Organizational
Development
I’m challenging you to think of your organization’s
history in a new light. To help explain what I mean, I’ve listed some
common questions below. Take the time to follow my answers. Then, if
you’re interested, give me a call at 317-407-3687.
How should I think of history in my organization?
Think of it as a resource, an asset. It can be used to advantage or
not. Your organization has a history, regardless of how long it’s
existed. Three years, thirty-three years, one hundred three years,
makes no difference. The past of your organization has a powerful
effect on its present and future. Ignoring it is no different than
ignoring the training of your employees, the financial books, or your
customers or clients. You wouldn’t dare ignore any of these. You
shouldn’t dare to ignore your history.
Can you give me an image to help me understand?
Sure. Let’s return to such words as “resource” and “asset.” Think of it
like a country or nation sitting on top of a vast oil field. Your
organization is the country, and its history is the oil field. The oil
is potentially valuable. However, its real value depends on the country
actively drilling, testing, refining, and distributing the oil, thus
transforming potential value into actual value. Your history is exactly
that. Unless it is extracted, processed, and used in various ways, it
has no real value. It just sits there, invisible. Do those things with
your history and the organization will see value. Don’t do them,
nothing happens, and a potential resource goes to waste.
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What exactly have you done in this area of your service? Below are some very specific things . . .
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Draw from an organization’s history to develop training
and education materials for internal leadership development, succession
planning, and organizational values |
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Identify stories that can be used to market the organization to potential employees, allies, supporters, and benefactors |
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| Design “markers” that can be placed in physical spaces of an organization to illustrate key values, people, and events |
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Construct annual ceremonies that mark
important moments in an organization and strengthen the quality of work life for employees |
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Develop processes for tracking the history on an ongoing basis
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Use Your Organizational History To Improve
Your Day-to-Day Operations
So, it looks like I can improve actual day-to-day conditions at my organization if I use its history creatively. Is that right?
Exactly right. You can use your organization’s history to improve employee development, external visibility in the marketplace, and strategic decisions. You might call it the improvement of “organizational vitality.”
How might I engage Historical Solutions LLC to do this for my organization?
Contact me and we’ll sit down and talk. I would want to start by knowing exactly what your needs are, the condition of history within your organization, and how you hope a creative use of history can help you. My first step would likely be to do an Archival Assessment. Call me and I’ll explain.
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