Sharing Team Experiences - Leadership, Collaboration, and Negotiation...
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1 Sharing Team Experiences - Leadership, Collaboration, and Negotiation in a Learning Environment “Perhaps for the first time in history, humankind has the capacity to create far more information than anyone can absorb, to foster far greater interdependency than anyone can imagine, and to accelerate change far faster than anyone’s ability to keep pace. Certainly the scale of complexity is without preceden”t [Senge 1991]. “When we try to pick up anything by itself we find it is attached to everything in the universe.” - John Muir Discussion: “Accidental Adversaries” are problems that emerge that are no one’s fault, including but not limited to, scarcity of resources or resources that do not arrive on time, equipment failures, inability to meet with concerned parties that you need to help further the project, and health issues. This part of the system points out how myopic local activity, with the best of intentions, can lead to an overall limiting development for completing the project, and can actually inhibit moving the project ahead on time. This is a pattern where team members have committed to work together because they will benefit from the alliance. Each member takes actions believing that it will bring benefit to the other and if the cooperation works, they will both benefit. Problems start arising when one or both of the subjects need to fix a gap in performance, maybe due to external pressure. They initiate action to fix the gap and accidentally undermine each other's success. The result of these activities may produce a sense of resentment or frustration between the subjects or it may even turn the subjects into adversaries, thereby destroying the alliance.
Transcript of Sharing Team Experiences - Leadership, Collaboration, and Negotiation...
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SharingTeamExperiences-Leadership,Collaboration,andNegotiationinaLearningEnvironment “Perhapsforthefirsttimeinhistory,humankindhasthecapacitytocreatefarmoreinformationthananyonecanabsorb,tofosterfargreaterinterdependencythananyonecanimagine,andtoacceleratechangefarfasterthananyone’sabilitytokeeppace.Certainlythescaleofcomplexityiswithoutpreceden”t[Senge1991]. “Whenwetrytopickupanythingbyitselfwefinditisattachedtoeverythingintheuniverse.”-JohnMuir
Discussion:“AccidentalAdversaries”areproblemsthatemergethatarenoone’sfault,includingbutnotlimitedto,scarcityofresourcesorresourcesthatdonotarriveontime,equipmentfailures,inabilitytomeetwithconcernedpartiesthatyouneedtohelpfurthertheproject,andhealthissues.Thispartofthesystempointsouthowmyopiclocalactivity,withthebestofintentions,canleadtoanoveralllimitingdevelopmentforcompletingtheproject,andcanactuallyinhibitmovingtheprojectaheadontime.Thisisapatternwhereteammembershavecommittedtoworktogetherbecausetheywillbenefitfromthealliance.Eachmembertakesactionsbelievingthatitwillbringbenefittotheotherandifthecooperationworks,theywillbothbenefit.Problemsstartarisingwhenoneorbothofthesubjectsneedtofixagapinperformance,maybeduetoexternalpressure.Theyinitiateactiontofixthegapandaccidentallyundermineeachother'ssuccess.Theresultoftheseactivitiesmayproduceasenseofresentmentorfrustrationbetweenthesubjectsoritmayeventurnthesubjectsintoadversaries,therebydestroyingthealliance.
