Written by: Charlotte Francis, Grants specialist and writer, sometime ODA visitor! ODA’s March event was delivered online via Zoom reflecting the new reality of physical distancing and home-based working during the Covid-19 pandemic. More than ever, we need story to make sense of our changing world. The session started with a warm-up exercise where everyone in the group chose an …
February 2020 Event Review – Dialogic OD with Gervase Bushe
It was the first OD event for the year and the ODA team was ready to host an exciting event to be facilitated by Professor Gervase R. Bushe, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Development at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver Canada. As the participants started to come in and network over sushi, the excitement …
November Event Review – OD and Improv
Would you be willing to play improv games with your team if it added value to the team? Maybe it seems too risky or uncomfortable. For our November event, Andy Matthews had the ODA members doing and saying oddball things and laughing uproariously. In amongst the laughter we were seeing incredible value in using improv as an OD tool. …
October Event Review – Action Learning the WAIL way
As we gathered that evening around the table and chairs set up in the middle of the room and the encircling round of chairs, our curiosity was sparked. What was going to happen? And where was I to sit? Our guest, Murray Hopkins soon explained. Action Learning using the WIAL method is a process that involves a small group working …
September Event Review – Hello Appreciative Enquiry, is it you I’m looking for?!
At the September ODA professional event, Jacqui Martin, COO of the Langley Group, led ODA members and others in an introduction to Appreciative Inquiry. Jacqui described Appreciative Inquiry as: A process for facilitating positive change in organisations, committees – in fact, any kind of group, large or small and A conversational, appreciative and strengths-based approach to organisational change with a …
Organisational Zoo – August 2019 Event Review
By Meredith Crowe On Wednesday, 28th August, our ODA community gathered for our last winter event of 2019. Laurel Sutton introduced us to Organisational Zoo; a powerful metaphor for understanding organisations, relationships and behaviours. Laurel is an accredited Organisational Zoo Ambassador, the owner of Creative Cognition and collaborative partner of Complexability. Laurel began with a premise we could …
July Event Review – Are you implementing or installing change? with Paul Lefebvre
Many of us in the ODA community are involved in various facets of organisational change. For our July event, Paul Lefebvre, Head of People and Culture for the Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, gave us an opportunity to reflect on our experiences and answer the question: “Are we implementing or installing change?” As …
June Event Review – ODA’s Annual Winter Dinner
On 26th June we held our second annual ODA mid-year dinner. This year we gathered at Teta Mona, a traditional Lebanese restaurant in Brunswick East. The event was very well attended and it was terrific to have so many of our new members there too. It was a fun night and conversation flowed easily and noisily around the table over …
May Event Review – Fostering Trust in Leadership with Kristyn Haywood
Our ODA community gathered on a freezing cold Melbourne May evening to speak with ‘People for Success’ founder, Kristyn Haywood, about leadership, trust, and courage. Kristyn has a strong reputation as a leader whisperer, and her self-described “quirkiness” is immediately disarming. She is an experienced facilitator and executive coach, using her skills and learnings for leadership education and transformational …
April Event Review – Mindfulness Pros and Cons with Sarah Francis
The ODA community was privileged to have Sarah Francis, registered Psychologist and Director of the Melbourne Mindfulness Institute, to facilitate our April event, ‘Mindfulness, Pros and Cons.’ Sarah is extensively trained and experienced in mindfulness theory and practice with over twenty years’ experience. She has conducted many Mindfulness integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT) programs as part of individual therapy for …