The document discusses integrative governance for adaptive work systems using a strengths-based socio-technical design approach. It proposes rethinking governance to focus on goal attainment, adaptation, long-term sustainability, and particularly integration. Integration is important to manage interdependencies between work tasks and people. A strengths-based approach designs systems that play to strengths while managing weaknesses. The document outlines a process for envisioning, designing, and evolving new integrative governance systems through exploration, imagining, selection, and delivery.

1. Integrative Governance for Adaptive Work Systems:
A Strengths Based, Socio-Technical Design Approach
Bernard Mohr
Innovation Partners International
Presented At
STS Roundtable Conference, Sept. 13, 2012, Canterbury, UK
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© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012

2. Purpose Of This Session
Overall…
 Creative exploration of the theme: “What’s humane got to do with
STS today?”
 To contribute to the ongoing development of STS as theory and
practice.
Specifically….
• Exploring the meaning of and connection between “adaptive work
systems” and “Integration”
• Rethinking what “governance and governance design” means in
the context of Integration requirements ……at the team,
organization, network and eco-system levels
• And by examining the possibilities and meaning of “strengths
based design of strengths based governance”
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 2

3. 4 Concepts and Some Stories
• Concepts
1. Adaptive Work Systems
2. Governance – What, Where? Why? Who?
3. Integration –why care?
4. Strength Based Socio-Technical Design
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 3

4. Adaptive Work Systems
• “The Adaptive Work System is a type of organizational
network that is configured to operate as a work system at
multiple levels of global, enterprise or unit levels of
design.
• Performance characteristics such as agility, speed,
flexibility and re-configurability are typically delivered by
the adaptive work system”.
S. Winby, Sapience Network
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 4

5. ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE?
Dimension Traditional View of Governance
Emphasis Controlling or preventing behavior that is
(Goal) illegal, unethical, or detrimental to the interests
of shareholders.
Key Actors The board of directors as the key actors
Focus Board activities such as senior management
selection and compensation, advising senior
management, and reviewing accuracy of
financial reporting and adequacy of compliance
efforts.
Orientation Begins with a problem-prevention point of
view and is advocacy driven.
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 5

6. RETHINKING GOVERNANCE
Goal
Attainment
Long-Term Adapting
Sustainability through
Innovating
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 6

7. What is Integration*?
( A Socio-Technical Perspective)
• The management of interdependencies
between work/tasks (technical)
• The management of interdependencies
between people (social)
* Based on conversations with Jody Hoffer-Gittell and ideas from “High Performance HealthCare” by Jody Hoffer-Gittell, MIGraw
Hlll publishers, 2009
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 7

8. Patient Care : An Integration Challenge
Case
Managers
Attending
Nurses Physicians
Nursing Residents
Assistants
Patient
Physical
Therapists
Social
Workers
Technicians
Referring
Physicians
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 8

9. Governance Re-Imagined
• …. The structures, practices, and processes that
mobilize human capability in support of Goal
Attainment, Adaptation, Long Term Sustainability
… and particularly INTEGRATION
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 9

10. Why Is Integration So Important?
(A Health Care Context)
Quality of Outcomes
Task Cost
Integration
And
People
Integration Patient Experience
Joy of Practice
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 10

11. Why Is Integration So Important?
(A Health Care Context)
Sample Governance Design Variables
Selection Process
Quality of Outcomes
Measures and Rewards
Role Design
Boundary Placement & Mngt Task Cost
Integration
Care Maps/Pathways And
Information Access & Display People
Integration Patient Experience
Patient Round Participation
Supplier Relations
Joy of Practice
Goal Setting Processes
Leadership Development
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 11

12. “What’s humane got to do with STS today?”
“ I am led to conclude that an organization’s
structure (governance) can be moral or immoral
in and of itself.
Thus I realize that consciously constructing an
organization that, by its design, impairs people’s
health is ultimately no different than willfully
using asbestos in the construction of a brick-and-
mortar building when we know that the material
is likely to compromise the health of the buildings
inhabitants.”
Jerry Harvey, PhD.,
Professor Emeritus of Management Science at The George
Washington University.
Author of “The Abilene Paradox”.
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 12

13. Why Strength Based Design?
“The ageless task of leadership is to create
an alignment of strengths in ways that
make the system’s weaknesses
irrelevant.” - Peter Drucker
• “Study after study shows that high
performance teams play to their
strengths while managing around their
weaknesses” - Marcus Buckingham
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 13

14. Why Strength Based Design?
“Valuing and learning from our past is an imperative
but also a choiceful activity”
– B. Mohr, IPI
“Human systems move in the direction of the
questions they consistently ask”
– D. Cooperidder, CWRU
• “Study after study shows that high performance
teams play to their strengths while managing
around their weaknesses”
- Marcus Buckingham,
Gallup
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 14

15. Select Most
Promising
Option
Design the
Deliver-
Deliver Stress Test Evolve Use New Review and
& Evolve and Iterate Processes
System Reconfigure
Mobilize
Deliver and Evolve
Mobilize
Envision multiple IG
potentialities (roles,
processes, structures)
Model deliberations and
decision rights for selected
Imagine potentialities
Imagine
Connect/
Explore Discover and document existing
Integrative Governance (IG)
competencies, capabilities, AND
Design Requirements (ie future
opportunities and aspirations)
Draft transcendent purpose for
new IG system
Connect-Explore
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 15

16. Contact Informtion
Bernard Mohr:
Innovation Partners International
www.InnovationPartners.com
207-874-0118 (office)
bjMohr@InnovationPartners.com
© Bernard J. Mohr, Canterbury, UK Sept. 2012 16