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Behavior:Onepartyinapartnershipunintentionallyactsinawaytheotherpartyconsidersoutsidetheiragreement;theoffendedpartyinterpretsthisasunfairadvantageandactstorighttheperceivedwrong.Thefirstpartyissurprisedattheretaliationandrespondswithmoreretaliation.Onlyiftheysuspendtheirinappropriateactionsandengageindialoguecantheyrevealtherootoftheirmisunderstandingsandgainafreshstart.Commonlyusedwordsorearlywarningsymptoms:IthoughtIwashelpingtheteamandnowIamintroublewithmyownwork.Tipstonotewhenusing:Itispossibletoachieveleveragebyintroducingorre-emphasizingalinkbetweeneachparty'ssuccesses.ManagingtheIntervention:Sevenactionstepstodealwiththeunintendedconsequencesofeachparty'sactions:1.Reconstructtheconditionsthatwerethecatalystforcollaboration.2.Reviewtheoriginalunderstandingsandexpectedmutualbenefits.3.Identifyconflictingincentivesthatmaybedrivingadversarialbehavior.4.Maptheunintendedsideeffectsofeachparty’sactions.5.Developoverarchinggoalsthataligntheeffortsoftheparties.6.Establishmetricstomonitorcollaborativebehavior.7.Establishroutinecommunication
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Intervention:Potentialpartnersstrengtheningunderstandingofoneanother’sneed,howtheyunintentionallyundermineoneanotherandhowtheycanusetheirstrengthstosupportoneanother.Determine:1.Whatismotivatingthecollaboration?2.Dotheparticipantsviewthecollaborationinthesamewayandhavethesamedegreeofmotivation?3.Whatarethepotentialobstaclesthatmakethiscollaborationnonproductive?4.Whatpriorexperienceshavetheteammemberslearnedfrom?5.Leadership:Whoontheteamhastherightstufftoengageeveryoneovertime?6.Istheirsufficientreasontobelievethatthereisthepropermotivationandinnovationatthistimetoseeasuccessfulcollaborationhappening?7.Whatneedstohappenandwhatconsiderationsneedacknowledginginorderfacilitatingsuccess?8.Whatgroundrulesdoyouneed?9.Whatleadershipstylesshouldtheprojectleaderutilizetohelptheteammoveforward?RealLifeExamples1.Afailedteammemberalliance,inwhichunintentionalactionssuchassloppinesscanbeperceivedasbeingdeliberateandoffensivebyanotherteammemberandcanthenescalateintheformofretaliationsuntiltherelationshipendsinconflict.2.Acompanyexpandsoutletsthroughtheuseoffranchiseesthathavetomaintainstandardssetbytheparentcompany,buttheparentcompanyalsohasitsownoutlets.Asthecompanyexpandsitsownoutletstoimproveprofitability,itmovesintomarketsperceivedbyfranchiseesasbelongingtothem,resultinginlawsuitsandalossinpopularityofthelineoftheproduct.
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Discussion-“DriftingGoals”iswhenonesetofgoalsorexpectationsactuallyinhibitsthegoalsandexpectationsofanothersetofgoals.Agapinunderstandingisoccurring.Whenthisgapoccursfrustrationmounts,theteamneedstodiscussandtakeactionneedtoreduceanxietyanddevelopabetterunderstandingonhowtomoveforward.Thegapisthelackofunderstandingbetweenagoalandreality.Ifnotdiscussedateamwilloftenlowerthegoaltoclosethegap.Eventually,theloweringofthegoalleadstodeterioratingperformance.Oncenoticedtherearetwowaysactioncanbeinitiatedtoclosethegap.First,ifmotivatedtoreachthegoal,correctiveactionstomoveyouractualstateclosertotheintendedgoalcanbeimplemented.Conversely,theteamcanallowpressuresandpresentgaptoremain(e.g.peoplegripingaboutthelackoftimeorthatthereistoomucheffortinvolved)whichwilllowerthegoalovertime.Inthiscase,yourperceptionthatthereisagapdiminishes,makingtheneedtotakeactionstocorrectthedisconnectrecedes.Nofurtheractiontakesplace.Theendresultisthattheteamhasloweredtheirstandardstoclosethegapbetweentheactualanddesiredperformance.
