ABC Lens
A-Work includes all the normal patterns of work at all levels and all parts of an organization (Manufacturing, R&D, marketing, service, maintenance, operations planning—everything from strategic planning to vacuuming if its done in routine patterned way without processes of self-reflection and self-improvement.
B-Work is that work intended to improve those patterns of A-work (Examples of B-work include: training programs, performance management processes, re-engineering, restructuring, leadership development programs, policy changes, total quality initiatives, incentive programs, etc. B-work also includes any on-going processes that result in self-reflection and individual/process-improvement.
C-Work is work intended to help optimize B-work strategic choices and implementation effectiveness. C-work is, in essence, the work of an organizational learning and change architect. More on this later.
NOTE: We are indebted to Doug Engelbart, one of Silicon Valley's most
creative and prolific inventors, for inventing the A, B and C-work
distinctions. This lens is an extrapolation from and an interpretation of his
concept.
A FEW OBSERVATIONS
In today's world, where most leaders are overloaded with A-work; traditional B- work approaches are frequently seen as added problems, not solutions; and C-work is totally off the radar screen.
Most B-work "solutions" don't live up to their hype. Here are a few reasons why well-intended B-work can produce Yellow Zone results or worse:
- Solution only treats the symptoms
- Top-down design and implementation
- Management doesn't walk its talk
- Simplistic analysis of what's needed
- Problem-solving vs. appreciative approach
- Those most affected by the change not adequately engaged
- B-work solution selected because it's easy to plan and manage, e.g., training programs
Essentially all organizational infrastructure is specifically designed to support A- work. Generally there is little/no infrastructure or mastery-level expertise dedicated to growing B/C competency throughout leadership.
The ABC Lens challenges us to get some elevation above our normal work patterns—to discover possibilities for making at least a 10X shift in the True ROI on our B-work investments.
The primary purpose of the ABC Lens is to make B and C-work distinct—to plant those terms in the language of organizations and leadership in a way that makes them difficult to ignore. In a world that is changing at an ever-increasing rate, developing an organization's capacity to be resilient and masterful at learning and change is the key to long-term sustainability. Unless attaining organizational proficiency at B/C-work is a priority, a strategic imperative, leadership puts the organization at risk.
C-work can best be thought of as the work of an organizational learning and change architect.
A master building architect is able to appreciate the capacities and needs of all
who contribute to or are affected by a building project. She is able to evolve
increasingly elegant design solutions through her understanding of engineering,
the crafts, materials and the environment, as well as the social, technical and
financial needs of all stakeholders. She must be an innovative synthesizer, an
artist, convener, strategist, and more.
A masterful architect of organizational learning and change is able to appreciate and draw upon the capacities and needs of all who are affected by any given development/change initiative. She has an understanding of the diverse learning and change expertise that's relevant to a given organizational capacity-building challenge/opportunity. She measures her effectiveness as a C-work professional by 1) the lasting contribution of her work and 2) the degree to which the initiative was owned and evolved by those involved and affected.
Measuring the Quality of B-work for Your Organization
Red Zone (Rating = 1) — Top leadership is mostly in DKDKBTYD (Don't
know you don't know but think you do) mode re the work of development. This mindset ripples down the chain of command. Approaches to
organizational change and people development tend to reinforce rather than transform the dysfunctional aspects of the organization's
culture. If special expertise is involved, it might be brought in as the "flavor of the month." There is little/no correlation between
management's walk and its talk.
Yellow Zone (Rating = 5) — Developmental work is mostly programmatic
and top-down in its design and execution. One size fits all. Experienced B-work expertise is involved in these initiatives. This
developmental work is marginally value-adding but rarely transformative. There is little/no natural propagation of these initiatives.
Organizational changes and developmental programs seem to exist in separate worlds. Development work not seen as "real work" by the line
organization.
Blue Zone (Rating = 9) — The work of organizational learning and change is
woven into the fabric of its normal operations. Chris Argyris' single- and double- loop learning become natural aspects of routine operating
practices and processes. The time, space and capabilities to do this special work are well-distributed throughout all levels and parts of the
organization. The organization is a dynamic web of "communities of practice" and "communities of commitment." Some are formally supported,
others naturally self-supporting. Learning is often in the foreground of organizational conversations, and always a part of the background.
Organizational capacity-building capacity is seen as a strategic business advantage. Organizational leaders are leading learners and learning leaders. They are held accountable for the quality of their C-work. Organizational change (e.g., mergers, restructuring, process re-engineering, new product development, new physical facilities) is always seen as a rich developmental opportunity for those involved and is designed to capitalize on those opportunities Breakdowns are always mined for organizational learning and improvement nuggets.
