The question of how organizations deal with change is fundamental to the success of our American institutions. Leaders have to create an openness to change and build "organized abandonment" into our organizational structures and systems. We must infuse into our organizational philosophy the belief that change is good and not a threat.

For many years, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) refused to see the elements of change as something positive. Commission policies were focused not on the agency's ability to change, but on refuting or discrediting the views of various stakeholders. The Commission's own policy was viewed as infallible and the only way to meet regional planning and environmental goals. Fortunately after many years of disagreements over a new master plan policy, the NJMC leadership and policy changed - both from within and from Trenton - and sought a paradigm shift that embraced change.

The first important policy change was the creation of the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute (MERI). The core goal of MERI is to base planning, zoning, wetlands restoration and open space policy decisions on scientific data and empirical information. Policy direction will now be developed not on the politics of the few at the exclusion of the larger population, but on peer reviewed science. This approach will allow the agency to move forward more efficiently and effectively.

The focus of this seminar is to describe the NJMC's transformation, to provide insight into how MERI has assisted in formulating policy, and to describe where the Meadowlands Commission's efforts will be going in the future.

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