Peabody College of Education and Human Development
Graduate Programs
April Mollerberg
Spring 2009
LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS LPO
{a blueprint for addressing the unexpected}
April 24, 2009
Learning Organizations
Spring 2009
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 2
Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 2
READY. AIM. {UNDER FIRE} .................................................................................................... 4
Overview ..................................................................................................................................... 4
Opportunity for the learning organization .................................................................................. 4
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION ...................................................... 5
Mental Models ............................................................................................................................ 5
Shared Vision .............................................................................................................................. 7
Team Learning ............................................................................................................................ 9
BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION ........................................................................................................ 11
Strike First ................................................................................................................................. 11
Develop Collaborative Partnerships ......................................................................................... 12
Stay Positive.............................................................................................................................. 13
Create relevant messaging ........................................................................................................ 13
Address the Business/Economic Impact ................................................................................... 15
Remain Calm & Focused on the Objective............................................................................... 16
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 17
APPENDIX ................................................................................................................................... 18
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 19
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Overview
Unquestionably, we are in the midst of one of the most difficult times in U.S. business
and economic history. Organizations, entire industries, and their leaders are scrambling to meet
these challenges with decisive and measured responses. Indeed, over the span of an entire
career, a leader will have the "opportunity" to experience at least one unexpected crisis and all its
stressful effects. An organization’s viability and success depend largely on the choices made by
those in leadership and, as a future organizational leader, I am keenly interested in how other
leaders are choosing to navigate the emerging challenges. The decisions leaders are making in
regards to the current economic challenges reveal how they (and the organizations they serve)
think, process, learn and negotiate - and are rich in valuable insights.
Though it is not widely known, when United States established the Secret Service in
1865, and agents received training to detect counterfeit currency, the agents were never shown
counterfeit bills. All formal training was conducted using genuine, authentic currency. As a
result, agents were intimately familiar with what “real” looked like that whenever a counterfeit
surfaced; agents had instant recognition. The same approach can be applied to our research of
organizational learning – though some researchers may choose to glean lessons and insights from
the mistakes of organizational responses, I chose to focus on what I believe are bold, courageous,
and effective examples of authentic organizational learning. This may not be a sexy approach but
it is one, I believe, that will provide the maximum benefit for long-term learning.
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This paper is structured in a three-section format: description, analysis, and prescription.
Description.
This section - Ready. Aim. {Under Fire} - introduces the organization I chose to examine for
analysis and describes the current challenges
Analysis.
This section - Implications for the Learning Organization - introduces several of the most
relevant concepts from our class study and highlights their significance in relation to the
challenges.
Prescription.
This section - Blueprint for Action - details some of the most impactful insights gleaned from my
study of Organizational Learning as well as from personal interviews with various leadership
professionals.
Special Thanks:
While most of my research centered on external and observable data (company website,
news releases, blogs, commentary, etc), I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with
Mr. Bruce MacMillan, CEO of MPI. Other key influencers for my work include organizational
development consultants Ms. Dianna Booher and Ms. Nancy McMorrow. Their insights helped
shape this project into a much richer learning experience. Quotes are interspersed throughout the
paper.
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READY. AIM. {UNDER FIRE}
Overview
Businesses and their leaders are feeling pressure now more than ever before. The general
effects of the global slowdown are enough to overwhelm even the strongest business models and
most industries are plagued with unique challenges that threaten to redefine them.
Meeting Professionals International (MPI), an association representing the meetings and
events community (with worldwide membership of about 24,000) is an organization currently
responding to some unique political challenges resulting from economic downturn. In late 2008
and early 2009, Congress and President Obama made strong remarks about companies’
(particularly those receiving taxpayer funds) decisions to have off-site meetings. As a result, the
meeting and travel industries have been thrust into the national spotlight and are now being
called upon to justify why meetings are crucial to the success of an organization. This represents
not only a challenge for the meeting industry (to prove its value) but also a unique opportunity to
shape the future of meeting design and relevance.
