Accenture
(Downtown Chicago)
(in the Chicago Title Tower Building between Randolph St & Lake St)

161 N Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
47th Floor Conference Center
 
 

8:00 - 8:15	Arrival, Continental Breakfast, Registration, Networking
8:15 - 8:30	Conference Kickoff
Throughout    The Day	Ongoing Needs Analysis Focus Group (MFN Board) Watch for signs directing you to the on-going, interactive computer-supported conversations about the types of programs and events that MFN should offer in the future.
8:30-12:30	“Coping with Agreement in Organizations" Or "How to Deal with the Abilene Paradox" by Dr Jerry B Harvey, George Washington University, Washington, DC Have you ever wondered why organizations frequently make decisions that no one agrees with, including the people who make them?  This session will deal with the symptoms, causes and treatment of such bizarre organizational behavior. To download a PowerPoint version of the Abilene Paradox: http://www.midwest-facilitators.net/downloads.html#The Abilene Paradox
12:30-1:15	Lunch, Networking, Etc.
1:15-2:00	The Road FROM Abilene - How Far Have We Come from the Abilene Paradox and Groupthink? The afternoon will begin with a full-group discussion, break into multiple simultaneous tracks, then conclude with a full-group de-brief.  The purpose of the afternoon sessions is to examine tools and processes that can help us uncover and share internal dialogues and learning.  This could include the development of various non-structured learning communities that encourage disclosure, dialogue and discovery, beyond the scope of this conference.  Two breakouts will be on the 47th Floor and two will be on the 33rd floor. The track coordinators will briefly reflect on Jerry's morning session and it's relevance to their breakout.  Each will give an overview of possible session direction and objectives. Participants will have the opportunity to provide input to clarify or re-calibrate session direction and objectives.  For more details on tracks see "About the Presenters and Presentations".
2:00-4:00	Track 1 - Built to Die: Can Awareness of Organization Mortality Bring Added Meaning to Its Existence? Roger Breisch and Gretchen Neve will convene a dialogue on the topic of organization mortality, and how our natural inclination towards sustainability at any cost can lead to groupthink and organizational dysfunction.
2:00-4:00	Track 2 - Minding the Bumps in the Road FROM Abilene: Group Intelligence, Not Groupthink! Gil Herman will lead a group in examining various ways participants have found to facilitate group discussions around burning issues that get the most and best ideas on the table.
2:00-4:00	Track 3- Rules, Games and Exercises of Improv Theatre to Facilitate Brainstorming and Teamwork in Organizations.  Brendan Sullivan will lead a workshop on a group's struggle to remain, creative, positive and supportive while also daring to take away the keys before getting in the car and leaving for Abilene.
2:00-4:00	Track 4 - Candor and Rigor in Organizational Problem Solving. Paul Collins and Carl Aylen will facilitate a session in which participants will get hands-on experience using techniques and tools that help individuals and groups get beyond the superficial attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that may inhibit them from being better problem seekers as well as problem solvers.
4:00-5:00	Shared Discoveries and Learnings The full group will re-convene at 4:00pm to de-brief and share discoveries and learnings from the breakouts.
5:00	Wrap Up, Door Prizes, Adjourn

 
 

