Skip directly to content

pamelameyer's blog

Four Keys to Creating an Agile Organization

on Mon, 06/10/2013 - 14:12

 

Just because you can hit a tennis ball, doesn’t mean you can win a game.

 

Many of us weekend warriors know that our brilliant rallies with the backboard, don’t always translate to a stunning performance on the court. The same is true in our organizations; having the skills and knowledge (competence) for agility does not necessarily mean that you and your organization have the ability to put it into action in the midst of volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) situations (Swisher, 2012).

 

For an organization to be truly agile it must develop the capacity at all levels of

Three Lessons from (and for) Agile Teams

on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 18:10

Three Lessons from (and for) Agile Teams

or

“If you want to understand organizations, study something else,” Karl Weick

 

 

 

An agile organization is one that has both the competence and capacity to rapidly become aware of, assess and respond to new and unexpected events (surprises), information, trends and opportunities using available resources.

 

There is compelling research to support the business case for making agility a strategic priority.

Reclaiming Play (at Work)

on Mon, 04/16/2012 - 18:18

[Reprinted with permission from DePaul Workplace Learning blog]

 

If you are like most of us, you likely got the idea along the way that work and play are incompatible. Work is serious, focused and productive while play is silly, unfocused and unproductive. This belief was socialized into us from a very early age with parents and caregivers who shooed us away when we attempted to recruit a playmate with “Not now, honey, can’t you see I’m working?”

 

 

Pamela talks about putting more play into work in this recent First Business Interview

 

As it turns out individuals and organizations

Reflections on the Co-creative Process: Giving, Getting & Taking Permission

on Sat, 12/03/2011 - 22:27

Reprinted From SNL Writing News: Writing information for DePaul University's School for New Learning faculty and staff

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

SNL faculty member & author, Pamela Meyer, discusses her latest book Permission: A Guide to Generating More Ideas, Being More of Yourself and Having More Fun at Work

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

I discovered the power of permission during my research on adults’ experiences learning to improvise, and which I wrote about in my last book, From Workplace to Playspace (Jossey-Bass, 2010). Improvisation initially feels very risky for

What Enables Organizations to be Agile?

on Tue, 05/03/2011 - 14:48

Agility is perhaps the most essential capacity for organizations today. A recent study by MIT showed that agile organizations grow revenue 37% faster and are 30% more profitable than non-agile companies (Glenn, 2009).

The two most salient factors influencing organizational agility, according to a comprehensive review of research done in the field (Bottani, 2010) are:

 

1.    Employees role and competency in the company

 

2.    Technology: Virtual enterprise tools and metrics and the adoption of information technology systems

 

What does this mean for your learning and development

Pages