CONSULTING FOR MORE EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS
Profile of Dannemiller Tyson Associates and the Whole-Scale™ Methodology
Background and Philosophy of Dannemiller Tyson Associates
Dannemiller Tyson Associates was founded in the early 1980's by Kathleen D. Dannemiller and the late Charles Tyson to help organizations achieve fast, long-lasting change. The earliest work was with the Ford Motor Company as it sought to move its culture from command and control to a more participative style. In the late 1980's DTA expanded its work to other companies and organizations. Over the past decade, DTA has worked with literally hundreds of organizations in the for-profit, non-profit and governmental sectors around the world. Although each situation is different, the basic direction of the work has been the same: to help organizations uncover and engage the combined knowledge, wisdom and heart of their people to meet the business challenges of a changing world.
Our methodology, which we call Whole-Scale™, is used in a variety of applications including strategic planning, work design, mergers and acquisitions, quality management, re-engineering, training, diversity and culture change. We have developed processes that allow our client systems to:
- Clarify current reality (including the drivers for change)
- Shape a vision for the organization they are striving to become
- Develop action plans that move them toward that future
- Address information, process, structure and relationship issues vital to the change process
Our core competencies include building leadership alignment and change management capacity, strategy development, planning and facilitating large Whole-Scale™ meetings and helping organizations prepare to implement the change strategy. Whole-Scale™ sessions allow a critical mass of the organization (or a sub-system within the organization) to define the criteria for the new culture while experiencing it directly. Whole-Scale™ is a model for what the change can look like and the vehicle by which a paradigm shift is accomplished. The processes we have developed are robust. They work in many different circumstances with people from all parts of the organization. As a result, we have been successful in a wide variety of industries, in government and non-profit organizations and in cultures around the world.
The Whole-Scale™ process is a powerful tool. It can be used for different purposes, at different levels and at different stages of the change process. We stress that Whole-Scale™ sessions can create critical moments in the process but only in the context of a sound change strategy that includes clear strategic goals, strong leadership alignment, adequate training and concerted implementation follow-through.
Core Beliefs and Values
The core beliefs and values that underlie our approach are:
Creating Empowerment and Participation
We believe in engaging the entire organization in ways that lead to
ownership of and commitment to a shared purpose and future direction.
Microcosms of the entire organization are used in all aspects of our
approach including event planning, organization alignment and
implementation.
Creating Community
We believe that when you foster an environment where employees can come
together, they can create and believe in something larger than themselves.
Our methods create processes where that can take place. The use of max-mix
tables at Whole-Scale™ events, for instance, brings voices from across the
organization into conversation in a way that builds a sense of community.
Using Reality as a Key Driver
We believe the change process must keep a continual focus on the
simultaneous and sometimes conflicting realities that exist in the internal
and external environments of the organization. In Whole-Scale™ meetings,
the content is driven by the needs of participants in real work rather than
simulations.
Building and Maintaining a Common Database
We believe that a level playing field of information and common
understanding of the strategic issues informs the discretion of people at
all levels so that they can make wise decisions, individually and
collectively. By sharing perspectives, all people in the organization gain
a more complete and consistent perspective.
Creating a Shared Preferred Future
We believe creating a collective image of potential for the future forms
the basis for action today. People will only support what they have been
part of creating.
Creating Change in Real Time
We believe in simultaneous planning and implementation of individual, group
and organizational changes around strategy, culture and work processes.
Practicing Action Research
We believe that only through continuous re-examination throughout the
process can we adjust our approach to ensure reaching our vision of success.
Transferring Learning
We have a strong value for creating self-sufficiency and against creating
dependency on us in our client systems. Our goal for the completion of
each project is that participants will make our methods their own so they
would feel confident and capable of carrying on with or without Dannemiller
Tyson.
Dannemiller Tyson Associates
303 Detroit Street, Suite 203
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
Voice 313/662-1330 Fax 313/662-2301
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