NOTE: The above Rainbow Lens rating scale for Balanced Yin-Yang Strength in organizations was
Beta Tested at a recent South Bay ODN (SBODN) Conference with a sizeable group of HR and OD practitioners on May 13, 2005.
Click here to check out those results.
Measuring the Quality of C-Work for Your Organization
Our "bottom line" indicator of the quality of an organization's C-work is an impossible to measure "True ROI," the true return on developmental investment. Its equation: True ROI = (True Benefits - True Costs) / True Investment, focuses on net true wealth (spiritual, physical, mental, financial and emotional well-being) generated for all stakeholders by a developmental investment.
Below we've applied the Rainbow Lens approach to provide a subjective measure of the quality of an organization's C-work, i.e., the effectiveness of its organizational learning and change strategies.
Red Zone (Rating = 1)
Engagement — Top down command and control approach to organizational change; however, chain of command poorly informed and equipped; lots of mixed signals; feedback and concerns treated as whining or disloyalty; players feel powerless to influence their situation. Approaches to organizational change and people development tend to reinforce rather than transform the dysfunctional aspects of the organization's culture.
Applied Expertise — Leadership teams in DKDKBTD (Don't know you don't know but think you do) mode. Chain of command is expected to develop needed organizational capacity but isn't provided support appropriate to the task.
Mindshare — "No time for that now! Too many crises. We're already working 60-70 hours a week just to meet our numbers." To developmental staff: "If you're not adding immediate value today, you're an enemy."
Wholeness — "Single problem/single solution syndrome" — Impatience with systemic or long-range thinking. No consideration given to the possible negative long-term consequences of decisions. Core Work (Inner, Relational and Circle Work) not considered real work.
Climate — Organizational changes produce pervasive uncertainty and fear; confidence in and respect for organizational leadership eroded; much secrecy; rumors ripple throughout the organization; low trust.
True ROI — True costs greatly exceeds true benefits. Choose your metaphor: An opportunity window has slammed shut. We've shot ourselves in the foot.
Engagement — Top down command and control approach to organizational change; however, chain of command poorly informed and equipped; lots of mixed signals; feedback and concerns treated as whining or disloyalty; players feel powerless to influence their situation. Approaches to organizational change and people development tend to reinforce rather than transform the dysfunctional aspects of the organization's culture.
Applied Expertise — Leadership teams in DKDKBTD (Don't know you don't know but think you do) mode. Chain of command is expected to develop needed organizational capacity but isn't provided support appropriate to the task.
Mindshare — "No time for that now! Too many crises. We're already working 60-70 hours a week just to meet our numbers." To developmental staff: "If you're not adding immediate value today, you're an enemy."
Wholeness — "Single problem/single solution syndrome" — Impatience with systemic or long-range thinking. No consideration given to the possible negative long-term consequences of decisions. Core Work (Inner, Relational and Circle Work) not considered real work.
Climate — Organizational changes produce pervasive uncertainty and fear; confidence in and respect for organizational leadership eroded; much secrecy; rumors ripple throughout the organization; low trust.
True ROI — True costs greatly exceeds true benefits. Choose your metaphor: An opportunity window has slammed shut. We've shot ourselves in the foot.
Yellow Zone (Rating = 5)
Engagement — Developmental work is mostly programmatic and top-down in its design and execution. There's reasonably good downward communications with reasonable support and opportunities for achieving clarity. However one-size-fits-all nature of B-work approaches ignores the creative potential of players to optimize local implementation approaches.
Applied Expertise — Core group in KDK (we know we don't know) mode; utilizing fairly high quality B-work expertise; however, little/no high quality C-work expertise involved; little/no investment in developing distributed B-work capacity within the organization.
Mindshare — Developmental work addressed in leadership meetings, but mostly given short shrift. It's mostly considered as staff work and not to be confused with really important and fun stuff. It's sorta like flossing: You know it's good for you but it doesn't capture your imagination.
Wholeness — Some of the B-work "solutions" support development of individual/team wholeness, but, within the context of a yang-leaning organizational culture and yang-centric processes, these "solutions" produce little/no lasting change.
Climate — Cool, calm; quiet; orderly; polite; careful; reasoned; predictable; conflict-avoiding; risk-adverse.
True ROI — True benefits generally exceed true costs and yield a respectable return on developmental investment. B-work marginally value-adding but not transformative. Business contribution usually unclear; this reinforces the notion that developmental work is not "real" work.
Engagement — Developmental work is mostly programmatic and top-down in its design and execution. There's reasonably good downward communications with reasonable support and opportunities for achieving clarity. However one-size-fits-all nature of B-work approaches ignores the creative potential of players to optimize local implementation approaches.
