February 10, 2014 Dear Prospective Participant, Please join us, and a small group of selected executive leaders, August 19 th 22 nd, 2014 in Stowe, Vermont for the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL) Executive Champions Workshop (ECW), a retreat for leaders in the top levels of their organizations. We will start with a reception and dinner at 6 p.m. on the 19 th and end at 3 p.m. on the 22 nd. SoL has hosted this special invitational gathering annually for the past fifteen years, and it has proven to be a powerful setting for strategic conversations around key issues shaping our collective work on systems leadership and change. The ECW has thrived over the years because of a growing desire amongst senior leaders, from diverse organizations around the world to engage in deeper dialogue with peers who share their aspirations and face similar challenges. This year s Executive Champions Workshop will focus on Building Personal and Collective Leadership Capacity for Systems Change and Innovation. We live in a time of ongoing disruptions that challenge us to reinvent the key institutions that shape how we live: business, education and governance. An unstable global financial system, youth under- and unemployment around the world, growing resource scarcity, and ongoing changes in climate and key eco-systems are only some of the growing imbalances that characterize our present situation. In this workshop, we will explore the nature and quality of the individual and collective leadership that will be needed today and in the future in order to create healthier, sustainable systems. Despite the immense challenges, there are a growing number of success stories across all sectors and industries such as: Leading businesses shifting the way they manage for long-term social, ecological and economic well-being; NGOs showing how diverse stakeholders can work together to transform the incentives toward restoring rather than eroding critical ecosystems; Public school systems successfully educating students in 21 st century, higher-order thinking skills. Across these diverse settings, principles and capabilities for new kinds of leadership on the level of system and self are emerging, including: Building collaborative relationships among diverse stakeholders based on shared vision and systemic understanding of key issues; Shifting the collective field from fear to openness - of mind, heart, and will; Leading for the long-term while tracking measurable results in the short-term; and Developing change processes that create well-being in the process itself even as people confront ever-increasing levels of complexity and uncertainty. Together, these principles establish a formative body of practical knowledge of profound systems change. Having worked with hundreds of leaders and organizations worldwide, we have come to believe PO Box 425005 Cambridge, MA 02142-0001 +1 (617) 300-9500 www.solonline.org
that in order to create viable and sustainable futures, we can no longer act in isolation. We need to start connecting dots across diverse settings and experiences so as to accelerate and deepen this learning and, thus, the process of transformation. In the words of Darcy Winslow, former Nike Executive, We are learning a lot about systemic change now, our mantra must be faster, deeper, broader. Core Questions Over the past decade, the Executive Champions Workshop has consistently created a distinctive space for deep reflection and conversation around questions that matter. In focusing on Building Personal and Collective Leadership Capacity for Systems Change and Innovation we will explore questions like: 1. What can we do to nurture hope that real change is possible; without relying on simplistic the answer is messages? 2. How do we identify and strengthen local, regional and global commons? 3. What is required at a personal and collective level to extend leadership networks across space and time? 4. What do we need to do to increase our ability for reflection on the level of system and self? As Humberto Maturana, a leading cognitive biologist stated, It is only through reflection, that we change our history. We believe this type of gathering will be of particular interest to you. As you consider your decision to participate, we have enclosed information answering basic questions about where you might start in your own reflection, the beauty and power of the setting, who should attend, and the facilitators and resource people (experienced executives who join the process). We also include information about past participants such as the organizations, industries, positions, and countries they represented, as well as a SUMMARY FACT SHEET with cost for tuition and lodging. We look forward to hearing from you and sincerely hope that you will choose to join us in Vermont in August. If you choose to join us, we encourage you to consider inviting one or more colleagues to accompany you. This time together can build your natural partnership and shift the momentum gained from this experience into action. Please contact Frank Schneider in the SoL office by calling him at +1-617-300-9535 or emailing him to let us know your plans. Frank is available to answer any questions you might have, as he welcomes and prepares our guests for their participation in this year s gathering. Respectfully, Peter M. Senge, MIT & SoL C. Otto Scharmer, MIT & Presencing Institute Arawana Hayashi, Presencing Institute Frank Schneider, SoL P.S. The following words from the Tao Te Ching illustrate the deep questions that have helped to orient those who would contribute as leaders in the past and their timeliness today. 2
All the world says, "I am important; I am separate from all the world. I am important because I am separate, Were I the same, I could never be important. "Yet here are three treasures That I cherish and commend to you: The first is compassion, By which one finds courage. The second is restraint, By which one finds strength. And the third is unimportance, By which one finds influence. Those who are fearless, but without compassion, Powerful, but without restraint, Or influential, yet important, Cannot endure. Tao Te Ching TaoTeChing.org 3
BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE CHAMPIONS WORKSHOP Where To Start? We have learned through past ECWs that in exploring questions like these with no easy answers, we must honor multiple lenses and integrate across organizational, systemic, and personal perspectives. We will enter into these inquiries following a personal thread - in part, because it connects us all and is also often what is most lacking in intense, frenetic work environments: What keeps you up at night? What do you deeply care about? What legacy would you want to leave? What difference are you making? What do you need to develop in yourself? The Setting The setting for such conversations matters, both to attract the right people and to afford the quiet energy of re-connecting with the natural world to relax, inquire deeply, and re-focus something that is increasingly needed for busy executives. For years, we have looked for retreat settings that provide this energy and found few more suited than the Trapp Lodge. To take full advantage of what is possible in such a setting, the meeting will be held in a large tent in a beautiful field set among Vermont s Green Mountains. (pictures.) Who Should Attend The ECW participants come from business and diverse governmental and non-governmental organizations. For example, in recent years, the ECW has included domestic and international executives from BASF, BMW, Boeing, EDF, Ford, Harley-Davison, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, NASA, Nike, Oxfam, Shell, The Nature Conservancy, Visteon, World Bank/IFC, World Wildlife Fund, numerous Foundations and various other institutions in government, education, civil society and business. For information on organizations, industries, positions and countries of past participants, please refer to page 6. Those who have participated in the workshop tend to be champions of undertakings that have a personal as well as an organizational significance beyond the expectations of their formal role. They view themselves, their organization and their circumstances within a larger scope or field of vision; they have a natural inclination to think systemically in order to meet profound challenges as opportunities for profound innovation often greatly exceeding the bounds of the formal authority they may have. We are honored to host a space for such leaders to pursue these interests with current and future colleagues. A recent executive participant describes his experience as follows: I had subtly changed. It was as if in this moment of stillness in Vermont, I had changed a lens on my mental camera and was looking at the world in a different way. As if in a moment of connection with life and the universe, I finally understood that our greatest power to change the world lies in our power to see beyond the veil." Although each meeting of the ECW is unique to the particular group of executives that gathers, you can expect our time together will include in-depth conversations, peer coaching, and time for personal reflection, as we practice alternative ways of thinking regarding complex strategic issues. Several years ago, the head of an 80,000 person organization commented at the end of the ECW: What has been most valuable to me from these three days of conversation with peers is that it is the first time in two years that I have truly thought. 4
A high degree of diversity across all sectors, industries, positions (top 2-3 levels), backgrounds and geography is a very important component of the workshop. It is our premise that we learn best from one another and that diversity builds our capacity to break down our habitual mindset and behavior patterns so we can lead in front of a blank canvas and create ourselves and our world anew. The Facilitators C. Otto Scharmer, Peter Senge, and Arawana Hayashi will serve as the lead facilitators for the session. We will share our experience from diverse organizational learning and change projects, including the growing interest in leaders presence and awareness-based systemic change. Otto s work on Theory U 1 has established a powerful new set of ideas and tools that are helping diverse leaders around the world, as indicated recently by a senior executive of a private foundation engaged in cross-sector work using Theory U: this work, helps us understand how groups of people can access states of single intelligence to find sustainable solutions to our most intractable social and economic problems. It adds to the growing evidence that we need the wisdom of the heart and the will, as well as the mind to become truly effective in our work. Peter will share insights and implications from years of work in systems thinking and institutional learning, including from the book, The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World, which explores how the Industrial Age Bubble of take, make, waste is now ending and how organizations are beginning to learn ways of working together to build social and biological, as well as economic, well-being into their core strategies for value creation. Arawana Hayashi, trained as a dancer, choreographer, and meditation instructor and now a senior faculty member of the Presencing Institute will share practices to engage the whole human being in the embodiment of presencing. Articles For further information please read these articles by us: Creating Desired Futures in a Global Society, The Blind Spot of Institutional Leadership, and Awakening Faith in an Alternative Future. The Resource People We will be joined by several resource people with extensive practical experience in executive leadership, systems change, multi-stakeholder collaboration, sustainability conservation, innovation and performance. The resource people will be full participants in the program, share their stories, co-host some of the small group conversations, and serve as additional faculty for the session. One of the confirmed resource people is Darcy Winslow. She is the Managing Partner of the Academy for Systemic Change and Founder of Designs for a Sustainable World Collective, LLC. Darcy was a 21- year executive at Nike; her last two roles were serving as the Senior Advisor to the Nike Foundation and General Manager of Nike s Women s Fitness Footwear, Apparel and Equipment Division. Darcy has been a pioneer and active practitioner of sustainability frameworks and principles, exploring and experimenting with the application of these to all aspects of business. In 1999, she established and was the General Manager of Sustainable Business Strategies at Nike, an organization focused on developing and implementing more environmental and socially sustainable business practices across the organization. 1 Described in the books, Theory U: Leading from the Emerging Future (Cambridge, MA: SoL) and Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future (Cambridge, MA: SoL). 5