Conference Fee	NOTE: We have had requests to extend the early registration period, so that's now extended to April 23rd. $150.00 per person on or before April 23rd  $175.00 per person after April 23rd $175.00 per person at the door (no guarantee of availability) Fee includes: Workshops,  materials and meals Fee Does NOT include Lodging (see suggestions below).
5 Ways to Register	Phone: (773) 463-2288 - During the recording press the "2" key. Please announce 'MFN Conference Registration', your company name, and the name, phone # and payment information of each registrant. Fax: (773) 463-9322 - Fax completed registration form with payment information for each registrant. E-Mail: pcollins@jordan-webb.net - E-mail completed registration form with payment information and subject: 'MFN Conference Registration'. Snail-mail: Mail completed registration form with payment information to: MFN c/o Jordan-Webb, 2656 W Montrose Ave,  Suite 110, Chicago, IL 60618. On-Site: Registration and payment ($175.00) on-site is subject to availability. No guarantee without pre-registration. On-Line: [Website Registration Available Soon]
Lodging	Participants are responsible for arranging their own lodging.  There are several options available:
Palmer House Hotel (Hilton) 17 E. Monroe (at Wabash) (312) 726-7500 or (800) 445-8667 This hotel is located in the heart of downtown. Located in the middle of many downtown attractions. Approx $209 - $244 (Tower)	Midland Hotel 172 W. Adams (312) 332-1200 or (800) 821-0900 A nice hotel with comfortable sleeping rooms, complimentary breakfast and bar daily.  Restaurants and a fitness center located within. Approx $189 - $249	HYATT on Printers Row 500 S. Dearborn Street (312) 986-1234 or (800) 233-1234 This Hyatt is modern and located in a quiet, not-so-busy area of downtown Chicago.  The sleeping rooms are large and nicely decorated.  Approx $159 - $179
Hotel Burnham 1 West Washington (312) 782-1111 Approx $179 - $199	House of Blues Hotel 333 N. Dearborn (312) 245-0333  (877) 569-3742 or (800) 235-6397 Approx $199 - $249	Renaissance Hotel (Marriott) One West Wacker Drive (312) 372-7200 or (800) 468-3571 Approx $184 - $224 - $324
Hotel Monaco 225 N Wabash (312) 960-8500 or (800) 397-7661 Conveniently located close to much of downtown; Complimentary morning coffee service & evening wine reception; On-site fitness room; Approx $179 - 299	Hotel Allegro 171 W. Randolph (312) 696-0123 or (800) 643-1500 Approx $169	Quality Inn Downtown Madison & Halsted (312) 829-5000 or (800) 228-5150 Approx $119 - $159
Meals	Continental Breakfast, Lunch and Afternoon Snack provided.  Participants with special dietary needs should contact:  romansicl@aol.com
Dress Code	Business Casual.

