News & Publications
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Publications
Confucius in My Cubicle: Practical Wisdom for the Leader in All of Us. While the world has changed significantly since Confucius lived over 2500 year ago, his teaching still resonates, especially about what it means to be a good leader and how to be human – and humane – with one another. This collection of essays and stories weave Confucius’ philosophy into modern leadership ideas. They reflect lessons from the author’s experience with clients and her own life as a modern American businesswoman. Provocative, pithy, and practical, you will walk away with new insights on how you can strengthen the leader inside of YOU!
The Change Handbook: The Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems Paperback – January 4, 2007. Cathy Perme co-wrote Chapter 28 on “SimuReal: Action Learning in Hyper-Drive.”
Future Search in School District Change: Case studies from members of the Future Search Network Cathy Perme is the author of Chapter 9 in this collaboration of sixteen case studies involving change within the education system.
FIZZ! How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant. FIZZ! is a guidebook for anyone interested in starting their own business, filled with practical advice for independent consultants.
Simple Purpose: How Women are Purposefully Changing the World. This novel explores a diverse and courageous group of women who are recreating the world and their own lives and includes a contribution from our own Cathy Perme.
Published Articles
Does Culture HAVE to Eat Strategy for Lunch? Cathy wrote this article as a contributing author at www.ConstructiveCulture.com. Most everyone has heard some version of “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” Does it have to be that way? Read Cathy’s tips for including cultural assessment as a factor in strategic planning.
Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Building a Culture of Wellness for Law Enforcement Amber’s thesis on Peterson & Perme’s Wellness Model was published by the International Society for Organizational Development and Change (ISODC). To have a healthy and productive workforce, all employers must give attention to many aspects of wellness. Law Enforcement Officers have specific wellness needs, which, when attended to, will assist them in better protecting their communities.
Organizational Culture: The Memory of an Elephant Cathy wrote this article as a contributing author at www.ConstructiveCulture.com. If you criticized workers in the past for taking chances, it won’t be easy to convince them that you’ve changed.
Beyond the Handshake: Practical Strategies for Building Successful Associate Relationships Practical strategies that have been found to be effective in creating consulting alliances that work. Click here for more.
Building Organizational Courage in Your Company Fostering organizational courage is difficult — but the key lies in being true to vision and values while at the same time embracing current reality, despair, and fears. Click here for more.
Whole Systems Change A case study in the use of large group interventions and OD methodologies to effect change in a local school district. Click here for more.
Yikes!! Valuable and Humbling Lessons about Future Search Cathy Perme shares her experience with Future Search facilitation. Click here for more.
Featured Article
Does Culture HAVE to Eat Strategy for Lunch?
Cathy wrote this article as a contributing author at www.ConstructiveCulture.com. Read Cathy’s tips for including cultural assessment as a factor in strategic planning.
Newsletters
Well before social media, Cathy was publishing her own newsletter. Feel free to scroll through some of our “oldies but goodies” below.
Action Calendaring: How to create a comprehensive, near-term action plan in less than two hours, even with complex projects. Also includes: Tips for Better Planning Sessions – Four tips for better planning sessions.
Agents of Change: Real Change agents are not simply hell raisers-here’s what it takes. Also includes: Anatomy of a Change Agent – The elements which make up an effective change agent are enumerated.
Future Search: A New Way of Planning Together: Future Search is an effective method for large group action planning. Also includes: When Should You Consider a Future Search? – The Future Search method is not for every situation. Here are indicators for whether your situation is right for the method.
Leading and Following: Dance is used to illustrate the responsibilities of leader and follower. Also includes: Teaching Leaders How to Lead – The five steps of expert leadership.
Open Space: Unleashing Passion and Responsibility: Open Space is a meeting method based on the principle that people who are passionate about something will naturally focus, manage, and hold themselves accountable for progress. Also includes: Open Space Ground Rules – The ground rules are simple, but may challenge our notions of how meetings “should be.”
Personal Empowerment: People who are empowered give themselves away in their speech. Also includes: What Does Empowerment Look Like? – The way we speak signals whether we feel empowered or not — what to look for.
Post-Recession Workplace Stress: Once bitten… once they’ve had personal experience with layoffs, people are hyper-aware of the possibility of job loss, even when things get better. Rebuilding trust is key to re-engaging employees and boosting productivity after a recession. Also includes: Can You Keep Your Most Talented People? – As the economy improves and jobs start opening up, employees will be asking themselves about working for you and your company.
Real Time Strategic Change: This is a method for very large group interaction, from 40 to 4000 participants. Also includes: When to Consider Real Time Strategic Change – Here is a list of good indicators for whether this approach will be effective for your organizational challenge.
SimuReal: the Power of an Organizational Mirror: SimuReal is a large group method, which effectively holds up a mirror to an organization. Also includes: When to Consider SimuReal – Conditions which should be present for SimuReal to be effective and conditions which should not exist.
Time to Think: At year end, I offer this short piece on how to regain your think time, as I have watched many a client and colleague struggle with getting enough of that this year. Have you found that to be true yourself? Also includes: Tips to Regain Your “Think Time” – It’s imperative to have some time in your schedule to assess your situation. How can you eliminate distractions?
Upside Down and All Around: Tossed on the Waves of Change: Sometimes we all feel caught up in events outside our control. Here is some advice for how to manage the unmanageable. Also includes: Tips for Surviving the Waves of Change – If you find yourself being tossed like a piece of flotsam on the waves of change, here is what I have learned.