Criticism by the President and federal legislators of business travel and meetings
conducted by bailout-recipient companies is detrimental to the travel industry and is
costing revenue and jobs, the US Travel Association and other industry groups have
stated.
Opportunity for the learning organization
Learning organizations are not immune to unexpected challenges. What distinguishes the
learning organization, however, is its ability to maintain focus and discipline; not abandoning the
tenants of learning during times of crisis.
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IMPLICATIONS FOR THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION
Mental Models
(Is it a vase or two faces?)
Senge discusses the concept of “Mental Models” and their significant impact on
organizational learning. Mental Models exist when organizations form assumptions and routinely
accept things (processes, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, business models, etc)
without evaluation and challenge.
Organizations with strong cultures or long histories operate according to a set of
philosophies, principles and values which are constant over time and consistently implemented
across departments/divisions. (Pfeffer & Sutton) Precedent becomes a “calf path” of sorts and a
taken-for-granted way of doing things that may generate certain efficiencies within the
organization.
Mental Models, or precedence, can also be detrimental to the learning and creativity of an
organization.
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Examples of unhealthy Mental Models:
Any time individuals believe that by hoarding knowledge they are making themselves
more powerful by doing so, an unhealthy Mental Model (or belief) is at work. This
Mental Model can be addressed by encouraging people to see that if they are open – both
receptive to new ideas and willing to share their own knowledge – they will be
recognized and rewarded (Nick Sutton, British Petroleum)
The Mental Model of precedent can inhibit creativity, implementation of new initiatives
and the evaluation of assumptions. If a new, perhaps better, way of doing things is
proposed, it is often met with criticism and “should we do this or not” when, in fact, the
focus should be “how do we manage out the problems so that this solution will be
successful”. (Pfeffer & Sutton)
Mental Models derive their power by remaining hidden. The key to elevating Mental
Models as a discipline is to suspend assumptions (about what we expect to happen, to be seen,
etc) and examine the matter at hand with a new perspective. Senge would urge leaders to adopt a
spirit of inquiry, engage curiosity, and routinely evaluate and challenge the notions of “things
will always be this way,” “business as usual” or “that’s just the way things are.”
Leaders would also do well to develop and foster a sense of “disciplined opportunism” –
proactively seeking out and evaluating ways to challenge current thinking, processes, initiatives,
etc and thereby elevating potential opportunities for improvement.
Most would assume that the point of crisis occurred at the moment when AIG bore the brunt of public
and political outrage in response to off-site meetings, but MPI had already anticipated potential political
changes as early as late-September /early October. Administrative conversations took place in order to
think through how to tackle any potentially new developments on the legislative front.
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Shared Vision
Shared Vision is important for any organization even in the best of times; and especially
crucial during times of intense pressure. Shared Vision, according to Senge, is an organization’s
shared sense of purpose. Shared Vision does not require individuals to give up or subordinate
their personal visions to achieve a singular vision; it is, rather, the alignment of focus and energy
for accomplishing a shared objective.
To further illustrate this point, allow me to cite the fence example that was introduced in
a group presentation during class. The relationship between a personal vision and a shared vision
can be conceptualized by considering a fence. Though the individual perspective is unique
depending on which link you are looking through, the overall “big picture” is uniform and
present at all times.
Shared Vision matters most in times of crisis “It’s not what the vision is; but what the
vision does.” and what it does is align people and teams and uplifts aspirations. At its simplest
level, a Shared Vision is the answer to the question, “What do we want to create?” When people
truly share a vision they are connected, bound together by a common aspiration. Shared Vision is
vital for the learning organization because it provides the focus and energy for learning. People
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are more likely to engage in risk-taking and experimentation when they are less restricted by
“business as usual” and more empowered by a strong sense of Shared Vision. (Senge)
Shared Vision not only aligns an organization internally, but it also serves as the
springboard for establishing collaborative partnerships external to the organization. One of the
main reasons I chose to focus on MPI was because of the quality of coordination and crosscollaboration that took place within and between the meeting and travel industries when faced
with strong external pressure.