Travel	Accenture's Conference Center is located on the 47th Floor of the Chicago Title Tower Building at 161 N Clark St, (between Randolph St and Lake St), in Downtown Chicago, Illinois.  Two of the Afternoon sessions will be held on the 33rd Floor.  BEWARE the shutdown of the East-West portions of upper & lower Wacker Drive for construction.  N-S Traffic Flows: State: 2-way N-S, Dearborn: 1-way N, Clark: 1-way S, La Salle: 2-way N-S, Wells: 1-way S.  E-W Traffic Flows: Washington: 1-way E, Randolph:1-way W, Lake: 1-way E.  There are plenty of public transportation options available.  Car pool!   Use your own network!   Call if you need help.  We will help people who can offer or who need a ride establish contact.
Driving
(1) From Chicago Via I-90/94/57/294 (Kennedy or Dan Ryan Expressways)	From the North – a) Take I-90/94 (Kennedy Expressway) southbound to Washington St Exit; b) continue eastbound on Washington to La Salle St, c) turn left (north) on La Salle to parking; d) see parking (7) below. From the South – e) Take I-90/94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) northbound to downtown Chicago; f) continue northbound to Washington St Exit; g) proceed as in (1-b) above.
(2) From Chicago Via US 41  (Lake Shore Drive)	From the North – a) Take Lake Shore Drive (US 41) southbound to Randolph St Exit; b) turn right (west) on Randolph to La Salle St; c) turn right (north) on La Salle; d) proceed as (1-d) above. From the South – f) Take Lake Shore Drive, (US 41) northbound to Randolph St exit (left turn lane); g) turn left (west) on Randolph to La Salle St; h) proceed as in (2-c) above.
(3) From Chicagoland (north/northwest), O’Hare Airport, Wisconsin, points north via I-90/94/294	a) Take I-90 Kennedy Expressway or I-94 Edens Expressway southbound to I-90/94 Junction; b) proceed as (1-a) above.
(4) From Midway Airport, Chicagoland (south/southwest), points south via I-55	a) Take Cicero Ave (Illinois Route 50) northbound to I-55 (Stevenson Expressway); b) take I-55 northbound to junction with US 41 (Lake Shore Drive); c) take US 41 northbound and then proceed as in (2-f) above.
(5) From Iowa and points west via I-290 and I-88	a) Take I-88 (East-West Tollway) eastbound to junction with I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway); b) take I-290 eastbound to junction with I-90/94 in downtown Chicago; c) continue eastbound as Expressway ends and merges into Congress St; d) east on Congress Dearborn St; e) turn left (north) on Dearborn to Randolph St; f) proceed as in (2-g) above.
(6) From Iowa and points west via I-80	a) Take I-80 eastbound to I-55; b) take I-55 then proceed as in (4-b) above.
(7) Parking NOTE: Some garages have “early bird” rates – ask.	Standard Self-Parking; 203 North LaSalle; enter on Clark, Lake or La Salle Lake & Wells Self-Park; enter on Wells Standard Parking; 150 N Wells; enter on Wells Washington & Franklin Self-Park; 100 N Wells Public Parking; 120 N La Salle St Theater District Parking; 181 N Dearborn; enter on Dearborn or Lake
(8) Commuting by Rail or Bus	Take CTA, Metra or Amtrak trains.  161 N Clark St is a short walk from the following commuter Stations: LaSalle Street Station, Union Station, Northwestern Station.  It’s a short taxi ride from the Metra Electric/South Shore Station.  It is also a short walk from the following CTA Rapid Transit Stations: Clark/Lake Elevated Station on the Brown (Ravenswood), Orange (Midway), Green (Lake-Jackson-Park-Englewood) or Purple (Evanston Express) Lines; Clark/Lake Subway Station on the Blue (O'Hare/Congress/Douglas) Line; State/Lake Subway Station on the Red (Howard/Dan Ryan) Line.  From O'Hare or Midway Airports, take CTA’s Rapid Transit (Orange or Blue Lines to Lake Street Stations as above) or the Airport Limos downtown to the Palmer House Hotel.  Short walk to the 161 N Clark St Building.  Many CTA Bus routes exist.  Public Transportation Information:  RTA (312) 836-7000 Metra (312) 322-6777 - http://www.metrarail.com PACE (847) 364-7223 CTA (888) 968-7282 - http://www.transitchicago.com
(9) By Air	Take commercial flights into Chicago’s O’Hare or Midway Airports.  Rent a car and proceed as in (3) or (4) above, or  Take CTA Blue or Orange Line Trains downtown and proceed as (8) above.

Friday, April 27, 2001
 
 
 

Have you ever wondered why organizations frequently make decisions that no one agrees with, including the people who make them?  This session will deal with the symptoms, causes and treatment of such bizarre organizational behavior.  It will also explore issues such as:

• Why high performing organizations need to have at least five percent of their workers who are incompetent to do their jobs
• Why normal, bell-shaped distributions of organizational performance are symptoms of abnormal behavior
• Why formal performance appraisal reduces organizational performance, and
• Why it is important for all people in an organization to report to someone who is brighter than they are

• Lecture/discussions on the Abilene Paradox
• Group discussions about trips to Abilene they have taken and why they took part in such organized insanity
• Identifying in discussion groups the policies, procedures and organizational structures in their organizations that lead to the anaclitic depression blues
• Exploring in discussion groups the implications of Elliott Jaques' Stratified Systems Theory.
• Role playing the Last Supper as a way of ascertaining whether it might have been a trip to Abilene and looking at the implications of the Supper for decision making in contemporary organizations
• Small group discussions of the role of prayer in organizational un*learning

The afternoon will begin with a full-group discussion, break into multiple simultaneous tracks, then conclude with a full-group de-brief.  The purpose of the afternoon sessions is to examine tools and processes that can help us uncover and share internal dialogues and learning.  This could include the development of various non-structured learning communities that encourage disclosure, dialogue and discovery, beyond the scope of this conference.