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Commonlyusedwordsorearlywarningsymptoms:Wehavenotimeforvisions–weneedtogetonwiththecurrentreality–lowerthevision!Tipstonotewhenusing:Whatisthethinking? “Ourcurrentlevelofactivityisacceptable,eventhoughitisbelowstandard.”Managingtheintervention:Variouspressurescanoftentakeourattentionawayfromwhatwearetryingtoachieve.Usedasadiagnostictool,itcantargetdriftingperformanceareasandhelporganizationsobtaintheirvisions.Intervention1.Lookfordriftingperformancefigures.Thisisasignthatthisproblemexistsandthatrealcorrectiveactionsarenotbeingtaken.2.Lookforgoalsthatconflictwiththestatedgoal3.Identifywaystoclosethegapandincorporatethemintoyourgroundrules.4.Whatactionsaretheteamdoingthatisinadvertentlycontributingtothegoalslippage?5.Examinethepasthistoryofthegoal.6.Havethesebeenloweredovertime?7.Anchorthegoaltoanexternalreference.8.Clarifyacompellingvisionthatwillinvolveeveryone9.Createacleartransitionplan.Establishwhatitwilltaketoachievethevisionandestablisharealistictimeline.Discusswhattheendresultlookslikeifthesystemwasworkingwell:
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"Weknowwherewearegoingandwhatitwilltaketogetthere.“Wemonitor,evaluateandadjustperformancestandardsinordertoachieveourgoal.RealLifeExamples1.Graduallyreplacinghigh-qualityingredientswithlowerquality(andlowercost)substitutes—cornsyrupforsugar,shorteningforbutter,artificialflavoringsinsteadofrealingredients—hasexpedientwaysofreducingcost,andthusreducingthegapbetweenactualprofitsanddesiredprofits,insteadof(a)findingmorecost-effectivewaysofobtainingorproducingthoseingredientsor(b)investinginmoresophisticatedmarketingoftheproductsothattheproductcanjustifyahigherpricetocovertheincreasedcosts.2.Repeatedly“rebaselining”aprogram’scostandscheduletobemoreexpensiveandlongerbecausetheinitialestimates(onwhichthegovernmentapprovedtheinvestmentintheprograminthefirstplace)areseentobeunachievableastheprogramprogresses.3.Reducingpollutiontargetswhenreductionimplementationcostsaretoohigh4.Increasingbudgetdeficitlimitsratherthandecreasingspending(orincreasingtaxes)5.Adaptingtounacceptablesocialcircumstancesratherthanleavethatenvironment
6.Reducingentrancerequirementsbecausenotenoughapplicantsmeetthem7.Loweringyourownexpectationsinlife,leadingtolowerpersonalsuccess
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Discussion:“Escalation”isthesystemthatallowstheteamtotaketheirresults,nomatterwhethertheyareviewedasnegativeorpositiveandreframethenintoansystemthatproducebetterunderstandingofthemselvesandtheprojectallowingtheteamtoworkmoreproductively.Eachpartyseestheother’sactionsasariskandrespondsinawaythatpressurestheother.Thisproblemtendstotriggerwhentwoormorepersonscometogetherandeachperceivesone’s“survival”(grade)asdependingonone’sposition(orsuccess)relativetotheother.Anytimethispositionis“upset”whereonepersondistrusttheother,thereisareaction.Thereisachoicebetweentwoactions;totakeflight(whichoftenmaynotbeviable)ortofight.Thelatteristhemoreappropriatethingtodootherwisewerisk“losingface”.Thereforewetakeactionsthatleadustocreateresultsthatallowourpositionstoevenorbettertheother.However,theothernowperceivesyourpositionasanintimidationandentersintoasimilarcycleofactionssoastobettertheirposition.
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Commonlyusedwordsorearlywarningsymptoms:Thereisnoendinsight! Whenweare"init"wearethelastpersonstosee"it"ourselves!Tipstonotewhenusing:Themethodsusedtomaintainstability(balancing)tendtoreinforceevengreaterinstability.Whatisthethinking?“Weareontheoffensiveandweneedtotakeactiontodefendourselves."Managingtheintervention:MANAGINGCOMPETITION-Oneofthereasonswegetcaughtinescalationdynamicsmaystemfromourviewofcompetition.Intervention:Tobreakanescalationstructureaskthefollowingquestions:1.Whatistherelativemeasure(price,quality,etc.)thatpitsonepartyagainsttheother,andcanyouchangeit?2.Whatarethesignificantdelaysinthesystemthatmaydistortthetruenatureoftherisk?Quantifythem.3.Whatarethedeep-rootedassumptionsthatliebeneaththeactionstakeninresponsetotherisk?4.Namethekeyplayerscaughtinthedynamic5.Mapwhatyouperceiveasarisk. a.Areyouractionsaddressingtherealriskorsimplyservingpreservingvaluesthatmaynolongerberelevant?
b.Identifyalargergoalencompassingbothparties’goals.6.Avoidfuture“Escalation”trapsbycreatingasystemofcollaborativecompetition.
