Healing Organisation - Home Page - Metafuture: Futures …€¦ · · 2016-01-29ing in this...
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Healing Organisation The Learning and | trL I by Sohail Inayatullah | .-1Sr I | ^J lnErER sENGE's I r-. tt -- J' It I},.l I brilliant contribu- I rl?EIlli| tiOn tO management practice is the idea of the learning organisation. What this means is that while it is always important to map the uncertainties of the future, to produce a visionary mission statement and devel- op a clear strategy, these are not suffi- cient factors for business success. What is essential is to create an organisation that reflects upon itself and learns. Managers and employees must be con- stantly engaged in questioning the producf raw materials, process and outcomesand outcomes-indeed, the entire core business and competenry. This move from core business to core competenry is part of the shift from a product-based organisation to a learn- ing-based organisation. Something Missing However, there is something miss- ing in this approach. Even though a learning organisation is about team building and other participatory processes that create more efficacious organisations, they do not touch on the crisis of the postmodern employ- ee. This crisis is essentially about wellbeing and connection, about hav- ing meaning in one's life and working in an organisation that sustains life. While working recently as a futur- ist for a State government department to develop a vision and a map of its alternative future, I found resistance from some of the mid-level managers. One manager insisted on repeating stories of the brutality of the real world. Anothe4 when asked to provide a metaphor for his branctu said he felt like a speck of dust swept away by the latest Ministry to take over the portfolio. A thfud felt there was too much change. The continuous sfress of adapting to a quickening future had led to change fatigue. At heart, the issue was trauma- not only from the extemal world but from inside the organisation as well. Frustration with factors beyond the con- trol of the individuals had led to angeq, both towards colleaguesand themselves. I realised that merely giving better tools to create preferred futures, while critical, was not enouglU since the emo- tional dimension is often not adequately addressed in visioning exercises. Instead, I invited a gestalt therapist to facilitate. He asked a range of questions, such as: What is your image of health? What is your image of sickness? What Enoironmental Earth health. What things are you and the organisation doing to create a better more sustain- able Earth (for example, recycling, energy efficiency, contributions to less privileged people, UNICEF)? C-osttric health. In the spiritual dimen- sioru the leaming organisation is only half the story. It speaks to our intellectual selves and the part of the organisation focused on knowledge innovation. To survive rapid technological and demo- graphic drange (agrng and multicultur- alism), organisations must find ways to leam about leaming. But there is another dimension to ourselves-the right brairy if you will. This inner side hates endless conflicts with employees and the emo- tional traumas that result. It desiresinner wellbeing. Hierarchy is one of the struc- fures questioned, creating more conflict as the pyramid begins to flatten and the structure is challenged by new ways of knowing, doing, and being. Ahealing organisation is the second half of a learning organisation. If we have been defined by nation- hood and business over the last 500 years, there is evidence that health and healing will define us for the next 500 years. Along with the triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity, perhaps health is the fourth dimen- sion, or even more likely, the factor which supports the entire enterprise. What are the obstacles to creating a healthy self and organisation? One pre- dictor of your future health (along with behaviour) is your image of health- how you see yourself in the future. Reality and image reinforce each other. What steps do you wish to take to create a healthier self and organisation? We know that visionary companies refurn over time 15 times as much in share-holder value as traditional com- panies. They are living organisations, defined not as structures and functions but as biological organisms focused on survival and'thrival', developing their innate potential (Arie do Geus, The Liaing Company : grorath, Iearning and longeuity in business). Moving from sur- vival to thrival means creating a healthy organisation. EE Prcfesnr Inayahtllah is n politicalrimtistlt'ututu researcher assciat- ed with a wriety of uniztetsitia,inchdingtlte Queutslmd UniuetsitV of Technology,the Unioasrty of tlte Swtshine Cnost andTamkmg Unhnrsity,Taizum. He cnt fu rcachecl at: untnttmetat'uhoe.org ACTION: Horq cay you become a learning and healing organisatioi? are some obstaclesin the way of health? The CEO pay, colleagues,government policy and too much whinging were some responses. Then he asked ques- tions such as: In what ways is leadership behaving in healthy ways? What are some things you can to today to create your image of a healthy organisation? This exercisehad shifted the man- agers' intention towards health. Health Defined in Five Ways. Indiaidual health. Are you feeling fulfilled? What are you doing to create a healthier life? Group health. Do you get along with others? Do you support others at work? Do they emotionally support you? Organisational health. Are the mea- sures just profit, or are there others, such as the triple bottom line?
Transcript of Healing Organisation - Home Page - Metafuture: Futures …€¦ · · 2016-01-29ing in this...