The track coordinators will briefly reflect on Jerry's morning session and it's relevance to their breakout.  Each will give an overview of possible session direction and objectives. Participants will have the opportunity to provide input to clarify or re-calibrate session direction and objectives.

Two breakouts will be on the 47th Floor and two will be on the 33rd floor.
 
 

Roger Breisch and Gretchen Neve will convene a dialogue on the topic of organization mortality, and how our natural inclination towards sustainability at any cost can lead to groupthink and organizational dysfunction.

The need for survival in organizations--and our natural desires for safety and security--can make it difficult for people to let go and move on.  This can, and does lead to groupthink. We go to Abilene to keep organizations alive even though they may be past their usefulness.  We struggle to keep the organization on life-support.

Some of the questions the session will raise include:

• How have we seen the need for survival in teams and organizations lead to inappropriate decisions?
• When does the need for survival lead to groupthink?
• When it seems that a project/organization/company is having a near death experience, how can we critically and compassionately surface the issue and make it discussable?
• How might we help people let go and move on to renewal after the end of a project/organization/company?
• If we were more conscious in our everyday decisions of the impermanence of our organizations, how would that change our process for decision making?
• How does the work of William Bridges on transition, help us to think about the renewal that comes from endings?

Gretchen Neve has worked with people in organizations for ten years as an external consultant and for six years in adult education. She has worked in the areas of team development, coaching, diversity, emotional intelligence, communication, and leadership development. Her clients have included a variety of industries including public education, home construction, hospital health care, large consulting firms, and software developers.   While the specific interventions and tools vary, her overall passion is to work on projects and initiatives that contribute to people’s experience of well being, accomplishment, and satisfaction at work.  Arie De Geus’ book, The Living Company, introduced her to the term “Narings Liv” which is the Old Swedish word for business. It literally translates to “nourishment for life”.  In keeping with her Scandinavian roots, she aspires to nourish aliveness in organizations and in the people who make them work.
 
 

In this session we’ll examine various ways participants have found to facilitate group discussions around burning issues that get the most and best ideas on the table.  This is group intelligence, not groupthink.  People will be asked to share/demonstrate best practices.  As time allows, Gil will utilize the TEC process to discuss a real-time, real-world issue.  In this manner, participants will experience a proven process used in peer coaching among CEOs to help a colleague more deeply explore the issue and potential actions.

Gil Herman, President of Managing Horizons, is a consultant in organization effectiveness.  He facilitates strategic planning, alignment, and implementation; team building and team training; multi-level and multi-disciplinary training and development; and professional leadership coaching. All these interventions incorporate highly experiential exercises and engaging dialogue that challenge participants to think deeply, act decisively, and honor personal integrity and dignity. Gil uses leading edge and traditional concepts and tools including systems thinking, change management, balanced scorecard, and outdoor team challenges. All interventions include time and a process to do action planning with accountability that ensures participants integrate and apply their learning to make a positive, measurable difference.  Gil is also the chair of three TEC groups in the Chicago area.  TEC, also known as The Executive Committee, is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the lives of CEOs.   As a TEC Chair, Gil facilitates monthly meetings of CEOs, Presidents and business owners then coaches each member one-on-one in a 2-hour session between meetings.  Gil has over thirty years experience working in human resource and organization development. He has worked as an internal and external practitioner in many industries including telecommunications, computer/data processing, manufacturing, insurance, finance, health care, hotel management, food services, transportation, education, and publishing. Much of his practice has included work on a global basis in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
 
 

Brendan will lead a very interactive workshop that uses the rules, games and exercises of successful improv theatre to facilitate brainstorming and teamwork in organizations.  Good improvisational theatre is built on trust, acceptance, support and teamwork.  This environment nourishes creativity and encourages new ideas.  Brendan's workshop is designed to develop those same results in an organization.  Specifically for this seminar, Brendan's workshop will focus on a group's struggle to remain, creative, positive and supportive while also daring to take away the keys before getting in the car and leaving for Abilene.

