s new, and what’s still true.
  

Leading Organizational Change

In this collection, six authors provide important strategies for leading change in any organization. Share these four articles with partners in change management to help develop a consistent philosophy and style. Share them with clients to help clients understand their part in the change process.   

Managing in a New World

In this collection, six authors offer perspectives on management issues in an information economy populated by a new breed of worker. Share these insights with any leader who is working to improve the way they, and their organization, manage the people of the new millennium.   

• Motivating in the Information Age - Carol Kinsey Goman has some timely insights for helping managers deal with the new worker.

• Developing Enterprising Workers - Enterprising workers are the kind everybody wants. Bill Bridges describes how to develop and support them.

• A New Leadership Challenge - Hank Karp did some research on what motivates Generation X. There were some surprises.

• The Change Manager as Battle Captain - A special message for managers. Ed Hampton shows you how to adapt advice from the battlefield.

• Employee Recognition: An Alternative - Kenny Moore has learned a lot from his recognition experiment Does your staff help you do the impossible?

• Reducing Wear and Tear on Your Staff - Jeannie Stahl's suggestions will be welcome.

New Leaders - The First 100 Days

This issue offers five important articles for the new leader, focusing on the priorities and skills needed in the first few months of tenure in a new position.  Share it with leaders at all levels as they begin a new challenge.

• The CEO in Transition: The First 100 Days and Other Survival Patterns - James E. Lukaszewski shares some advice for thriving (and surviving) in a revolving-door world. You'll appreciate his memo to the CEO with the first-day expectations people have for the CEO. 

• From Doing To Being: A New leader's Checklist - Marcia Dorfman provides a handy checklist for the new leader - what to focus on now, what later.

• Transition Meetings: Pathway to Productivity - Gilmore Crosby reviews the essentials of a method used by the Navy to make transitions successful.. His list of questions for the meeting is a handy tool.

• Help New Leaders Build Positive Relationships - Marsha Hughes Rease and Beverly Sieford suggest that new leaders should plan for some important conversations to get things moving. Here are some things to ask about and talk about.

• The Critical Cs - Building Trust in the First 100 Days - Cindy Phillips offers nine Cs to focus on and six ways to use them during that important first period for a new leader.

Non-Profit Consulting

Project Management

Consulting Tools

Organizational Diagnosis Models and Methods

This issue offers five articles that describe models and methods used by organizational and management consultants who want to understand client organizations.  From hints to make needs analysis interviews and feedback meetings more effective, to overviews of systems models, these methods help consultants effectively identify the important dynamics and priority issues.

• Holographic Diagnosis.  Alain Cardon outlines this basic and powerful technique for diagnosis. It's a matter of trusting what you sense, and what you don't.

• A Model for Back-of-a-Napkin Consulting.  Janet Macaluso shows you a consulting tool that provides important insight into cultures. And you can use it anywhere.

• Success in Needs Analysis Interviews.  Karen Lawson describes ways to make needs analysis interviews pay off for your engagement.

• Data Feedback Meeting Moments of Truth.  Toni Hupp knows where to look for the moments of truth and key success factors in managing the process of feedback meetings - including a sample agenda.

• Five Models for Diagnosis.  Beckhard to Weisbord and beyond, Paula Yardley Griffin reviews five well-known models that are useful for diagnosis in organizational coaching and consulting.

Adapting Appreciative Inquiry

This issue focuses on Appreciative Inquiry, a popular design for group work that while not ignoring problems, uses the positive as a focus for action. The methods (or for some, more a tao, a way of working) are based on work done by David Cooperrider and others at Case Western Reserve University in the 1980s. AI is being adapted for many uses; authors outline a spectrum of the adaptations here.

• Variations on a Theme: Capacity Building With the Four-D Model - Ada Jo Mann describes three different applications for Appreciative Inquiry in Private Voluntary Organizations and Non-governmental Organizations.
  

• Building Customer Service in Local Government: AI in the City of Dubuque - Landlords and the city were at war over enforcement of HUD quality standards. Could AI help? Yes, and Laverne Webb and Sherry Rockey have the story.
  

