NLP in Management

An Organisational Development Case Study: Turning Stress into Personal Power
To give you an idea of how our typical organisational development intervention might take place, consider the following real example. Some detail has been omitted to protect client confidentiality.
The Context
In 1995 the Christchurch City Council (CCC) had around 2000 staff serving a population of over 300 000, administering revenue of around $250 million. Following the 1989 Local Government Amendment Act there had been almagamation of 8 separate authorities and five years of extensive restructuring, involving 30% of the original staff being laid off along the way. The impressive result earned the 1994 New Zealand Local Authority of the Year Award, but unsurprisingly it seemed to have taken its toll on staff morale and stress levels.
The Problem
Noticing an increase in health problems and sick-leave, the Council`s Occupational Health Nurse approached the Training Officer who after some initial investigation contacted Transformations. Starting from their identification of "excess stress", we worked with them to analyse the priority performance problems, desired competencies, and suitable output measures. As is usual the problems were being caused by a combination of organisational and individual factors, all of which had to be addressed for a satisfactory result. Any solution would also have to be accessible to, yet subtly transforming of, certain aspects of the existing culture.
The Solution
A number of interventions were planned to address the problem systemically, dovetailing with company-wide initiatives for service excellence, leadership development and performance management. As part of this, we designed a one-day seminar to give staff who felt under pressure the ability to Turn Stress into Personal Power. Far more than conventional stress management, this taught participants specific NLP techniques to switch on immediate calmness, confidence and motivation whenever they needed it, and to reprogram their particular stressors to automatically trigger these feelings. Combined with problem-solving and communication skills, this empowered participants to more easily handle and contribute to the ongoing changes.
The Results
The programme outcomes were measured at the levels of participant reaction, classroom learning, on-the-job application and organisational results. In surveys at the course and at quarterly followup sessions, over 95% of seminar participants reported the training to be highly accessible, relevant, and useful on the job. Supervisors comments reflected this and so did the organisational results. The programme is ongoing and since 1995 over 250 staff and managers have attended the seminar, which is repeated every few months for those in need. Transformations consultants continue to work with the HR Directorate and Personnel Unit as the organisation further develops its human resources in alignment with organisational goals. To their credit, it`s going well!
Does training add value? US corporate Motorola takes training seriously and in a recent report estimated that for every dollar they spend on staff development they reap a 30 dollar return!

NLP in Management Part II
What follows are my comments on the currently available NLP texts written specifically for managers, and on some other directly relevant NLP books. The best general introduction is probably Dr Harry Adlers` NLP for Managers, with Andreas & Faulkner`s NLP - The New Technology of Achievement being the best for self-directed personal development.
Specifically for Managers:
• Alder, Dr Harry. NLP for Managers: How to Achieve Excellence at Work. Judy Piatkus (Publishers) Ltd., London, 1996. Paperback, 227 pages, $29.95

A clear introduction to the NLP basics for personal and interpersonal effectiveness. Its five sections and 18 chapters cover: principles of nlp, achieving outcomes, understanding communication, personal effectiveness, and creative problem-solving.
• Dilts, Robert & Bonissone, Gino. Skills for the Future: Managing Creativity and Innovation. Meta Publications, California, 1993. Hardback, 432 pages, $64.95

A highly technical and detailed documentation of developing innovation in organisations. Its three long sections cover: personal creativity, coaching co-creativity, and managing group creativity. Not a good place to begin - more useful to trainers.
• Dilts, Robert. Visionary Leadership Skills. Meta Publications, California, 1996. Hardback, 275 pages, $56.95

A technical but reasonably accessible manual for effective leadership in organisations. Its nine chapters cover: what is leadership, turning vision into action, aligning levels of change in a system, creativity, managing belief systems, effective communication, leadership styles and the new learning paradigm. Manageable as a first introduction.
• Laborde, Genie. Influencing with Integrity: Management Skills for Communication and Negotiation. Syntony Publishing, California, 1983. Paperback, 231 pages, $33.50

An oldie but a goodie. Easy-to-read, well-illustrated and highly ethical introduction to some NLP communication basics. Its ten chapters cover: setting outcomes, rapport, thinking, questioning, flexibility, personal congruence, meetings, sales, and negotiation.
• McDermott, Ian & O`Connor, Joseph. Practical NLP for Managers. Gower publishing, Hampshire (UK), 1996. Hardback, 200 pages, $59.95

A wide-ranging and well-written introduction which briefly applies NLP to almost every contemporary management issue. Its eleven chapters cover: the learning organisation, rapport, perspectives, outcomes, personal resource states, teams, organisational and individual values, motivation, sensory language, working styles, appraisals, ethics and more.
• McMaster, Michael. Performance Management: Creating the Conditions for Results. Metamorphous Press, Oregon, 1994. Paperback, 299 pages, $46.95

A dense, detailed description of establishing and operating a continuous improvement performance management system, based on NLP and Werner Erhard`s work. Although it would benefit from some graphics, and he errs into the misuse of top-down control at times, it does provide a useful framework for the topic. A handbook really.
• Molden, David. Managing with the Power of NLP: NLP for Competitive Advantage. Pitman Publishing, London, 1996. Paperback, 260 pages, $61.95

This is a wide-ranging introduction which takes NLP to briefly visit many management issues - like Practical NLP for Managers but not as well, I think. Its twelve chapters are in four sections headed self-awareness, leadership, communication, and innovation.
Also Useful to Managers:
• Andreas, Steve & Faulkner, Charles (eds.). NLP - The New Technology of Achievement. Quill/William Morrow, New York, 1994. Paperback, 354 pages, $26.95

An inspiring introduction and self-improvement manual, packed with 43 exercises and a 21-day "Unlimited Achievement Program". Its twelve chapters cover self-motivation, discovering your mission, goals and planning, creating rapport and strong relationships, powerful persuasion strategies, eliminating fears, building confidence and self-esteem, securing a positive mental attitude and achieving peak personal performance.
• Eicher, James. Making the Message Clear: How To Master The Business Communication Tools That Direct Productivity, Excellence And Power. Metamorphous Advanced Product Services, Oregon, 1993. Paperback, 124 pages, $26.95

This little book gives a clear and simple coverage of basic NLP interpersonal communication skills, ideal for self-teaching or as a course text. Its seven chapters cover: how communication works, empathy and rapport, ethical influence, framing and reframing, feedback and motivating, and win-win negotiation skills.
• Knight, Sue. NLP at Work: the Difference that Makes a Difference in Business. Nicholas Brealey, London, UK, 1995. Paperback, 230 pages, $39.95

A well structured and presented introduction to all the NLP basics for personal and interpersonal effectiveness, with a "toolkit" of 14 exercises for self-improvement at the end. A simpler version of Andreas & Faulkner`s New Technology of Achievement.
• O`Connor, Joseph & Seymour, John. Training with NLP - Skills for Managers, Trainers and Communicators. Thorsons, London, 1994. Paperback, 290 pages, $32.95

A well designed and comprehensive overview of NLP applied to organisational training and development, towards a true learning organisation. It`s four sections cover: context and training needs analysis, preparing the trainer, designing for accelerated learning, the presentation itself, transfer of learning and thorough evaluation. Another `handbook`.