MPI did an exceptional job keeping all stakeholders
informed, educated and aligned. Although organizations
may routinely provide resources or “tool kits” for
stakeholder use, they often fall short in the educating
constituents on how to utilize the tools and resources. It is
akin to expecting someone to learn how to read by simply
“The best form of keeping
stakeholders aligned during this
time is by providing constant
communication and feedback. This
cannot be overstated – through the
use of blogs, chapters, etc, it is
crucial to share results, feedback
and successes.”
-
Bruce MacMillan, MPI
providing access to a library. MPI, however, created a
comprehensive array of resources for the various stakeholder groups. The main resource was
website (www.meetingindustrycrisiscenter.org) was designed to serve as a single destination for
all things related to the industry’s response. From this singular platform, stakeholders have
access to up-to-date news alerts, news releases, talking points, webinars, research whitepapers,
best practices/guidelines and resources for taking action. There is also functionality to keep
connected through various forms of social networking media (Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter).
The Meeting Industry Crisis Center is sponsored by Meetings Professionals International (MPI)
to empower the meeting and event industry and to educate and inform legislators, the media, suppliers,
and the general public about the status of the industry amidst the current legislative, economic turmoil.
MPI promotes the use of meetings and events that drive business results, build engagement, retain and
develop employee talent, generate ideas and share knowledge that leads to growth. For more
information on MPI, please go to www.mpiweb.org.
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Team Learning
Learning is a team skill; a group of talented individual learners will not produce a
learning team any more than a group of talented athletes will produce a great sports team.
Learning teams learn how to learn together in order to produce greater results than any single
member could produce. (Senge) Team Learning not only fosters greater performance and
productivity, the power of the “human connection” brings significant value to the process of
creation, learning and problem solving.
In today’s economic environment, Team Learning is threatened on multiple fronts:
When employees are fearful or uncertain about the safety and security of their job,
they naturally engage in behaviors aimed at minimizing the likelihood of termination
of employment. Some of these behaviors may include: unconditionally agreeing with
the boss, complimenting the boss, failing to challenge or confront plans or ideas from
higher up in the organization. Organizations flourish whenever open and authentic
dialog occurs, and, whenever ideas are allowed to exist unchallenged, there is danger.
Where fear is present (fear of repercussions or consequences) organizational learning
is often absent and the contributions and insights of the collective are lost.
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As businesses scale back on their conference and meeting travel, valuable
collaboration and connection (and global competitiveness) is lost. "The bringing
together of individuals and organizations to share ideas, learn new skills, co-create
solutions and craft new business initiatives are crucial to American business success,
even more so in a dynamic, faltering, global economy. In an increasingly faceless
world, effective human connections are a powerful business weapon. The Meeting
Professionals International Foundation/George P. Johnson EventView study reveals
that Fortune 1000 Chief Marketing Officers view meetings and events as having the
highest ROI(Return on Investment) of any marketing channel. In an increasingly
competitive global economy, the ability to create and deliver strategically-focused
events contributes to business value, and helps organizations deliver results.”(Bruce
MacMillan, CEO Meeting Professionals International)
As colleges and universities scale back the budgets, one targeted area for cuts is
conference travel. “We are especially concerned about the potential impact on
professional growth and development of graduate students and emerging
scholars…and that will have downstream consequences for future research that has
not benefited from the opportunities of critique and comment.” (Felice J. Levine –
executive director of the American Educational Research Association) “I’m
concerned that institutions that are particularly cash-strapped or are in states that
have been particularly burdened by the economic downturn are going to be further
excluded from the national and regional conversations that are taking place.