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Whatitlookslikeifthesystemwasworkingwell:“Thereisalwaysawayforustoworkthisouttogether”Weworktogetherandcommunicateopenlyforourcollectivesuccess.RealLifeExamples:1.Thenucleararmsrace,inwhichonecountry’seffortstosurpassanother’snucleararsenal,simplyspurstheotherontogreatereffortstoincreaseitsownstockpile.2.Apricewarbetweentwosimilarbusinesses,wheretheeffortsofonebusinesstoundercutthepricesoftheotherandgainmarketshareleadtheotherbusinesstorespondinkind.
Discussion:“FixesthatFail”arewhendecisionsaremadebytheteamoranoutsiderthatdisrupttheflowoftheprojectandchangesthatneedtobemadeintheunderlyinggroundrulesystemarenotdiscussedandchanged. Afix intheshort-termmakestheproblemdisappearbutinthelong-runcreatesunintendedconsequencesthatmakestheproblemworse,requiringmoreuseofthesamefix.Asproblemsgrow,fixesgrowthatareusuallyactionsthatmighthaveworked inthepastandhopefullywilldiminishtheproblem.Initially,itappearstheproblemgetsbetterortheimpactisreduced.Butaftersome time, which is the time needed for the effect of one variable on another nowcreatesanunintendedconsequencethatmakestheproblemworse.Oftenthesedelaysareeitherunrecognizedornotwellunderstood,creatingasteadilyworseningsituationwheretheinitialsymptomsareworsenedbythefixthatisapplied.
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Behaviorovertime:Theproblemkeepscomingback,worseningeachtime. Commonlyusedwordsorearlywarningsymptoms:"Italwaysseemedtoworkbefore;whyisn'titworkingnow?"Tipstonotewhenusing:Somethingaboutthewaywearefixingit,ismakingitworse?Whatisthethinking?“Timeismoney”,andneithertimenormoneyshouldbewasted.Therefore,thefirstanswermustbetherightone.Managingtheintervention:Almostanydecisioncarrieslong-termandshort-termconsequencesandthetwoareoftendiametricallyopposed.Managingthesecircumstancescanhelpusgetofftheproblem-makingtreadmillbyidentifyingfixesthatmaybedoingmoreharmthangood.Maintainfocusonthelong-term.Disregardshort-term"fix",iffeasible,oruseitonlyto"buytime"whileworkingonlong-termremedy.Intervention:1.Turningthiscyclearoundusuallyrequiresacknowledgingthatthefixismerelyalleviatingasymptomandmakingacommitmenttosolvetherealproblem.2.Atwo-prongedattackofapplyingthefixandworkingoutalonger-termsolutionwillhelpensurethatyoudon’tgetcaughtinaperpetualcycleofsolvingyesterday’ssolutions: a.Prong#1:Identifywhatiscausingtheproblem(thecauses).Mapcurrentinterventionsandhowtheywereexpectedtorectifytheproblem.Mapunintendedconsequencesoftheinterventions
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b.Prong#2:Noticeinmappingtheunintendedconsequences,thelongertermcausalitythatreinforces(causes)theproblem.Findconnectionsbetweenfixesandthecauses.Aretheylinked?Proceedtoidentifyleverageinterventions.Mappotentialside-effects(e.g.theunwillingnessto'bitethebullet'andwaititout)foreachinterventioninordertobepreparedforthem(ortoavoidthemaltogether)Whatitlookslikeifthesystemwasworkingwell:“Weconsiderpossiblealternativeandtheirside-effectsbeforeacting.”Weidentifypossiblesideeffectsofshort-termfixes.RealLifeExamples:1.Usingacreditcardtopayoffdebt,whichtemporarilyalleviatestheproblem,butthenworsensthetotaldebtthroughadditionalinterestfromfinancecharges.2.Increasinghiringtoaugmentexistingexperiencedstaff,butthenfindingthattheexperiencedstaff’stimeislargelyconsumedbybringingthenewhiresuptospeed,resultinginasharplossinproductivity