PAST ECW PARTICIPANTS Organizations included: Akzo Nobel, AT&T, BASF, BMW, Boeing, Brightworks, British Petroleum, Daimler Chrysler, DeBeers, Detroit Edison, Federal Express, Ford, Genzyme, Government (various agencies), Harley Davidson, Hewlett Foundation, Hospitals (various), HP, Intel, Intoi, MIT, Mitsubishi, NASA, National Geographic, National Health Service, National Park Service, Nature Conservancy, NIKE, NOS, NXP Semiconductors, Oxfam, Packard Foundation, Philip Morris/Altria Group, Rippel Foundation, Sanofi- Synthelabo, Saudi Aramco, Shell, Solvay, Sustainability Institute, Texas Instruments, Universities (various), Visteon, World Bank/ International Finance Corporation, World Wildlife Fund, Xerox Industries included: Aeronautics, Apparel, Automotive, Conservation, Electronics, Energy, Finance (domestic, global), various Government Agencies, Health Care (providers and insurers), Higher Education, Household Products, Mining, Oil and Gas, Semiconductors, Sports Equipment,Telecommunications, Tobacco, Transportation, Civil Society (areas included: disaster relief, community-based endeavors on violence and youth, education and healthcare, sustainable food and energy projects) Positions included: Board Member, CEO, Chairman, Chief of Staff, CIO, COO, CTO, Dean, Deputy Dean, Director 2, Executive/ Senior VP (Including Operations, Global Strategy, Global Services), (Group) General Manager, Manager (Factory, Plant Operations, Customer Service, Supply Chain), Managing Director (Global Business Unit, Global Projects), President, Principal, Professor, Superintendent, VP 3 Countries included: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States 2 Including HR, R&D, Strategy, Controlling, Supply, Planning/Performance Management, Operations, Infrastructure, Finance, Government Relations, Healthcare Relations, Product and Process Integration, Transition Management 3 Including Technology, (VP) Business Development, Retail, Corporate Resources, Manufacturing, General Counsel, Energy, Sales, Distribution, Digital Business, Product Development, Quality & Customer Satisfaction, Marketing) 6
SUMMARY FACT SHEET: SoL s Executive Champions Workshop 2014 DATES: Tuesday, August 19 starting with dinner and registration at 6 p.m. to Friday, August 22 after lunch at 3 p.m. LOCATION: Trapp Family Lodge, 700 Trapp Hill Road, Stowe, VT, USA (approximately 45 minutes from the Burlington, Vermont Airport; and four to four and a half hours from Boston s Logan Airport) FEE: $4,295 USD corporate/professional; $2,995 USD nonprofit, academic or government institution ROOM & MEALS: Arrangements to be made separately with Trapp Family Lodge. The room and meals package rate will range between $1,295-$1,355 (USD) for your three-day stay. Participants staying at other hotels or local participants will pay a commuter fee between $595 - $650 in total for workshop related food and beverage charges. FACILITATORS: Peter Senge, Founding Chair of SoL and Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Peter's 1990 book, The Fifth Discipline was named by Harvard Business Review as one of the seminal management books of the past 75 years and by the Financial Times as one of the five most influential business books. Also co-author of three Fifth Discipline fieldbooks and Presence: An Exploration of Profound Change in People, Organizations and Society, with Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers. Peter s newest book The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations Are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World, co-authored with Bryan Smith, Nina Kruschwitz, Joe Laur, and Sara Schley, was released in June 2008. Otto Scharmer is a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Founding Chair of the Presencing Institute. He has co-designed and delivered award-winning leadership programs for clients including Daimler, Pricewaterhouse, Fujitsu, and Eileen Fisher. Scharmer is a core faculty member of the UN Leaders Program (at the UN Staff College) and chairs the MIT IDEAS program, which brings together key leaders from business, government, and civil society to co-create profound innovation and systems change. He introduced the concept of presencing learning from the emerging future in his books Theory U and Presence (the latter co-authored with P. Senge, J. Jaworski, and B. S. Flowers), which have been translated into twelve languages. Scharmer holds a Ph.D. in economics and management from Witten-Herdecke University in Germany. With his colleagues, he has used presencing to facilitate profound innovation and change in health, education, sustainability, and business systems. More information about Scharmer and his work can be found at: www.presencing.com. Arawana Hayashi is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, with roots in Asian and Western arts. Throughout her career she has been involved in interdisciplinary, ensemble improvisation. Arawana invites non-dancers to discover their natural creativity as she guides them through a gentle, nonjudgmental process of paying attention to their own physicality and to their environment. Arawana was on the faculty of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and the Naropa University, Boulder, Colorado. She is a master meditation teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition and recently completed a threeyear term as teacher-in-residence at Karmê Chöling in Northeast Vermont. FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ECW AND THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING: Frank Schneider, telephone at + 1-617-300-9535 or email frank@solonline.org. RSVP, REGISTRATION CONTACT & LOGISTICAL INFORMATION: Lisa Kim, telephone at +1-617-300-9560 or email lisa@solonline.org. 7