Ironically, attending professional-development conferences has the potential to save
colleges money down the line…it’s the schools that need it the most essentially that
won’t be there.” (Sonia Marcus – sustainability coordinator, Ohio University)
Today’s leaders must stay focused on the long-term and continue to harness the power
and creativity of employees by not allowing a culture of fear to permeate.
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BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION
In synthesizing core course content with core issues of today, I’ve compiled a short list of
some of the most insightful takeaways I’ve gleaned from the intersection theory and application:
Strike First
Develop Collaborative Partnerships
Stay Positive
Create relevant messaging
Address the Business/Economic Impact
Remain Calm & Focused on the Objective
Strike First
Do not wait for circumstances beyond your control to dictate how the future will look; it
is your responsibility to create it.
In marketing, the “first-mover advantage” is the strategy of making the initial move or
taking preemptive action; thus increasing the chances of gaining significant control.
When Congress proposed the drafting of new
regulation to address issues of perceived abuse within
corporate meeting policies, MPI responded by letting those
in power know that a set of “best practices” already exists
for the meeting and events industry. This showed
Three main steps in addressing crisis:
Determine “Do we have a
crisis?”
Damage Control
Quick Recovery
Congressional leaders that this industry had taken the time to
-
Bruce MacMillan, MPI
thoughtfully address best practices long before the general
public may have known there was ever a need. This is brilliant because it puts the industry
securely at the table as a partner instead of in a position of having mandates imposed by an
external source (that may not be equipped with the necessary subject matter expertise).
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In a March 11, 2009 meeting with President Obama and senior officials, the travel
industry asked that the Treasury Department use these standards for business travel and meetings
put forth by the association as guidelines for companies receiving federal bailout funds.
If the meetings and travel industries continue to stay ahead of the learning curve (meeting
the demand before there is even awareness of the need) their standing as competent partners will
continue to be reinforced.
Develop Collaborative Partnerships
“If one of us wins; we all win.” Commit to the success of relationships.
Commit to the success of all the relationships you touch; seek out relationships with those
members, organizations, and industry partners who have
common or shared interests. Rather than adopting a “go it
alone” stance, find ways to collaborate and benefit from the
collective knowledge of many, which will ultimately strengthen
your position. As mentioned in the Team Learning analysis,
“There was a very short amount of
time to mobilize an entire industry!”
-
Bruce MacMillan, MPI
there are certain benefits that can only occur from a
thoughtfully constructed team. These partnerships can amplify the volume of your message and
serve as a wellspring for creativity. Collaboration opens the door to access a wide array of talent
(in the form of resources, people, visibility, credibility, etc) the organization might not otherwise
have had access to.
The quality and strength of the partnership between MPI & the US Travel Association
served as a powerful catalyst to mobilize both industries in an impressive amount of time.
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Stay Positive
A positive, productive response can be more effective than harsh, negative rhetoric.
A response that is critical and full of blame can trigger defensiveness and resistance,
which may ultimately lead to the dissolution of progress. Additionally, those who continually
speak negatively do so at the risk of having their message dismissed outright. In light of some
very challenging comments made by the President and legislators, the meeting and travel
industries have continually responded with authenticity, graciousness and professionalism.
"We are pleased that President Obama recognizes the power of travel to strengthen
America's economy," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association.
"The travel community has an ally in President Obama and we appreciate the leadership he
intends to bring to increasing travel to, and within, the US."
Create relevant messaging
Like it or not, your message is your brand. The quality of the message determines your
position.
Every crisis requires a response. This may sound like a bold assertion but take the time to
consider several scenarios (a terror attack, an on-campus shooting, a wave of layoffs in an
organization, when earnings fail to meet expectations, a moral or ethical failure of a leader, etc)
and you will, no doubt, recall seeing or hearing at least one response administered in each of
those scenarios.
A response that is perceived as incomplete, ambiguous, misleading, delayed or lacking in
authenticity, results in the person/organization being judged as incompetent, unresponsive,
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untrustworthy, and insincere. On the other hand, a well-crafted and timely response will garner
credibility and increase the likelihood of being perceived as a capable, professional partner.
