DC Area OD Practitioners CoP — Explore A Self-Managing Organization (SMO) (07 May 2026)

Thu, 07 May 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Explore A Self-Managing Organization (SMO)

Many organizations today feel the strain of hierarchy—slow decisions, overwhelmed managers, stifled innovation, and talented people who disengage because the system leaves little room to lead. Self-managing organizations (SMO) offer a proven alternative, showing that more adaptive and human-centered structures can outperform traditional models.

Yet many leaders remain unaware that these approaches are already succeeding at scale. This interactive discussion is a session that introduces the core principles and evidence behind SMOs, translating research into practical insight for business and association audiences. The goal is simple: to spark informed curiosity and open a doorway to more resilient, participatory ways of working.

Deanna Doan will share her in depth research in this area and offer lessons learned from the experience in standing up this type of organization and tips on how to make it work.

Presenter — Deanna Doan

Deanna is an enabling partner and co-founder of Eleccion LLC. She has more than 20 years of consulting and leadership experience across government and commercial markets, with expertise in designing and implementing highly decentralized organizations. Prior to founding Eleccion, she was vice president at Allegheny Science & Technology, managing a diverse portfolio of programs across the Intelligence and DoD markets. Prior roles include advising senior intelligence community leaders on strategy and improvement initiatives.

Deanna holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in Operations Research from George Mason University, and is currently a doctoral student at Virginia Tech where her research focuses on decentralized organizational structures. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma green belt.

DC Area OD Practitioners CoP — Transitions: Navigating Change — Holding Space for Ourselves and Our Clients (04 Jun 2026)

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Transitions: Navigating Change — Holding Space for Ourselves and Our Clients

As OD professionals and coaches, we stand beside our clients through times of profound upheaval—organizational restructures, job loss, economic instability, social unrest, and the quiet losses that follow change. We hold space for their despair, growth, and renewal. Yet, how often do we pause to examine our own internal transitions—the ways we metabolize uncertainty, loss, or transformation in our personal and professional lives?

Nature offers a timeless mirror. After storms come stillness. After endings come new beginnings. This session invites practitioners to reconnect with nature’s wisdom as a lens for understanding both the turbulence and opportunities that come with change. Through guided reflection, discussion, and grounding practices, participants will explore how to deepen presence and expand their capacity to accompany others in transition.

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

Differentiate between change and transition.

Reflect on personal and professional experiences of transition to identify current needs and opportunities for growth.
Recognize nature as a model for resilience, cyclical renewal, and wholeness within organizational life.
Strengthen their ability to hold space for clients and teams navigating disruption with empathy and steadiness.
Leave with tools to maintain personal balance and support organizational transformation.

Presenter — Tanara Bowie

Tanara is a trauma-informed and ICF (ACC) and National Board of Health and Wellness certified coach. For 30 years she has applied Gestalt theory to her work with groups and individuals.

Tanara is a former Vice President at The Nebo Company where she facilitated several cohort programs for senior leaders and designed leadership development strategies for healthcare and nonprofit entities. She is a trainer for Mentor Agility’s Veterans Talking to Veterans program in which veterans are trained in a trauma-informed approach to coaching that uses storytelling to aid veterans on a path of healing and resilience. Her coaching clients include military veterans, family caregivers, those navigating identity after loss and in the second half of life. She uses myth, somatics and her extensive study and practice of Gestalt and Jungian principles to help clients navigate shadow stories, loss, and find renewed purpose.

CBODN upcoming events

DC Area OD Practitioners CoP — Explore A Self-Managing Organization (SMO) (07 May 2026)

DC Area OD Practitioners CoP — Transitions: Navigating Change — Holding Space for Ourselves and Our Clients (04 Jun 2026)