A Science of Change

Listen in as Mark Horswood, former union stward and electrician at the Alcoa Warrick auluminum smelter tells the story of his life as an hourly worker before and after Gil Crosby and his team conducted Lewinian OD in the Indiana plant.

Join us as we describe and convey many models of citizen engagement, and related topics.

OD elder, LIOS origoinal faculty, and Lutheran pastor John Scherer talks about the spiritual nature of his work, and shares his considerable knowledge of religion with host Gilmore Crosby.

A conversation with my father, Robert P. Crosby, about the roots of his OD and the connections to Lewin, such as Lippitt, Bradford, and Benne. The conversation took unexpected twists and turns, and includes wisdom about change, love, and other matters.

Listen in as Jerome Maxwell, the first Jamaican Managing Director of the Jamalco bauxite refinery, recalls the steps he took to lead Jamalco in the right direction, including his 14 year collaboration with Gil Crosby to develop and engage the organization in the quest to raise performance to a higher level.

Lewinian social science is comprehensive (applying to situations large and small, inside and outside of organizations), but it is also simple. For example, Lewin found that if the people facing a problem, through dialgue with their peers, come up with their own solutions, the odds of implementation success are high. Skillful facilitation of the dialgue and the action planning is important of course, but the basic truth is that if solutions are forced on people they are much less likely to pull them off effectively compared to when they come up with their own approaches. This rule, which gets violated time and again in organizations, and related Lewinian wisdom, is the focus of this podcast. We conclude with an exploration of a topic vital to Lewin's theories and near and dear to his heart and mine, democracy.

How to describe Charlie and his unique Eastern-Western perspective? The following, from his book, is a description in his own words:

If I had to use just one word to describe myself and my background, it would be eclectic. My life and my work have evolved through studying with many fine teachers from around the world. I am a native New Yorker, and in 1985 I moved to Japan to study Aikido, and Noguchi Sei Tai. I've been living here ever since!

My Japanese clients say, "Charlie-san has a foreign face and name, but a Japanese heart." My Western clients tell me I offer an intriguing Eastern sensibility, couched in modern terms. I'm glad to hear people say these things, because I love the combination and cross-pollination of Eastern and Western cultures that my work offers.

I am the originator of Seishindo. A human potential discipline that inspires people to live the life their true heart desires. The foundation of Seishindo derives from the theories of NLP, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Self-relations Psychotherapy, Aikido, and Noguchi Sei Tai.

In my work I strive to create a context in which people feel empowered to achieve their life's dreams. What's important to know in this regard is, you already possess all the necessary resources, to live the life you have been yearning for!

Join me as we cover the social science of Kurt Lewin and it's application to racism as described in chapter two of my most recent book, Diversity without Dogma. Learn Lewin's theory and methods about change inside and outside or organizaions! Take action! The battle between democracy and authoritarianism is happening now, and race relations in the US have been part of that struggle since the beginning. Real democracy by and for all the people is the only sensible path foreward.

A fearless conversaiton about education, about race, about what divides us in the US, about democracy versus authoritarianism, about the Middle East, and more!

95 year old Lewinian OD Master Robert P. Crosby joins us again to discuss non-tradtional OD interventions he designed and facilitated, including citizens involvement in HUD block grant decision making, the Riverfront Park Project for the city of Spokane, and the construction of a new juvinile court building, student involvement at Gonzaga University, citizen dialgue between Christians of all kinds and LGTBQ supporters and individuals (many of whom, of course, were also Christian), and more. Many lessons here for the community organizer or OD practitioner. Want actual advice? I'll gladly put you in touch with my father, who loves to speak of these things and would gladly help you free of charge with new designs for change. If any of us are blessed to reach 95, we can only pray that we are as sharp of mind as the elder Crosby. The photo is of Kurt Lewin and Dad.