• Appreciative Team Building: Creating a Climate for Great Collaboration, AI and teambuilding - Why does it work? What kinds of teams and when? What should you be careful of? Jay Cherney has the answer to all of these questions and more.
  

• Using an Appreciative Approach to Organizational Self Assessment - Many organizations conduct self assessments in order to improve. Nancy Stetson describes how some Community Colleges are using AI-based self assessment to maintain accreditation.
  

• When We Are at Our Creative Best - Denise Lalonde describes a powerful way of helping people get back in touch with their creative core. It all happened at a weekend conference.
  

• Crisis at Home: Fostering Agreement in an Intentional Community- When this community feared it had reached the end of the road, AI helped members see a path forward. Sherene Zolno shares how they did it and what she learned in the process.

Consulting Skills: Twelve Articles

This this issue offers a dozen thought-provoking articles that describe models, methods and issues in organizational consulting. Topics include thoughtful lessons from the field, models for discovery, diagnosis and handling resistance, hints on interviews and data feedback, a light hearted but helpful look at some problem clients with solution ideas, and a discussion of some common ethical issues, and more.

• Holographic Diagnosis - Alain Cardon outlines this basic and powerful technique for diagnosis. It’s a matter of trusting what you sense, and what you don’t.
  

• Success in Needs Analysis Interviews - Karen Lawson describes ways to make needs analysis interviews pay off for your engagement.
  

• Data Feedback Meeting Moments of Truth - Toni Hupp knows where to look for the moments of truth and key success factors in managing the process of feedback meetings. Including a sample agenda.
  

• Favorite Models For Consulting - Beckhard to Weisbord and beyond, Paula Griffin reviews eight well-known models that are commonly used to assist consultants in organizational consulting.
  

• A Model for Back-of-a-Napkin Consulting - Janet Macaluso shows you a consulting tool that provides important insight into cultures. And you can use it anywhere.
  

• Lessons from Twenty Years of Consulting - Jane Lump shares some lessons that wise consultants learn…eventually. Take notes.
  

• Lessons from the First Year of Consulting - Adrian Jones was watching carefully in his first year, and he learned a few things too.
  

• Why Don’t Clients Want What We Want? - Rick Maurer explains why clients don’t always respond how we planned, and what we can do about it.
  

• Five Problem Managers - Betty Myers has met a few of the tough managers, and she has some suggestions.
  

• Clients From Hell - Glenn Parker has observed that there are some effective techniques for dealing with difficult clients, but you must also know when to walk away.
  

• Ethical Issues in Consulting - They exist, and always will. Leslie Bobrowsky reviews some common ones.
  

• Internal Consultants: Three Ways to Stay at the Strategy Table - You don’t want to be ignored or discounted. Marcia Meislin has some strategies that will help.

Marketing

Strategic Marketing For Professionals.

Here are five articles that overview marketing for professionals who provides intangible services. These articles offer ideas that help you design the strategy for your business. Use them to lay a foundation for your marketing effort, to provide an infusion of ideas and energy, or to get a few new hints that will provide a big payoff.

• Solution Marketing - Robert Middleton describes a proven marketing strategy based not on getting, but on giving - offering clients solutions they need. 

• Build Results With Data-based Marketing - Andrea L. Schutz offers ways to increase effectiveness and reduce risks by tracking marketing results.

• Business Development Report Card: The Three Rs - Judy Feld shares a way to assess your marketing plan and to make sure it's getting you the results you want.

• Rethink Your Marketing - Paul Lemberg lays out five simple, timeless steps that get you going and produce results.

• Your Consulting Brand - Differentiating yourself pays. Paula Yardley Griffin recommends adapting these lessons from consumer product marketing.
• Bring Authenticity to Your Marketing- Two Simple Exercises - Molly Gordon shows you two powerful methods for engaging you in your marketing.

Marketing on a Budget

This issue offers ideas and tools for effective marketing that won't drain the budget. The authors offer clever and creative twists on traditional strategies like networking, press releases, and mailing. And you'll find a packet of great new ideas as well. These are ideas you can use at any stage in building your business, and energy generators for your marketing anytime.