Discussion-“GrowthofTimeInvestment”iswhentheprojectasinitiallystructuredischangedbecauseofchangestotheproject,suchasdeadlineschangedoraftertheprojectisunderwaytheteamrealizesthatmoretimeinvestmentisneededtocompletetheprojectsuccessfully.Groundrulesmayneedtobereorganized.Agapinunderstandingisoccurring.Whenthisgapoccursfrustrationmounts,theteamneedstodiscussandtakeactiontoreduceanxietyanddevelopabetterunderstandingonhowtomoveforward.Thegapisthelackofunderstandingbetweenagoalandreality.Ifnotdiscussedateamwilloftenlowerthegoaltoclosethegap.Eventually,theloweringofthegoalleadstodeterioratingperformance.Oncenoticedtherearetwowaysactioncanbeinitiatedtoclosethegap.First,ifmotivatedtoreachthegoal,correctiveactions
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tomoveyouractualstateclosertotheintendedgoalcanbeimplemented.Conversely,theteamcanallowpressuresandpresentgaptoremain(e.g.peoplegripingaboutthelackoftimeorthatthereistoomucheffortinvolved)whichwilllowerthegoalovertime.Inthiscase,yourperceptionthatthereisagapdiminishes,makingtheneedtotakeactionstocorrectthedisconnectrecedes.Nofurtheractiontakesplace.Theendresultisthattheteamhasloweredtheirstandardstoclosethegapbetweentheactualanddesiredperformance.Areinforcingprocessissetinmotiontoproduceadesiredresult.Itcreatesaspiralofsuccessbutalsocreatesinadvertentsecondaryeffects(manifestedinabalancingprocess)thateventuallyslowdownthesuccess.Theteamdoesnotrealizethatallanticipatedperformancemeasureswouldeventuallyrunupagainstconstraintsandimpediments.Performancegrows,thenplateaus,thenslowsdownandgrowsagain.Formationisagrowthperiodwhilecriticismisaplateau,thensynthesisisaslowingdowntoaccommodatechangesneededtobegingrowthinperformanceagaintoaccomplishment.
Commonlyusedwordsorearlywarningsymptoms:Wehavenotimeforvisions–weneedtogetonwiththecurrentreality–lowerthevision!Tipstonotewhenusing:Whatisthethinking? “Ourcurrentlevelofactivityisacceptable,eventhoughitisbelowstandard.”Managingtheintervention:Variouspressurescanoftentakeourattentionawayfromwhatwearetryingtoachieve.Usedasadiagnostictool,itcantargetlimitedperformanceareasandhelporganizationsobtaintheirvisions.Don’tpushgrowthorsuccess;removethefactorslimitinggrowth.Intervention1.Lookforunmanagedperformanceresults.Thisisasignthatthisproblemexistsandthatrealcorrectiveactionsarenotbeingtaken.Stateimpedimentstotheteam’sperformance.2.Lookforgoalsthatconflictwiththestatedgoal
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3.Don’tpushagainsttheslowinggrowth,adaptandchangethesystemstoaccommodatenewperformancemeasures.Themoreyoupush,themoreoutofbalancetheteam’sperformancebecomes.3.Identifywaystoclosethegapandincorporatethemintoyourgroundrules.Changethelimitingfactorsintheperformance.Removethebottleneck.Example:Alwayslateinsubmittingwork.Discusswhatispreventingtheperformanceratherthanstatewilldobetternexttime.4.Whatactionsaretheteamdoingthatisinadvertentlycontributingtothegoalslippage?5.Examinethepasthistoryofthegoal.6.Havethesebeenloweredovertime?Anchorthegoaltoanexternalreference.7.Clarifyacompellingvisionthatwillinvolveeveryone8.Createacleartransitionplan.Establishwhatitwilltaketoachievethevisionandestablisharealistictimeline.Discusswhattheendresultlookslikeifthesystemwasworkingwell:"Weknowwherewearegoingandwhatitwilltaketogetthere.”Wemonitor,evaluateandadjustperformancestandardsinordertoachieveourgoals.RealLifeExamples 1.ThedemiseofPeople’sExpressairlineiswidelybelievedtobeduetoafailuretogrowthecustomerservicefunctionsothatitwouldbeabletokeeppacewiththegrowthoftherestoftheairline.2.Tryingtolearntoplaythepianowithoutateachersavesmoneyintheshortrunbyunderinvestment,butthedesiredproficiencyisneverachieved,leadingtounfulfilledexpectations,disillusionmentwithinterestinpracticinggraduallyfades.
