Back to Webinars
    WebinarSystemic Collaboration 2013 60 min

    Leadership Narratives for Organizational Transformation

    Transformational change is critical to organizations operating in a polyphonic global economy. Making it happen is a complex process, and seldom meets expectations. This webinar will help resolve complexities and lead to your company’s transformation meeting expectations. John Nelson of BT+L Partners and Mike Bonifer of GameChangers will describe how they designed and implemented a successful year-long action learning program at Diversey, Inc., that used improvisational game and narrative structure to help Diversey’s top two tiers of leadership transform the company. Their program focused on critical change components that both affected Diversey and were affected by them: globalization, collaboration, customer-focused solutions, innovation, and talent management. Nelson and Bonifer will explain how the program encompassed the technical and logistical aspects (What, Where and How) of the large-scale transformation, as well as the social aspects (Why and Who). They will describe how it aligned the company’s leaders by providing with them powerful communication and peer collaboration tools. One of the most important concepts in the program, for example, uses GameChangers’ proprietary ERGO (Environment / Roles / Guidelines / Objectives) game structure as a means of generating leadership narratives. Nelson, who was Sr. Vice President, Learning & Organizational Capability, at Diversey at the time, and was the architect of the corporate transformation, shares how formal leadership development and GameChangers’ concepts were leveraged to drive desirable change. Bonifer explains the function of storytelling in leadership, and how the ability of individuals and their organizations to build narratives collaboratively relates to the practices required to perform at a consistently high level in a complex and fluid marketplace. Both gentlemen will comment on the opportunities presented by transformative organizational change.

    Presenter

    JN

    John Nelson

    •How to build transformational change objectives into the design of leadership development programs •How to identify and target leadership gaps as part of program design •How and why game structure promotes collaboration and story-sharing, inside the enterprise, and between a brand and its customers. •What happens to organizational storytelling in a socially mediated, customer-centric business environment.
    •How to define and incorporate different levels of meaning in organizational communication and leadership narratives to make them more effective.

    Key Takeaways

    • 1.Large-scale organizational transformation can be achieved using an action learning program that combines improvisational games and narrative structures.
    • 2.The proprietary ERGO (Environment / Roles / Guidelines / Objectives) game structure is a tool for generating effective leadership narratives.
    • 3.Successful transformation requires addressing both the technical (what, where, how) and social (why, who) aspects of change.
    • 4.Storytelling helps align leaders and builds the collaborative practices needed to perform in a complex marketplace.
    • 5.Formal leadership development can be leveraged to drive specific, desirable changes within a corporation.
    • 6.Providing leaders with powerful communication and peer collaboration tools is crucial for aligning them during a transformation.

    The Challenge of Organizational Transformation

    In today's dynamic and polyphonic global economy, transformational change is a critical yet complex process that often fails to meet expectations. Many organizations struggle to manage the numerous variables involved in large-scale change. This webinar explores a proven methodology for resolving these complexities and ensuring transformation initiatives succeed.

    A Narrative-Driven Approach to Change

    Presenters John Nelson (formerly of Diversey, Inc.) and Mike Bonifer of GameChangers detail an innovative approach that places leadership narratives at the core of the change process. They explain how structuring change around compelling stories can align leaders and create a shared vision.

    The Diversey Case Study

    A key focus is a successful year-long action learning program designed and implemented at Diversey, Inc. This program engaged the top two tiers of leadership to transform the company by focusing on critical areas such as globalization, collaboration, customer-focused solutions, innovation, and talent management.

    Key Frameworks: Action Learning and ERGO

    The program blended formal leadership development with unique collaborative tools. A central component was the use of GameChangers’ proprietary ERGO (Environment / Roles / Guidelines / Objectives) game structure. This framework uses improvisational techniques to help leaders collaboratively generate powerful narratives that define and drive the transformation.

    The Power of Storytelling and Collaboration

    The session emphasizes the function of storytelling in effective leadership. The ability for leaders and their teams to build narratives together is directly linked to an organization's capacity to perform at a high level in a fluid marketplace. The program provided leaders with essential communication and peer collaboration tools to facilitate this process, ensuring alignment across the organization.

    By integrating the technical aspects of change (the "what," "where," and "how") with the equally important social aspects (the "why" and "who"), this narrative-driven model provides a comprehensive roadmap for leading successful organizational transformation.

    Organizational transformation is a complex yet crucial endeavor in today's dynamic global economy. This session explores how strategic leadership narratives and collaborative tools can effectively guide large-scale change, ensuring transformation initiatives meet their objectives. It delves into an action learning program that leveraged improvisational games and narrative structures to align top leadership at a major corporation.

    What you'll learn

    • How improvisational game structures, such as the ERGO framework, can generate powerful leadership narratives.
    • The role of storytelling in aligning leaders and fostering collaborative practices for organizational change.
    • Methods for integrating both technical (what, where, how) and social (why, who) aspects of transformation.
    • Strategies for leveraging formal leadership development to drive desired change outcomes.
    • How communication and peer collaboration tools can empower leaders during transformational processes.

    Who this webinar is for

    • Senior leaders and executives overseeing organizational change initiatives.
    • HR and organizational development professionals designing transformation programs.
    • Individuals interested in the intersection of leadership, storytelling, and change management.
    • Team leaders seeking to improve communication and collaboration within their groups.
    • Anyone looking to understand how to drive successful outcomes in complex organizational environments.

    Why it matters now

    Effective organizational transformation remains a critical challenge for companies navigating a constantly evolving global landscape. The ability to articulate a clear, compelling narrative and foster deep collaboration among leaders is more important than ever. This approach ensures that change is not just implemented, but embraced, leading to more sustainable and impactful results in a polyphonic global economy.

    How leaders can apply this

    Leaders can apply these insights by consciously crafting and disseminating compelling leadership narratives that define the 'why' and 'who' of change. Implementing collaborative tools and frameworks, like the ERGO structure mentioned by John Nelson, can help generate these narratives and align diverse leadership teams. Foster environments where peer collaboration and open communication are valued, enabling leaders to collectively navigate complexities. Regularly assess both the technical progress and the social engagement of transformation efforts to ensure balanced and effective execution.

    About this session

    Key takeaways

    Watching this webinar gives you grounded, practical perspective on Teamwork. Expect ideas you can use in leadership conversations, not abstract theory, drawn from John Nelson's direct experience.

    Who this is for

    CHROs, HR business partners, talent leaders, executive coaches, organizational development practitioners, and senior leaders who are responsible for systemic collaboration inside their organization.

    Why it matters now

    Workforce expectations, hybrid work patterns, and AI-driven change keep raising the bar on culture and leadership. Sessions like this help leaders make smarter, more evidence-informed decisions about Teamwork.

    How to apply it

    Use the ideas here to challenge a current assumption on your team, design a single concrete experiment in the next 30 days, and bring one finding back to your leadership group for discussion.

    Frequently asked questions

    Topics

    Teamwork

    Best Practice Institute

    Best Practice Institute is the research organization behind Most Loved Workplace® certification, the SPARK Model, the Love of Workplace Index™ (LOWI™), and The Workplace Report.

    The Workplace Report

    The Workplace Report is BPI's original workplace culture research and editorial briefing series for CEOs, CHROs, people leaders, talent leaders, and employer-brand teams. It turns BPI's 25 years of research, Most Loved Workplace® certification data, SPARK findings, and current workforce signals into practical analysis leaders can use.

    The report format includes executive summaries, research-backed articles, company examples, methodology notes, and practical implications for retention, hiring, culture, leadership, and employee experience. New research and analysis is published on an ongoing editorial cadence at /workplace-report.