Brendan Sullivan is a corporate creativity coach with over 10 years of improvisational theatre training, coaching and performance experience.  He has studied at the Second City Training Center, the Improv Olympic, and the Players Workshop of Second City.  He has performed professionally on improv stages around the country.  Brendan is also a veteran of the business world, including five years with the New York Times Company, working with many Fortune 500 accounts and their advertising agencies.
 
 

When we get a headache, a shot of aspirin, ibuprofen or tylenol may be the quick fix, but is the headache caused by low blood sugar, sinusitis, stress, fatigue or what?  Moreover, could any of these drugs aggravate conditions further?  As we engage in group problem solving, how often are we tempted to reach for the aspirin early in the cycle?  Does this behavior send us down the road to Abilene once again?  Do we ever develop mindsets that cause us react in predictable ways when we first feel the pain?   How do we react when we observe that mindset in others?  How do we feel about ideas that are different from our own?  What do we do when others seem to ignore or discount our own great thoughts?  If the goal of problem solving is to search for and develop solutions for what hurts, then how rigorous are we about spending time in the process to define the problem before beginning the process to resolve it?  How candid are we with our peers in either process when the potential for risk is high?  How many of us feel comfortable challenging the norm or being challenged by our peers?  What would we choose to do if we knew that defining the problem would lead us into conflict?   How ready are we to be politically incorrect and state that "The Emperor Has No Clothes!"?  In this session, participants will get hands-on experience using methods and tools that help individuals and groups get beyond the superficial attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that may inhibit them from being better problem seekers as well as problem solvers.   Participants will be challenged to understand and apply new techniques and technologies that lead groups through brainstorming sessions while helping to manage internal conflict, recognize and resolve mindset issues, develop breakthrough thinking and build team cohesion and interaction.

Paul Collins is a co-founder and director of the Midwest Facilitation Network.  He has been an independent consultant for over 20 years. In the past 16 years, his practice has focused on providing facilitation and consulting services in the business, government, academic and not-for-profit sectors.  In the last nine years, Paul has specialized in providing clients with facilitation, training and consulting services in the deployment of group support technology and the integration of work teams projects, and group process with computer-supported facilitation.  He has done research for clients on the effects of deploying group support technology.  Paul has spent over 26 years facilitating, mentoring and coaching diverse business, ethnic, cultural, religious and racial groups to evolve into high performing work-teams. Outside of business settings, Paul is a "facilitator" (instructor, caller) of various types of ethnic folk dance and traditional American square and contra dance, the founder/director of Ethnic Dance Chicago and a co-director of the Door County Folk Festival.

Dr Carl Aylen is a former Cambridge Don and a corporate reconstruction expert, and is internationally acknowledged as a leader in the field of human potential and motivation.  He is the originator of Perceptual ModelingTM, a software package that uses graphic animation to enable the way in which teams collaborate in problem solving.  Dr. Aylen uses Associative Q&ATM innovative word association software that he developed in order to motivate the full interaction of participants.  He is also the creator of Brainstorm MentorTM, a unique brainstorming software technique that works at the intersection of the chaos of creative thinking and the structure of expert knowledge.  Perceptual ModelingTM is used in Team CohesionTM sessions designed to build self-sustaining high performance through team member interdependence. When linked to the Brainstorm MentoringTM technique it forms the basis of an interactive workshop designed to facilitate problem solving sessions including product design, marketing strategy and strategic planning and conflict resolution.