PARTNERSHIP SERIES

The Power of Agency:

Cultivating Autonomy, Authority, and Leadership in Every Role  

**This program is organized by our partners in the Pacific Northwest OD
Network! Come join our west-coast partners, alongside Minnesota and Triangle
OD-Networks for an opportunity for learning and cross-regional connections.

Join us on the evening of May 20th from 7-9 pm EST (4-6 PM Pacific) for an
interactive webinar led by the indomitable Fred Miller and the joyous Judith
Katz!

The evolution of the organization and the manager-employee relationship
continues. As we think about the next step in that evolution, we believe
that the concept of agency needs to be at the center. Most often employees
act as "do-ers" with a checker overseeing every significant decision, which
makes people feel as if they are not the leader of their job
responsibilities. There have been many attempts, some successful in pockets
of organizations, to increase the autonomy of employees-to empower them,
enable them to do their jobs with little supervision, be knowledge
workers-but in many cases organizations have overlaid on that continued
control and supervision that limits and, in many cases, smothers the
employee and their ability to be the Operations Leader of their job.

People have written about and acknowledge that many are knowledge workers in organizations, but we treat them the same way as at the height of the
Industrial Revolution, like "hands and feet"; only now letting them think
but requiring their thinking to be reviewed and checked.

What is missing is agency, which we define as:

ensuring all people, of all identities, roles, levels, and tenure have the
power, influence, and voice to make choices and decisions related to their
jobs and the betterment of the organization.

In this session they will discuss the concept of agency and the role that OD
practitioners can play in cultivating a culture of agency in which every
person can take leadership in their role and interactions with others..

About the Presenters: Fred Miller and Judith Katz

Fred Miller

Cited as a forerunner of corporate change in The Age of Heretics: A History
of the Radical Thinkers Who Reinvented Corporate Management, Fred has been honored with the The Forum on Workplace Inclusion's 2018 Winds of Change Award, as the OD Network's Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, as one of the 40 Pioneers of Diversity by Profiles in Diversity Journal, as one of the Legends of Diversity by the International Society of Diversity and Inclusion
Professionals, and as the NAACP Berkshires Branch W. E. B. Du Bois Award
recipient.

As CEO and Lead Strategist of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group,
Inc.-named one of Consulting magazine's "Seven Small Jewels" in 2010-Fred
specializes in developing workforce inclusion strategies that accelerate
results to deliver higher individual, team, and organizational performance.
For 50 years, he has been a pioneering change agent and thought leader in
the field of organization development. His experience includes partnering
with organizations to accelerate growth, enhance bottom-line results, and
work through turnaround situations, as well as positioning leaders for
success in start-ups, entrepreneurial ventures, and transitioning from
founder-led companies to the next generation of leadership.

Judith Katz

Fueled by her passion for addressing systemic barriers, known for her
boundless energy and sharp analytical mind, Judith Katz has distinguished
herself as a thought leader, practitioner, educator, and strategist for more
than 40 years. She has created new paradigms in organization development and pioneered cutting-edge approaches to white awareness, inclusion, the
leveraging of differences, covert processes, and strategic change.

Throughout her career, Judith's thought leadership has brought critical
ideas and issues to light. Few people, for instance, have connected the
ability of all individuals to do their best work with the future of
organizations as eloquently or persuasively. Colleagues and clients speak
highly of her generosity, her humility, her approachability, her sense of
humor-and her resolute commitment to partnering with all people so they can step fully into their own personal power.