For MPI, there were many stakeholders: internal, chapter leadership, membership-atlarge (representing business, non-profit, government, etc), legislators, and the general public, so
there was a definite need to think through what was important to each of them and consider how
best to address them. In many instances, it’s important to speak directly to individual audiences
with tailored messages however, in this case, it made more sense to find a core, unifying
message that would speak to (and on behalf of) a very big industry.
That message was derived from/filtered through two main objectives:
Highlight the macro-economic message that meetings = business = taxes that pay for
social programs
Reinforce the message that meetings yield significant ROI (in the form of business
results) which is what the struggling economy needs most right now
It was crucial to consider the best channels to carry this message. Though there would be
one primary spokesperson (Mr. Roger Dow; US Travel Association), the overarching goal was to
empower, equip and mobilize the network. Most of the support was funneled through the local
Chapters through various medium (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc).
The very first response/external communication was an op-ed piece that circulated in
roughly mid-October:
(http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/Blog/blog.aspx?blogid=1954&customerid=1123249)
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Address the Business/Economic Impact
If you Google “ROI” (Return on Investment), approximately 99,000,000 results are
returned. It seems that the entire world is obsessed ROI (remember the phrase “Show me the
money!!” from the movie Jerry Maguire?). In times of building a case during crisis, it is always
best to have positive measurable results on your side. So go on….show it to them:
◦
ROI
◦
Increased Productivity
◦
Decreased Downtime
MPI and the US Travel Association embraced the strength that financial impact would
provide for building the case in support of meetings and travel. Remember the objectives for
addressing the political and economic challenges:
Highlight the macro-economic message that meetings = business = taxes that pay for
social programs
o The travel industry employs 7.7 million Americans and generates more than $740
billion in spending annually.
o The benefits of business meetings and events generate more than $100 billion in
spending and create more than 1 million jobs that are the lifeblood of local
communities across the country.
o The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported 3/11/09 that the Las Vegas Convention
and Visitors Authority announced 340 event cancellations in the past 90 days,
costing the local economy about $131.6 million in lost non-gambling spending.
Reinforce the message that meetings yield significant ROI (in the form of business
results) which is what the struggling economy needs right now
o As businesses scale back on their conference and meeting travel, valuable
collaboration and connection (and global competitiveness) is lost. "The bringing
together of individuals and organizations to share ideas, learn new skills, cocreate solutions and craft new business initiatives are crucial to American
business success, even more so in a dynamic, faltering, global economy. In an
increasingly faceless world, effective human connections are a powerful business
weapon. The Meeting Professionals International Foundation/George P. Johnson
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EventView study reveals that Fortune 1000 Chief Marketing Officers view
meetings and events as having the highest ROI(Return on Investment) of any
marketing channel. In an increasingly competitive global economy, the ability to
create and deliver strategically-focused events contributes to business value, and
helps organizations deliver results.”(Bruce MacMillan, CEO Meeting
Professionals International)
These messages set the tone for the entire movement – and culminated with a productive
face-to-face meeting with President Obama in March 2009!
Remain Calm & Focused on the Objective
As good as it is to remain calm, it is perhaps even better to remain focused.
Just because situations and circumstances seem to be spiraling out of control does not
give leaders a pass to suspend their focus on the objective.
The objective must be elevated even in light of the most
challenging constraints.
“I’m not buying into this recession!”
For MPI, the initiatives currently in play will be
considered
successful
if
they
effectively
educate
-
Nancy McMorrow, Designed
Learning
(a
Peter
Block
Company)
stakeholders on the business tools available, tell the story of
value creation by the industry, reinforce the business value of connections and spotlight the
underlying value proposition of meetings (and of the industry as a whole).
One of the most impactful statements made during a one-on-one interview was that of
Ms. Nancy McMorrow. She simply said “I’m not buying into this recession!” meaning that
opportunities are plentiful if you’re able to stay calm and willing dig deep, explore and innovate.
