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

1

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

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

2

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

3

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

4

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.

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.

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

5

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

6

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

7

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

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

8

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 cross-

collaboration 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

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 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

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

9

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

10

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

11

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

Congressional leaders that this industry had taken the time to

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).

Three main steps in addressing crisis:

Determine “Do we have a crisis?”

Damage Control Quick Recovery

- Bruce MacMillan, MPI

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

12

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 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.

“There was a very short amount of time to mobilize an entire industry!”

- Bruce MacMillan, MPI

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

13

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.

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,

"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."

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

14

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-at-

large (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)

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

15

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, 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

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

16

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.

For MPI, the initiatives currently in play will be

considered successful if they effectively educate

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.

“I’m not buying into this recession!”

- Nancy McMorrow, Designed

Learning (a Peter Block

Company)

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

17

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.

Learning Organizations Spring 2009

18

APPENDIX

http://www.meetingindustrycrisiscenter.org/default.aspx

LINDA LINGLEGOVERNOR

March 31, 2009

The Honorable Barack H. ObamaPresident of the United States of AmericaThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The economic challenge facing our nation has imposed a significant impact ondomestic and international travel. Hawai’i’s economy is largely dependent on tourismand the drop in activity has resulted in dramatic declines in our economy with acorresponding impact on businesses, including closures and job losses.

The State and our visitor industry have collaborated to cooperatively undertakemany 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 lower-priced and value-added packages for travelers. Despite the emphasis on and effort atmarket outreach and value-laden promotional offers, we ended 2008 with a decline of10.8% 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 totaled442,000, representing about 7% of our total visitor arrivals. There has been greatconcern, therefore, about the adverse effects caused by the well-intentioned efforts toaddress the problem of corporate excess and business travel for the companies who havereceived emergency finding from the government. It has caused a further downturn inCMI travel, especially for Hawai’i, where we have struggled to position our islands as aplace to do business, as well as a leisure vacation destination.

This current atmosphere that brands legitimate CMI travel as excess has resultedin 132 group cancellations of meetings and incentive trips to Hawai’i so far this year andnext, 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

EXECUTIVE CHAMBERS

HONOLULU

The Honorable Barack H. ObamaMarch 31, 2009Page 2

694 full- and part-time jobs from all of the visitor industry. Hawai’i’s businesses andresidents cannot afford to suffer such continued losses that can and should be avoided.

While we understand the need for balance, accountability and transparency inprograms supported by government funding, tourism is an industry that employs manyworkers 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 strengthenbusiness relationships, align and educate employees and customers, and compensateemployees for business performance.

In this period of economic downturn when our government and businesses arestriving to restore economic stability, the last thing we should do is implement policies orencourage behavior that jeopardizes any industry, especially one that has such a far-reaching impact on communities all across America.

We appreciate your recent comments encouraging travel and urge you to opposeany measure that would unfairly restrict the ability for companies to use CMI travel as alegitimate business tool.

Sincerely,

LINDA LING±J JAM S R. “DUKE” AIONA, JR.Governor Lieut nant Governor

MUFI HANNEMANN WILLIAM P. KENOIMayor MayorCity & County of Honolulu County of Hawai’i

(~t_~ L~te~

BERNARD P. CARVALHO, JR. CHARMAINE TAVARESMayor MayorCounty of Kaua’ i 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

19

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-learning-

organizations/)

McLain Smith, Diana. (2008) Divide or Conquer: How great teams turn conflict into strength.

Penguin Group