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ConditionofInterestisPerformanceoftheteamoritsindividualmembers.Discussion-“LimitstoSuccess”iswhentheteamrealizesthattheirinitialmodelofsuccessneedschangesduetooutsideorinsidepressuresandlimits.Manysuddenandwell-intentionedeffortsforimprovementbumpupagainstlimitstogrowth.Areinforcing(amplifying)processissetinmotiontoproduceadesiredresult.Itcreatesaspiralofsuccessbutalsocreatesinadvertentsecondaryeffects,manifestedinabalancingprocessthatstabilizesandwhichoperatestolimitthegrowth,eventuallyslowingdownthesuccessandevencomingtoastandstill.Asweputineffortweseeresults.Andassuchweputingreatereffortsleadingtoaspiralofsuccessesandthisprovidesthestructurewiththeinitialmomentum.Howeveraftersometime,themoreeffortweputin,thelessresultsweobtain.Aswebuildefforts,especiallyinsudden,thoughwell-intentionedefforts,thesebegintocreatealimitoraconstraint(poordataanalysisduetolackoftime)insomeotherpartofthesystem,oftenapartthatishiddenornotasvisibletothepartofthesystemthatisgeneratingtheeffortsandtheresult.Thegreatertheeffortweputin,thegreatertheconstraintbecomes.Thelimitortheconstraintnowbeginstocreateanactionthatlimitsthelevelofresults(membersneedtofocusonothercourses).Whenwenoticethatgrowthisdecliningbecausewecanseethattherearestillresults,exceptnotbyasmuchasbeforewearelikelytopushforevenmoreeffortsbecausethatishowwegotresultsinthefirstplace.Unfortunatelytheseactionsleadtogreaterlevelsofconstraintsbuildingupwithinthesystem.Thelimitingactionsalsocontinuetogrowandbegintoadverselyaffectresultsdownwards,until'itpushes'resultsgoallthewaydown(inaccuratedataanalysis),bywhichtimethereinforcingloopbeginstobehavenegatively,inwhichcasethelimitingactiondisappearstooandallgrowthscometoastandstill.
Behavior:Overtimeincreases Commonlyusedwordsorearlywarningsymptoms:Whateverwetriedtodo,wearenotgettingthesuccessesweusedtoget.Somebodyisnotdoingtheirjobwell.Itfeelslikeapressure-cookerhere.Successorgrowthislevelingoffordeclining.
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Tipstonotewhenusing:Don'tpushforgrowth;removethefactorslimitinggrowth.Whatisthethinking?“We’llgetbiggerandbetterresultsbycontinuingtodomoreofwhatwearedoingnow."Managingtheintervention:Ifwedon’tplanforlimitsweareplanningforfailure.Bymappingoutthegrowthenginesandpotentialdangerpointsinadvance,wecananticipatefutureproblemsandeliminatethemIntervention:LimitingSuccessismosthelpfulwhenitisusedaheadofanyproblems,toseehowthecumulativeeffectsofcontinuedsuccessmightleadtofutureproblemsExplorequestionssuchas“Whatkindsofpressuresarebuildingupintheprojectasaresultofobtainingsomuchdata?”Lookforwaystorelievepressuresorremovelimitsbeforesuccessblowsover–mayneedtoconsiderslowingdowntheactivitiestogiveresourceslongenoughtoovercomethelimitsWhatitlookslikeifthesystemwasworkingwell:“Wecanovercomelimitsbyplanningforthem.”“Weidentify,evaluateandplanforlimits.”RealLifeExamples
1. Incomingstudentswhohavehigh-standardizedtestscores(e.g.,intelligence)maygetmoreattentionfrominstructors,providingthesestudentswithgreaterincentivestoworkhardandexcelinsubsequentstandardizedtests.
