Situation
In the early 1990’s, METRO was a 40 year-old
county-level government agency with responsibility for bus
transportation and water treatment in the Seattle, Washington
area. In this organization, minorities and women filed complaints
with the government about racism, sexism and homophobism at
the agency. Discrimination was seen to be endemic and traditional
in the organizational culture.
These groups complained to the federal government
that they were being discriminated against. As a result, traditional
diversity training for all staff was mandated. This was thought
to consist primarily of small group training. But, the leadership
of the agency decided to engage the entire 4000 person organization
in defining and implementing a new culture that would stamp
out any acts based on racism, sexism, homophobism and
paramilitarism.
Dannemiller Tyson was engaged to lead the whole system change
effort after leadership became convinced that the culture
could only change with everyone represented in the room.
Whole System
Change Effort Planning
A series of 10 meetings was planned. Each
group of 400 participants formed a microcosm of the organization
with representation from all levels and functions within each
division. The sessions evolved with each succeeding event
building on the work of the previous ones.
Each event was planned by a cross-section
of actual participants who formed an "Event Planning
Team". In the first event planning meeting for the first
meeting, the team proved itself to be a true microcosm of
the whole. Young, old, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Native Americans,
men, women, heterosexuals and homosexuals all were represented
and expressed feelings for each other that ranged from distrust
to contempt to hatred. What they found they had in common
was the desire to find a vision of the future they could all
embrace. Changing values was not enough. The group, it was
clear, needed to agree on a preferred future for METRO and
a strategy for getting there.
The work of this team, and those that followed,
was to develop a purpose statement and agenda for the event.
The "purpose statement" describes what will be different
in the world when the meeting is complete. All activities
in an event are chosen and sequenced to move toward the purpose.
In the early sessions, participants developed strategy and
values. In later sessions they defined behaviors and plans
that would support living in the new, preferred culture.
This progression is illustrated by the purpose
statements adopted for each of the events which took place
over a period of one year:
Session 1 Purpose Statement:
"To define the culture we want for
all METRO employees and commit to actions we will take to
live it". (Culture is defined as: customary beliefs,
social norms and material traits of a racial, religious
or social group.)
Session 3 Purpose Statement:
"To unite in a shared vision of our
culture and commit to actions to make it happen."
Session 5 Purpose Statement:
"To unite in a shared preferred future
of our culture and commit to actions that will allow us
to sustain our values in a changing environment."
Session 7 Purpose Statement:
To empower ourselves to participate in a
shared vision of METRO's future, thereby enhancing our work
environment, enriching our appreciation of diversity, and
improving our services to the community.
Whole-Scale®
Events
Each event seated participants at tables of
eight with each table representing microcosm of the entire
group as possible (max-mix seating). A series of activities
helped participants get to know each other, build a common
data base of information and work together as a team. While
each event design was unique, these features were constant
across all events.
The first large-group session was opened by
a prominent person of color, the mayor of Seattle, and by
an Asian-American woman who had served on city council. The
group listened to what their leaders were seeing and to a
panel from the Event Planning Team which described "Here’s
how I feel in this organization." They heard from a panel
of possibilities who described efforts at affirming diversity
in other cities. The group developed its own view of what
METRO could look like in their preferred future. The group
gave input to a draft strategy from the leadership that included
a mission statement, a vision of the future, values of the
organization and strategic goals for the organization. Then
participants developed action plans to begin moving toward
that future.
Outcomes
All ten events were held and the results were
successful in the eyes of those in the METRO organization.
Behaviors changed, language shifted and people "grew
up" in that they came to see themselves and the world
differently. Individual group egocentrism and narcissism began
to be replaced by a sense of interdependence and mutual appreciation.
The world was not made perfect, but the individuals had created
a culture which allowed them all to find new and healthier
ways of dealing with each other.
