Corporate culture is the invisible compan- ion of management. Together they serve to provide the framework for human coordi- nation. Maximum efficiency and effective- ness can only be realized when these two elements work together to further the com- mon interest.

There is no natural mechanism by which culture and management are automatically aligned. Left to their own devices they can be supportive, benign or antagonistic with equal ease. This article shows how manage- ment can actively influence culture in a pre- dictable direction and to a known degree. It outlines how the three variables of (1) struc- ture, (2) frequency and (3) bandwidth can be deployed to systematically engineer cor- porate culture in any direction desired.

"I Opt"® technology has been historically focused on behavior. It has proven itself a reliable tool to explain, predict and guide this aspect of corporate life. However, the theory that underlies "I Opt" reports and assessments is not limited to this narrow yet important area. It has far greater reach. This article outlines how the processes measured by "I Opt" can generate individual values and beliefs. Just as "I Opt" is able to predict behaviors, their derivative values and beliefs can also be foretold with probabilistic accuracy. The "I Opt"® Effect on Values and Beliefs Gary J. Salton, Ph.D.

Traditional tools for evaluating organizations range from detailed organizational charts to system diagrams and flow charts. At the lower end, the organizational charts show formal relations between individuals. At the other end, system-based tools show activities, processes or other abstractions divorced from the people participating in the process.

The "I Opt" Map is a tool for addressing the missing middle piece of the organizational puzzle. It shows how particular people, each carrying a unique strategic profile, interact to create predictable outcomes, generate specific values, and ultimately determine the character of an organization.

This article describes the structural challenges that hospitals face when addressing the need for teamwork among their nursing staff. Due to the unique environment that exists at a unit level in a hospital, traditional methods do not apply. The authors' recommendations show how to start the much needed process of creating team behavior.

Six Sigma™ is the dominant quality process in use today. Of the quality tools available, it is the most rigorous, thorough and best documented. However, Six Sigma has a gaping hole in one of the most critical parts—the human engineering side of the process. This article shows that Organizational Engineering technology fills this hole.

Cities and other municipalities are virgin ground for the application of tools and methodologies that can improve human productivity and effectiveness. Conventional techniques requiring long sit down training sessions do not work. Traditional consulting methods that involve lengthy preparatory interviews are unaffordable. This article outlines a new approach targeted at delivering a more favorable working environment, major productivity increases and visible savings to all involved at an affordable price.

The LP style is action oriented. The behaviors that accompany it are visible for all to see. The interpretation of these behaviors are often filtered through the lens of the other strategic styles. This gives rise to misunderstandings. The behaviors become mysterious. This article seeks to lay bare the "secrets" of these often observed (and misunderstood) behaviors.

Engineered Learning is a new approach to learning. The author of this paper was a reviewer for the forthcoming Engineered Learning Sourcebook. This article illustrates the application of Engineered Learning in graduate level courses at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. It shows that the Engineered Learning principles mesh with and extend successful teaching practices. In addition, it provides new tools to improve learning outcomes.

Organizational Engineering (OE) has been used to support many corporate initiatives. VBD, Inc. has gone one step further. OE has been integrated into the very fabric of the business. This article describes how OE is being used with management, customers, suppliers and trades people. This global implementation is yielding gains that are compounding upon themselves. OE is now a part of VBD's competitive advantage in the marketplace.

This is a description of a leadership transition process created by USF (United States Freightways), Holland. The program builds on the program the U.S. Army uses to insure the rapid and smooth command transition. The "Quick Start" program enhances the basic program by adding OE technology to provide definitive guidance to both the leader and the team members.

This article is a report of a follow-up study for a OE technology intervention conducted in late 1996. The original intervention was reported in the Journal of the Organization Development Network. That article described how OE technology was used to create a system of teams for a new power station. This article revisits the plant and describes the long-term results of that intervention.

This monograph summarizes a forthcoming book on Engineered Learning. The book will describe a learning model that predicts the outcome of corporate learning events on both an individual and group basis. This article provides a useful overview of the learning model. The model is founded on the principles of Organizational Engineering. However, the learning model extends many of these principles into new areas.

This is a description of a leadership development process created by the Mossville Engine Center of Caterpillar Inc. The program includes psychological and sociological components. A “360 degree” survey is used as a feedback loop to bind the individual and group elements into a system.

Organizational Engineering can make a large difference in a short amount of time. This article describes the application of OE to a rapidly growing, 4,300-person financial services firm. Within 15 months the Learning function had moved from obscurity to recognition by Training Magazine as the third best Training and Development function in the United States.

In addition to national recognition, the firm acknowledged the function’s contribution by elevating its leader to participation in the policy making Executive Committee. The appointment of a Chief Learning Officer for the firm provided further recognition of outstanding achievement.

This article capsulizes a doctoral dissertation focused on the relation of intuition and leadership. The study shows a systematic and statistically significant relation of leadership position with the Relational Innovator (RI) and Reactive Stimulator (RS) strategic styles. The theoretical implications and strong statistical results carry major implications for multiple areas of human capital research. Leadership, creativity, organizational design, training, and career development are among the areas likely to benefit from the discoveries outlined in this article.

Improving decision-making is a major reason for the growth and success of Organizational Engineering. This article describes an easy-to-use, method for estimating outcome probabilities in decision making. It is useful in choosing between existing employees for positions, guiding training programs, improving workplace safety, as well as specifying and communicating management issues. The program is named "ICE" (I-Opt Classification Evaluator) and is included with this issue. ICE employs advanced statistics in a way that can be understood and used by anyone working in a professional Organizational Engineering capacity.

Competency programs continue to gain momentum among business firms. Substantial investments are being made in identifying factors that contribute to job success and people are being placed in positions on the basis of the match between their competencies and those demanded by the job. This article points out several flaws in the basic competency paradigm that, while not fatal, do suggest that caution is in order in program application. The article goes on to identify a fatal omission in current programs that can damage careers, compromise the performance of workgroups and ultimately jeopardize the viability of the competency program itself.

High velocity environments favor individualized methods of information transfer. Coaching and mentoring are increasingly used to satisfy this need but are meeting uneven success. A major reason for this is that program designers fail to understand the different requirements inherent in these distinct approaches. As a result, mediocrity is “built into” the program before it is even launched. This article describes how an “engineering” level of excellence can be systematically achieved and sustained in coaching/mentoring programs.

Human Resource groups lack a critical function. This omission is costing larger firms tens of millions of dollars of lost profit, is negatively impacting the quality of the product being offered and can threaten the success of strategic corporate initiatives. This article describes an inexpensive initiative that can quickly offset the vulnerability using advanced but existing technology.

This is a personal story of how a young woman changed from a Conservator to a Performer strategic profile. The story illustrates, in personal terms, the kinds of stresses that are endured in a transition of this type. Reading the article will help the practitioner develop a sense of the kinds of strain that might be placed on an individual who is asked to change in response to an organizational need.