• Effective and (Almost) Free Marketing Research - Roberta Guise illustrated that effective research can be simple. It doesn't have to take much time, and it can provide you with priceless information to promote your business.

• Sure-Fire Marketing Strategies - Shana Spooner offers twenty low cost, yet highly effective strategies essential to growing your business.

• Non-stop Networking .-.Andrea Nierenberg reports that the opposite of "networking" is "not working." Here are her list of proven networking strategies you'll use throughout your career.

• Make it Real to Build Value - Tom Leal reminds us that credibility is vital in our business. Here are some ideas to build credibility-and increase profits.

• Keep Those Marketing Ideas - Paula Yardley Griffin suggests an effective way to help yourself generate and record creative and powerful ideas for marketing.

• Postcard Power - Want to differentiate yourself and your marketing? Maria Marsala has some ideas.

• Using Press Releases to Generate Media Coverage - Mitchell Friedman, the marketing master, demonstrated how to do this important thing well and receive the valuable press coverage your competitors will wish they had.

Whole System Change

Principles of Whole-System Change

Whole-system change involves getting the entire system - a 20 person department, a 2500-person division, or representatives of an entire community - into one room for long enough to have a shared understanding of history, priorities and actions needed. It is changing the way organizational change is done. These articles explain the underlying principles of these methods.

• Large Group Interventions Have Changed Our Consulting - Billie Alban and Barbara review the way the foundational principles of these methods have changes the way they do everything else.

• The Values of Whole System Change - Kathleen Dannemiller comments on the values that support whole-system change.

• Purpose is the Cornerstone - Dick and Emily Axelrod describe how purpose enables people to find meaning in change.

• Purpose Unleashes the Magic - Kathleen Dannemiller and Al Blixt explain how to keep purpose at the forefront of a change effort.

• Sustaining large System Change - Mary E. Weiss reviews the critical success factors in following up on whole system change events.

Tools for Organization Change

This collection offers seven articles providing a variety of tools used by consultants involved in organizational change. These tools include models like Weisbord's Six Boxes and Bridges Transition Model, a process-change model, a communication plan for change projects, and some ideas for ways to mark important transitions.

• Seven Models For Leading Transitions -  Paula Yardley Griffin reviews seven simple models used by change consultants everywhere (and a few of the corollaries to these models too).

• Communicating Change - Marty Nord offers ways to power any change program with a communication plan and a coalition.

• Self Design For Lasting Change -  Neil Simon outlines the steps in a method for changing processes and systems and provides examples of each step.

• Lead Change in Educational Organizations With Appreciative Inquiry -  Nancy Stetson and Charles Miller review the principles of this important tool and show how to use it with normally resistant groups, like educators.

• Wallybird: The Power of Ceremony - Suzanne Young relates the story of Delta Airlines use of ceremony and symbols in their merger with Western Airlines. 

• How Shall We Say Goodbye? -  Paula Yardley Griffin has some ways to mark those important transitions...so people can let go.

• Time For A Rite Of Passage? -  Debra Hansen proposes some ideas for marking those important transitions. 

Teams

Working With Teams

In this issue we bring you six articles on all aspects of teams, from the processes teams use to solve problems, to ground rules for task teams, to the critical success factors for virtual teams.  

• Coaching New Teams to Success - Barbara Poole has eight ways to help teams lay the groundwork for success.

• Ground Rules That Really Work - Roger Schwarz, the author of The Skilled Facilitator explains why ground rules are so important.  He has examples that will help your team begin.

• A Great Team Has Great Process - K.T.Connor describes a problem-solving process that can make a team more effective.

• Success Strategies for Virtual Teams - Glenn Parker shows you how to help virtual teams overcome distance and time.

• Managing Team Boarders: Critical Success Factor - Nolan Brawley, Lynda McDermott and Bill Waite, authors of World Class Teams share some make-or-break success factors.

• Develop the Individual to Develop the Team: The Gestalt Approach - Hank Karp describes how to us the gestalt approach and principles to develop your teams - through their members.