The Authentic Organization

Over at Nonprofit Online News, we recently launched a Civil Society LifeWork Survey. I mention it here because of the way in which it touches on the matter of authenticity.
The survey opens with a series of more conventional questions, based on a broader Pew survey conducted in 2006. My main objective with these was [...]

I recently reviewed a book called Storytelling: Branding in Practice at Nonprofit Online News. In the chapter entitled “The Company Core Story” the authors present an exercise called The Obituary Test. It’s very similar to exercises I’ve done with both organizational and individual clients. I paraphrase it as follows:
Write down your company’s obituary. How would [...]

In many cultures, both organizational and social, it is in the avoidance of conflict that we often manage to lose our authenticity.
I am following some conventional or interpersonal dynamics (rather than global politics) in my use of the phrase ‘conflict avoidance’. I’m considering it as quite distinct from conflict management, conflict prevention, and conflict [...]

Every year, starting in late November and running through early February, I reflect on the manner in which the presence of death can ground us in the moment, and in our best selves. Does this work the same way for organizations? Or at least, can it be put to use in the context of organizational [...]

In his comment on emotional skills, Michael Soper wrote:
I’ve always been fascinated with the power of “institutional stories” that flow from the emotions of leaders. Examples are many. Consider the leader who reminds managers in the midst listening of their explanations about why they can’t do something, “just test it, try it, and refine it.” [...]

If you’re familiar with my work, you will know how I feel about resistance to change. I believe that resistance should neither be dismissed nor rolled over, rather it should be respected and understood. The primary area in which I have applied this approach in recent years is in the context of organizations adopting new [...]

Emotional skills are fundamental to the success of most organizational projects. Sometimes they mean the difference between nominal success and remarkable success. Sometimes they are critical to any sort of success at all. And without a doubt, they are vital to building the relationships needed for the long term.
I was reflecting earlier this evening on [...]

As we take on new projects and new objectives, very few organizations let go of old ones to make room. In some cases, we acquire new resources, although often not enough to do justice to the new endeavor. In many cases, such decisions reflect an admirable ambition or at the very least an unwillingness to [...]

I’m grateful for your queries, as much as I am for your answers and your stories. Please don’t hesitate to challenge me to be more specific, to give me counterexamples, or, as a reader of Nonprofit Online News did, just ask some really good questions:
Is there a difference between being an authentic agency and offering [...]

Most of the nearly 1000 organizations with which I’ve worked would object profoundly to the idea that grieving is even a legitimate organizational ability and many others would be merely puzzled. What the hell is Michael talking about now?
I’m not talking about an organizational version of crying and wailing. Nor am I saying that organizations [...]