2. ThecollapseofthedeerpopulationontheKaibabplateauandonSt.MatthewIslandduetooverpopulationandtheovergrazingoftheirhabitat.
3. TheovershootandcollapseofthehumanpopulationonEasterIsland
4. OvergrazingintheSahelregionofAfricabycattleherders
5. Overfishingoftheoceansbyfishermen
6. Thecontractionoftheworldeconomyin2008duetolimitingoilsupplies
7. Theproductivityofstaffdeterioratingasacompanygrows,duetoincreased
interactionsandreportingoverhead
8. Yeastcellsinthefermentationprocess,whosufferfromboththelossofexogenouslysuppliedsugarandtheincreaseofendogenouslyproducedpollution
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SystemsThinkingTheneedtochangeourthinkingliesinthedistinctionbetweenfirst-andsecond-orderchanges.First-orderchangecallsfordoingmoreofthesametoaddressanissue.Increasingtheapplicationofthecurrentremedy.Second-orderchangecallsformakingachangetothestructureofthesystemthatiscreatingtheissue.Second-orderchangerequiresacknowledgingthatthecurrentremedyisnolongerworkingandsteppingbackfromthesituationtoreassessoptions;thisoftenresultsintryingadifferentapproachaltogether.Systemsthinkingtechniquessupportthischangeinperspectiveandprovidebothinsightandguidancewhenappliedtoourmostcomplexissues.Asweshallseeinthisproblemsolvingsession,attemptsatfirst-orderchangethatareconductedwithintheexistingstructureoftenexacerbateratherthanresolvetheissuetheywereintendedtoaddress.
SystemsArchetypesThesystemsarchetypeseachdescribeagenericstory,ascenariothatplaysoutinmanydifferentsituationsandenvironments,butalwaysfollowsthesameunderlyingpattern.Despitetheprevalenceofthesestorylines,thereisstillsomesurpriseonthepartofthosewhoaresweptupinthedynamicsofeachofthesystemsarchetypes—afeeling
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of,“ThereIwas,justdoingmyjoblikeIalwayshave,whenoutoftheblue,throughnofaultofmyown,Igotsideswipedbythis—andnowIdon’tknowhowtogetout.”Usually,thisistheresultofthe“side-effect”orthe“unintendedconsequence”ofthearchetype.Resolvingthesepatterns,oncethey’resetinmotion,can’tbeaccomplishedbydoingmoreofthesamethingthathasbeendonebefore.Justas“doingwhatyoualwaysdo”cansetanarchetypeinmotion,itoftenrequiresdoingsomethingcounterintuitiveorunexpectedtobreakthepattern—becausethearchetypesdonotresolvethemselves.LearningObjectives:
1. Developanawarenessofwhatproblemsteamsencounter2. Abilitytocreatesolutionstosolvesomeofteamproblems.3. LearntoemployPrincipledNegotiation4. Revisitgroundrulestoadjustsystemstomeetindividualteamneeds5. Enhancetheteam’sabilitytoproblemsolve
PrincipledNegotiation:PRINCIPLE#1-SeparatethepeoplefromtheproblemLearntoseparatepeopledifficultiesfromsubstantiveissues."Besoftonthepeopleandhardontheproblem.“Usepsychologicaltoolstohandlepsychologicaldifficulties;analyticaltoolstoaddresssubstantiveissues.PRINCIPLE#2-Focusoninterests,notpositionsPositionalbargainingcausespeopleto"digintheirheels”andmaintaintheirpositiontoavoidlosingface.Learntolookbehindpositionsforinterests,someofwhichyoumayshare.PRINCIPLE#3-InventoptionsformutualgainWorkwithyourpartnertocreateadditionaloptionstoexplore.Usebrainstormingtechniquestocreatealargernumberofqualityideastoserveyourcommoninterests.PRINCIPLE#4-InsistonobjectivecriteriaAppealtoobjectivestandardsandoutsidesourcestojudgethequalityofyouragreements.Thisnotonlyhelps"separatethepeoplefromtheproblem”,butalsoallowsnegotiatorstoworktogethertoidentifypossiblemeasuresoffairness.(Fisher,R.,Ury,W.&Patton,B.,1991)
“BATNA”-BestAlternativeToaNegotiatedAgreement:(fromRogerFisher,WilliamUryandBruce
Patton,GettingtoYes:NegotiatingAgreementWithoutGivingIn)anacronymforBestAlternativetoaNegotiatedAgreementisthealternativeactionthatcanbetakenifaproposedagreementwithanotherpartywillresultinanunsatisfactoryagreementorwhenanagreementfailstomaterialize.WhenthepotentialresultsofacurrentnegotiationonlyoffersavaluethatislessthantheBATNA,thennegotiationscanceaseandtheBATNAshouldbeimplemented.Whenusinga
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BATNA,priortothestartofnegotiations,eachpartyshoulddeterminetheirownindividualBATNA(www.negotiations.com).ABATNAisnotabottomlinebutanalternative.