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CONCLUSION
Although many organizations engage in the practice of “ready, fire, aim” in response to
external challenges and threats, it is refreshing to encounter an industry full of organizations that
remain committed to intentional planning, collaborating and learning.
Here are some final insights the meeting and travel industries might benefit from (if not currently
being practiced):
Define and refine an effective feedback process – consider adopting the military’s
practice of “After-action reviews” (AAR) for each significant initiative. Document and
catalog this information for future use.
Evaluate the current processes for how knowledge is generated, stored and shared.
Knowledge and experience which are not documented and cataloged can ultimately
become lost.
Practice “disciplined opportunism”- continue to seek out creative ways to meet the
objective of mobilization. The largest opportunity is to continue to fan the grass roots
flame. One way to accomplish this is to continue to seek out collaborative
partnerships – some sources of potentially un-tapped resources may include:
universities, municipal CVBs, state political leaders & tourism leaders, etc.
Examine the contribution system – it is important to remember that relationships can
spiral out of favor very easily. It’s always important to remain self-aware and be prepared
to give an authentic and diplomatic response.
I predict that within three years’ time, MPI could see membership grow an astounding 30%
due, largely, to its response to the current challenges. It is certainly receiving some
unparalleled “publicity” during this time.
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APPENDIX
http://www.meetingindustrycrisiscenter.org/default.aspx
18
EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS
HONOLULU
LINDA LINGLE
GOVERNOR
March 31, 2009
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
The economic challenge facing our nation has imposed a significant impact on
domestic and international travel. Hawai’i’s economy is largely dependent on tourism
and the drop in activity has resulted in dramatic declines in our economy with a
corresponding impact on businesses, including closures and job losses.
The State and our visitor industry have collaborated to cooperatively undertake
many marketing programs aimed at stimulating travel to the islands. Through this effort,
we have been successfhl in reducing the decline in visitor arrivals by offering lowerpriced and value-added packages for travelers. Despite the emphasis on and effort at
market outreach and value-laden promotional offers, we ended 2008 with a decline of
10.8% in arrivals, which resulted in a loss of $1.2 billion in visitor expenditures.
Visitors who come to the islands for conventions, meetings and incentive rewards
(CMI) are a very important part of our visitor mix. In 2008, these visitors totaled
442,000, representing about 7% of our total visitor arrivals. There has been great
concern, therefore, about the adverse effects caused by the well-intentioned efforts to
address the problem of corporate excess and business travel for the companies who have
received emergency finding from the government. It has caused a further downturn in
CMI travel, especially for Hawai’i, where we have struggled to position our islands as a
place to do business, as well as a leisure vacation destination.
This current atmosphere that brands legitimate CMI travel as excess has resulted
in 132 group cancellations of meetings and incentive trips to Hawai’i so far this year and
next, representing a loss of 87,003 room nights. The total loss in direct revenue has been
$58.8 million, amounting to an economic impact of $97.6 million in total lost output and
The Honorable Barack H. Obama
March 31, 2009
Page 2
694 full- and part-time jobs from all of the visitor industry. Hawai’i’s businesses and
residents cannot afford to suffer such continued losses that can and should be avoided.
While we understand the need for balance, accountability and transparency in
programs supported by government funding, tourism is an industry that employs many
workers who have lost—and will continue to—lose their jobs as travel declines.
CMI travel is a cost-saving and effective tool that companies use to strengthen
business relationships, align and educate employees and customers, and compensate
employees for business performance.
In this period of economic downturn when our government and businesses are
striving to restore economic stability, the last thing we should do is implement policies or
encourage behavior that jeopardizes any industry, especially one that has such a farreaching impact on communities all across America.
We appreciate your recent comments encouraging travel and urge you to oppose
any measure that would unfairly restrict the ability for companies to use CMI travel as a
legitimate business tool.