Applied Expertise — Core group in KDK (we know we don't know) mode; utilizing fairly high quality B-work expertise; however, little/no high quality C-work expertise involved; little/no investment in developing distributed B-work capacity within the organization.
Mindshare — Developmental work addressed in leadership meetings, but mostly given short shrift. It's mostly considered as staff work and not to be confused with really important and fun stuff. It's sorta like flossing: You know it's good for you but it doesn't capture your imagination.
Wholeness — Some of the B-work "solutions" support development of individual/team wholeness, but, within the context of a yang-leaning organizational culture and yang-centric processes, these "solutions" produce little/no lasting change.
Climate — Cool, calm; quiet; orderly; polite; careful; reasoned; predictable; conflict-avoiding; risk-adverse.
True ROI — True benefits generally exceed true costs and yield a respectable return on developmental investment. B-work marginally value-adding but not transformative. Business contribution usually unclear; this reinforces the notion that developmental work is not "real" work.
Blue Zone (Rating = 9
Engagement — Those affected by development/change work have an opportunity to contribute to its effectiveness. In most cases, the bulk of the learning and change work is shaped and implemented at the workface. B-work is effectively woven into A-work processes. It's everyone's job. The time, space and capabilities to do this special work are well distributed throughout all levels and parts of the organization. The organization is a dynamic web of "communities of practice" and "communities of commitment." Some are formally supported, others naturally self-supporting. Learning is often in the foreground of organizational conversations, and always a part of the background.
Applied Expertise — Core group are leading learners and learning leaders. Organizational leadership has used seasoned and creative architectural support in focusing on growing their organization's capacity-building capacity as a core business strategy. Select B-work experts are used to support growing relevant B-work capabilities throughout the organization.
Mindshare — Designing an developing an organization that's resilient and capable of turning external challenges into business opportunities is a high priority and is resourced in a way that stacks the deck for future sustainability. Organizational capacity-building capacity is seen as a strategic business advantage. Organizational leaders are leading learners and learning leaders. They are held accountable for the quality of their C-work. Organizational change (e.g., mergers, restructuring, process re-engineering, new product development, new physical facilities) is always seen as a rich developmental opportunity for those involved and are designed to capitalize on those opportunities Breakdowns are always mined for organizational learning and improvement nuggets.
Wholeness — Success is defined in terms of "true wealth" generated for both "immediate and extended stakeholder families." Systemic development and change work is done in a way that contributes to both the "larger whole" and supports ever-deepening "Core Work."
Climate — Vibrant; alive; high trust and confidence in self, others and the larger process; lots of celebrating; open communication of tough realities; immediate, generative feedback; joy; playful as well as serious.
True ROI — Ultra-high true ROI; "multiplying benefits;" constructive ripples that grow over time; a natural diffusion of processes and practices; true costs decrease with time.
Engagement — Those affected by development/change work have an opportunity to contribute to its effectiveness. In most cases, the bulk of the learning and change work is shaped and implemented at the workface. B-work is effectively woven into A-work processes. It's everyone's job. The time, space and capabilities to do this special work are well distributed throughout all levels and parts of the organization. The organization is a dynamic web of "communities of practice" and "communities of commitment." Some are formally supported, others naturally self-supporting. Learning is often in the foreground of organizational conversations, and always a part of the background.
Applied Expertise — Core group are leading learners and learning leaders. Organizational leadership has used seasoned and creative architectural support in focusing on growing their organization's capacity-building capacity as a core business strategy. Select B-work experts are used to support growing relevant B-work capabilities throughout the organization.
Mindshare — Designing an developing an organization that's resilient and capable of turning external challenges into business opportunities is a high priority and is resourced in a way that stacks the deck for future sustainability. Organizational capacity-building capacity is seen as a strategic business advantage. Organizational leaders are leading learners and learning leaders. They are held accountable for the quality of their C-work. Organizational change (e.g., mergers, restructuring, process re-engineering, new product development, new physical facilities) is always seen as a rich developmental opportunity for those involved and are designed to capitalize on those opportunities Breakdowns are always mined for organizational learning and improvement nuggets.
Wholeness — Success is defined in terms of "true wealth" generated for both "immediate and extended stakeholder families." Systemic development and change work is done in a way that contributes to both the "larger whole" and supports ever-deepening "Core Work."
Climate — Vibrant; alive; high trust and confidence in self, others and the larger process; lots of celebrating; open communication of tough realities; immediate, generative feedback; joy; playful as well as serious.
True ROI — Ultra-high true ROI; "multiplying benefits;" constructive ripples that grow over time; a natural diffusion of processes and practices; true costs decrease with time.