GlossaryofTermsSYSTEMSTHINKING- Theworldisnotseparateunrelatedforces.Becauseindividualshavedifficultyseeingapatterninitsentirety,aconceptualframeworkcalledSystemThinkingwithabodyofknowledgeandtoolshasbeendevelopedoverthepastfiftyyearstoclearlyexplainateam’spatterns.Thisconceptisusedtohelpteamschangetomoreeffectivepatternsofcommunication,collaboration,andnegotiationwiththeleastamountofeffortinfindingsolutionstoproblemswithintheteam’soperatingsystems. LEARNINGTEAMS-areteamswherememberscontinuallyexpandtheirknowledgetocreateacollaborativeenvironmentnurturingnewandexpansivethinkingpatterns,contemplatingcollectiveaspiration,andexercisecollaborativelearning. MENTALMODELS-aredeeplyingrainedassumptions,imagery,andgeneralizationsthatinfluencehowwecreateunderstandingofourenvironment.Utilizingmentalmodelsbeginswithlookinginwardandlearningtoacknowledgeourinternalconceptsandscrutinizetheminacollaborativeenvironment.
BUILDINGSHAREDVISION- aretheskillsofunearthingshared"picturesofthefuture"thatfostergenuinecommitmentandenrollment,ratherthancompliance.
TEAMLEARNING– iscreatingadialogue,thecapacityofmembersofateamtosuspendassumptionsandenterintoagenuinecollaboration.Ratherthanliterallyheavingideasbackandforthinawinner-takes-allcompetitionthathappensfrequentlyinbrainstorming,teamlearningisvitalbecauseallmembersunderstandthatdialogueisjustthebeginningofaconversation. STRUCTUREINFLUENCESBEHAVIOR– conveystheconceptthatsystemscausetheirowncrises,notexternalforcesorindividuals'mistakes.InTeamGroundRuleSystems,structureincludeshowpeoplemakedecisionsthroughtranslatingperceptions,goals,rules,andnormsintoactions.Structureproducesbehavior,andchangingunderlyingstructurescanproducedifferentpatternsofbehavior.Inthissense,structuralexplanationsareinherentlygenerative.Forexample,whendecisionmakersredesigntheirownwayofmakingdecisionsthisinofitselfredesignsthestructureofthegroundrulesystem.
References(Documentsusedtoadapttheexercise)Discussiontopicsadaptedfromhttp://lopn.net/System_Archetypes.html.ALearningOrganizationPractitioners'Network(LOPN).AnetworkconnectedtoSocietyof
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OrganizationalLearning-Global. Singapore.AttributionstoJenniferKemeny,MichaelGoodman,DanielH.Kim,ErnstDiehl,ChristianKampmann,JackNevison,JohnSterman,DonellaMeadows,VirginiaH.Anderson,DavidPeterStrohFisher,Roger,Patton,Bruce,Ury,William(2011)GettingtoYes,NegotiatingAgreementWithoutGivingIn.PenguinBooks.ISBN 10: 0143118757 ISBN 13: 9780143118756Glossaryadaptedfromhttp://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/larsenk/learnorg/senge.htmlSenge,Peter(1990).TheFifthDiscipline.Currency.ISBN0-385-26095-4.Senge,P.etal.(1994).TheFifthDisciplineFieldbook.NewYork:DoubledayCurrency.