Sincerely,
LINDA LING±J
Governor
JAM S R. “DUKE” AIONA, JR.
Lieut nant Governor
MUFI HANNEMANN
Mayor
City & County of Honolulu
WILLIAM P. KENOI
Mayor
County of Hawai’i
(~t_~
L~te~
BERNARD P. CARVALHO, JR.
Mayor
County of Kaua’ i
CHARMAINE TAVARES
Mayor
County of Maui
February 20, 2009
Dear Colleague:
In recent months, travel for meetings, events and performance incentives (ME&I) has come under attack
from media and elected officials – including President Obama – who have sought to score “political
points” by deterring corporate travel. As a result, businesses receiving taxpayer assistance and others
concerned about becoming the next “easy target” are cancelling ME&I travel across the country.
We recognize that this toxic environment has created a serious threat to our industry, our employees and
the communities where we do business and, therefore, have assembled a major, multi-faceted campaign to
restore common sense to the debate.
It is vital that policymakers and the media hear directly from you, your company, customers and
business partners about the value of ME&I travel and the impact of less travel on communities
where you do business.
The attached toolkit includes: 1) documents to educate you on the value and economic impact of ME&I
travel; and 2) resources to help you develop your own communications to policymakers and the media.
Here is what you can do to help protect American workers and local communities:
1. Write Your Congressman! Using the campaign talking points and sample letters to a member of
Congress, send a letter to local members of Congress written in your own words to inform them of
the value of travel and the victims when travel is deterred.
2. Speak Out Locally! Look for opportunities in your local newspaper to make your voice heard.
Using the sample letters to the editor and the campaign talking points, draft and send your own
letter to the editor of your local newspaper. It is important to keep your letter to about 150 words
and follow the guidelines of your local paper.
3. Get Others Involved! Share this toolkit with your customers and business partners and ask them
to get engaged.
4. Please send copies of all correspondence to Melissa Gong (mgong@ustravel.org) so that we can
help document the strength of our industry.
We will soon launch a new Web site that will serve as the nerve center for this campaign. This site will
include the toolkit and many other resources to help you deliver your message to policymakers and the
media. We will follow-up with information about this new site soon.
If we don’t take action, everyone in the travel community stands to lose. Thank you for your enthusiastic
support of this important campaign.
Sincerely,
Roger Dow
President & CEO
U.S. Travel Association
Learning Organizations
Spring 2009
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Pfeffer, J., and Sutton, R.I. (2000) The Knowing-doing gap: How smart companies turn
knowledge into action. Boston: MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Senge, P.M. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New
York, NY: Doubleday and Currency.
Higgins, James M. (2006). 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques – the handbook of new
ideas for business. New Management Publishing Company.
Washingtonpost.com (Text of Obama’s news conference after G-20 summit – The Associated Press)
Marketwatch.com (G20 leaders get 11 minutes each to save capitalism – Tom Bemis, Assistant
Managing Editor)
Young, Jeffrey (3/27/09) “Economic Downturn Limits Conference Travel” The Chronicle of
Higher Education.
MacMillan, Bruce (10/28/08) “Let’s Get Something Straight…” Meeting Professionals
International
(http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/Blog/blog.aspx?blogid=1954&customerid=1123249)
Mollerberg, April (2005) “United States Postal Service: Lessons in Crisis Communication”
Arthur W. Page Society
(http://www.awpagesociety.com/site/release_single/20050302competition/)
“Blood in the Boardroom,” Sunday Telegraph (6/28/1992), quoted in “British Petroleum (A)”
Mollerberg, April (4/05/2009) “The Value of Human Connection”
(http://peabloggy.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/the-value-of-human-connection/)
Mollerberg, April (4/19/2009) “The Effects of a Recession on Learning Organizations”
(http://peabloggy.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/the-effects-of-a-recession-on-learningorganizations/)
McLain Smith, Diana. (2008) Divide or Conquer: How great teams turn conflict into strength.
Penguin Group
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