Healing OrganisationThe Learning and
| trL I by Sohail Inayatullah| .-1Sr I
| ^ J l n E r E R s E N G E ' sI r - . t t- - J '
It I},.l I brilliant contribu-I rl?EIlli| tiOn tO management
practice is the idea of the learningorganisation. What this means is thatwhile it is always important to map theuncertainties of the future, to produce avisionary mission statement and devel-op a clear strategy, these are not suffi-cient factors for business success. Whatis essential is to create an organisationthat reflects upon itself and learns.Managers and employees must be con-stantly engaged in questioning theproducf raw materials, process andoutcomesand outcomes-indeed, theentire core business and competenry.This move from core business to corecompetenry is part of the shift from aproduct-based organisation to a learn-ing-based organisation.
Something MissingHowever, there is something miss-
ing in this approach. Even though alearning organisation is about teambuilding and other participatoryprocesses that create more efficaciousorganisations, they do not touch onthe crisis of the postmodern employ-ee. This crisis is essentially aboutwellbeing and connection, about hav-ing meaning in one's life and workingin an organisation that sustains life.
While working recently as a futur-ist for a State government departmentto develop a vision and a map of itsalternative future, I found resistancefrom some of the mid-level managers.
One manager insisted on repeatingstories of the brutality of the real world.Anothe4 when asked to provide ametaphor for his branctu said he felt likea speck of dust swept away by the latestMinistry to take over the portfolio. Athfud felt there was too much change.The continuous sfress of adapting to a
quickening future had led to changefatigue. At heart, the issue was trauma-not only from the extemal world butfrom inside the organisation as well.Frustration with factors beyond the con-trol of the individuals had led to angeq,both towards colleagues and themselves.
I realised that merely giving bettertools to create preferred futures, whilecritical, was not enouglU since the emo-tional dimension is often not adequatelyaddressed in visioning exercises.
Instead, I invited a gestalt therapist tofacilitate. He asked a range of questions,such as: What is your image of health?What is your image of sickness? What
Enoironmental Earth health. Whatthings are you and the organisationdoing to create a better more sustain-able Earth (for example, recycling,energy efficiency, contributions to lessprivileged people, UNICEF)?
C-osttric health. In the spiritual dimen-sioru the leaming organisation is onlyhalf the story. It speaks to our intellectualselves and the part of the organisationfocused on knowledge innovation. Tosurvive rapid technological and demo-graphic drange (agrng and multicultur-alism), organisations must find ways toleam about leaming. But there is anotherdimension to ourselves-the right brairyif you will. This inner side hates endlessconflicts with employees and the emo-tional traumas that result. It desires innerwellbeing. Hierarchy is one of the struc-fures questioned, creating more conflictas the pyramid begins to flatten and thestructure is challenged by new ways ofknowing, doing, and being.
Ahealing organisation is the secondhalf of a learning organisation.
If we have been defined by nation-hood and business over the last 500years, there is evidence that health andhealing will define us for the next 500years. Along with the triple bottomline of people, planet and prosperity,perhaps health is the fourth dimen-sion, or even more likely, the factorwhich supports the entire enterprise.
What are the obstacles to creating ahealthy self and organisation? One pre-dictor of your future health (along withbehaviour) is your image of health-how you see yourself in the future.Reality and image reinforce each other.
What steps do you wish to take tocreate a healthier self and organisation?We know that visionary companiesrefurn over time 15 times as much inshare-holder value as traditional com-panies. They are living organisations,defined not as structures and functionsbut as biological organisms focused onsurvival and'thrival', developing theirinnate potential (Arie do Geus, TheLiaing Company : grorath, Iearning andlongeuity in business). Moving from sur-vival to thrival means creating ahealthy organisation. EE
Prcfesnr Inayahtllah is n political rimtistlt'ututu researcher assciat-ed with a wriety of uniztetsitia,inchding tlte Queutslmd UniuetsitVof Technology,the Unioasrty of tlte Swtshine Cnost andTamkmgUnhnrsity,Taizum. He cnt fu rcachecl at: untnttmetat'uhoe.org
ACTION: Horq cay you become a learning andhealing organisatioi?
are some obstacles in the way of health?The CEO pay, colleagues, governmentpolicy and too much whinging weresome responses. Then he asked ques-tions such as: In what ways is leadershipbehaving in healthy ways? What aresome things you can to today to createyour image of a healthy organisation?
This exercise had shifted the man-agers' intention towards health.
Health Defined in Five Ways.Indiaidual health. Are you feeling
fulfilled? What are you doing to createa healthier life?
Group health. Do you get along withothers? Do you support others at work?Do they emotionally support you?
Organisational health. Are the mea-sures just profit, or are there others,such as the triple bottom line?
