Viv Read - Emerging Options Pty Ltd

Viv is based in New South Wales, Australia. Contact details are:
 

Viv completed the Cognitive Edge training in Singapore May 2003. Viv has experience in ...And the Butterfly Stamped; Model Creation by Social Construction; The future backwards; ABIDE; JIT KM; Dynamics; Necessary bias; Managing complexity by experiment; Archetype Creation; Story Construction; Ritual Dissent; Three Facilitator rule; Anecdote Circles; Population sampling; and Getting ready for SMI database.

Professional Background

Viv has over 30 years experience as a consultant and manager in organisational strategy, change management, industrial relations, leadership development, and action learning.  She was  a Director of Society for Organisational Learning Australia, the original the learning and development  partner for Cognitive Edge in Asia Pacific.  She has co facilitated 6 accreditation programs, in Australia and South East Asia and is currently involved in projects using Cognitive Edge tools and processes in Australia and Singapore.

Projects Undertaken

Financial Management strategy - State Government Education and Training Queensland Australia

Client required a different approach to financial management planning in complex environment of community obligations and revenue raising.

• trained internal project team
• narrative collection through interview undertaken by team
• co design and facilitation of sensemaking workshop with senior executive team

Tools used: narrative capture, mapping to Cynefin framework, ABIDE                 Outcome: Strategy developed for each of the domains which was accepted by Treasury.  Complex issues had identifiable probes/ experieiments defined.

 Occupational Health and Safety - Local Government Queensland Australia

Organisation committed to Zero Harm, and wanted information regarding efficacy of previous strategies and initiatives, and reason why significant improvement efforts did not meet objectives.

• trained internal project team
• data colletion through anecdote circles and interviews undertaken by team
• material loaded into data base
• design and facilitation of sense making workshop

Tools used:  Narrative capture, SMI data base, archetype extraction                  Outcome: Material has informed strategy development for ongoing occupational health and safety initiatives

Regional innovation - State Government Human Services New South Wales Australia

A devolved organisation structure required a shift in the role of the head office, and increased expectations of regions in terms of innovation, customisation and customer responsiveness.

• trained internal project team
• assisted with narrative capture - anecdote circles
• data entry into SMI data base
• design and facilitation of sensemaking workshop involving central and regional staff

Tools used: narrative capture, SMI data base, social construction of Framework, cognitive bias                                                                                                             Outomes:  shared understanding of expectations and relationships between central office and regions; agreed proposals for each domain that would increase regional capacity.

 Leadership Forum - State Government Northern Territory

The anual forum invovles some 300 people, from all levels of the department and key external stakeholders.  New government inititgaives will have a major impact on the role, function and structure of the agency. A recently appointed CEO was interested in current perceptions related to leading in a chanllenging environment.  The department provides services to indigenous poeple across the Territory.

• assisted project team with development of questions and indexes for web capture SMI data base, design of forum program
• conducted pre forum workshop for indigneous staff
• co design and facilitation of 2 days forum for 300 people
• data base analysis

Tools used:  SMI database; archetype extraction, future backwards, social construction of framework, cognitive bias, ritual dissent                                                     Outcomes: 70 specific recommendations from each of the domains for 6 critical strategic issues for consideration by the executive; integration and engagement of indigenous staff in the process; comparative data across stakeholder groups on perceptions of current challenges, expectations and concerns to be used in strategy development for upcoming initiatives.

Innovation in Schools - Ministry of Education Singapore

The objective of the project was to assess the appropriateness of Cognitive Edge tools in assisting schools with change management.  Three schools were invovled over a 6 month period.

• consulting support to internal project team for project design including data base configuration, narrative capture, progressive mentoring and coaching
• design and facilitation of workshops - 4 archetype extraction, 2 intervention design, 3 monitoring, 1 capturing the learning workshops
• periodic progress reporting to senior management

Tools used: narrative capture, SMI database, archetype extraction, social construction of framework, ABIDE, story construction , ritual dissent                                       Outcomes: experiments (probes) developed and implemented in each school, staff involved have used tools for other school applications such as strategic planning, increased capability of internal staff to use the tools,  approach being extended to other applications in the Ministry

Strategic Planning - Intellectual Property Office Singapore

Singapore has the objective of becoming an IP hub by 2008. The planning process engaged external stakeholders and staff as well as the senior management team.

• co design and faciitation of the process involving staff and extenal stakeholder workshops; senior executive workshop

Tools used: narrative capture, future backwards, social construction of framework Outcomes:  integration of issues from all groups into single framework; strategic plan for issues in each of the domains

Capturing the Learning- Partnering workshop Local Government Queensland Australia

Partnering policies and stratehies have been in place for 18 months.  This one day workshop was a review of progress to date, and to identify improvement opportunities.  The group of 60 people included external partners.

• design and facilitation of workshop

Tools used:  narrative capture, social construction of framework                           Outcomes:  Indentification of what is 'working well', and what needs improvement; specific proposals from each domain for next range of initiatives

The Future of Volunteering - Meals on Wheels NSW( Peer mentoring project, SOLA)

Community care organisations have a heavy reliance on volunteers and the requirements is likely to increase given the changing demographics of the Australian population.  This project was designed to indentify policy and research opportunities.

• mentored a group of newly trained facilitators
• co facilitation of initial workshop
• design and facilitation of sensemaking workshop for representatives

Tools used: narrative capture through anecdote circles, archetype extraction, social construction of framework                                                                              Outcomes: priority issues that formed submission for government funding

 Leadership development - local government Queensland Australia

The emerging leaders program is designed to develop internal talent for exeutive roles.  It extends over an 18 month period, involving course work, rotations and projects.  Cognitive Edge tools formed the foundation for strategic thinking and planning for rotations and projects.

Tools used:  narrative capture, social construction of framework, dynamics,   Outcomes:  participants have applied the tools in project planning, straegic planning, lessons learned, change management interventions

Conversations on Principalship - Ministry of Education Singapore

As part of a review of the philosophy of school leadership  in Singapore , the Educational leadership Development Centre wished to obtain perspectives from principals in a from that can contrinute to the development of a philosophy, framework and learning options. 120 school principals particpated in the data collection workshops

• co design of process including SMI data base indexes
• facilitation of data capture workshops, sense making workshop

Tools used:  narrative capture, SMI indexing, future backwards, archetype extration (including cartoonist) , story construction, ritual dissent                                                                                                         Outcomes: perspectives on leadership (themes, values and archetypes)  from the narratives; statements relating to current state, aspirations and fears;  five stories on aspects of leadership philosophy for publication; data base for further collection from other principals; knowledge base of stories for use with other stakeholder groups.

Additional Information

Mentor (electronic and face to face) for Cognitive Edge projects including market positioning, educational research, indigenous narrative capture and cultural change.

Co design and facilitation of  Complex Facilitation workshops for Society for Organisational Learning Australia

Creation of peer mentoring strategy under auspice of Society for Organisational Learning Australia