Systems

It’s not all about anything

May 8, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Three senior managers In our enthusiasm for an insight or an aspect of a situation that makes a critical difference, we’re inclined to think that’s the one thing that matters in the end.

Of course, it isn’t.

We say “It’s all about the…”

“It’s all about the relationships,” for example, or “It’s all about the money.”

Vital though that consideration may be, it’s highly unlikely to be the only essential factor. Chances are there are a whole lot of necessary but not sufficient conditions.

Sometimes we may choose the emphasis of the universal statement to make the point, but it helps to remember it’s only one of a number of vital ingredients for success.

It takes them all, and we need to elicit every one of them, not just the ones we see first.

Filed Under: Change, Personal Mastery, Systems Tagged With: Dr David Fraser, essential factors, it's all about the money, it's all about the relationships, necessary but not sufficient conditions

Constrained or radical?

May 4, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Tall buildings in London If you’re on the inside, it can be hard to stimulate change in the wider system because although you have some explicit authority, you’re constrained by your stakeholders’ expectations. We can’t really look to you to show the way on a wider front.

If you’re on the outside, it can be hard to stimulate change because although you’re not constrained, you don’t have authority.

But you do have the chance to be radical.

And those on the inside need those on the outside to be radical, because the stakeholders are influenced.

And then those on the inside can do something different because they have authority.

And then the system can change.

Filed Under: Change, Leadership, Systems Tagged With: authority, Dr David Fraser, influence, inside, outside, showing the way

Completely holistic?

April 17, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Earth from space Can we ever be completely holistic? Or can we only hope to be more holistic than we were yesterday? Is that even a good idea?

It’s generally a worthy goal, striving to ensure our actions are matched to as whole and balanced a view as possible. More chance then of our actions being truly beneficial. But can we ever be complete in that respect? Even a system we recognise in large scale is part of a still bigger system—every “whole” is part of something else.

So…

Being completely holistic seems beyond reach.

How then to choose our scope? How to choose the boundary of the system with which we engage? How to find the practical optimum between a large enough scope to qualify as “holistic” and something small and simple enough we can actually influence?

As the late Frank Farrelly said in his book “Provocative Therapy,” “When it comes time to act, you have to oversimplify.”

Or as Peter Senge, author of “The Fifth Discipline” says, “Don’t try to figure out the unfigure-outable.”

Being both holistic and practical—another “both-and” to keep in mind and in balance.

Filed Under: Personal Mastery, Systems Tagged With: balanced view, both-and, choosing a scope, Dr David Fraser, finding an optimum, whole

Do you need the big roll-out?

April 12, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Group of people listening It’s striking how some organizations think first of the scale required to roll something new out to the workforce at large—a daunting and expensive undertaking.

And yet often the same effect can be achieved with the leadership group attending thoroughly to their own change and growth.

So much cheaper and easier to organize and yet not the usual pattern.

Filed Under: Change, Leadership, Learning, Personal Mastery, Systems, Wisdom Tagged With: change and growth, Dr David Fraser, personal mastery, Roll-out

The trouble with profiling

March 29, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Informal meeting Well, one of the troubles with profiling…

In forming teams, it’s a good idea to bring together complementary skills and personality types. Diversity brings performance, though it may not be comfortable at first.

So we reach for the psychometric tests—how handy to be able to profile people and select them for roles in teams.

But there’s a problem…

Actually, probably several problems, but let’s focus on one…

Unless we’re very careful, the use of profiling strengthens the belief in team members that they don’t need to change; that they don’t need to develop their flexibility. After all, they’ve been told they’re an xyz, and perhaps even encouraged to play to their profile, to be an xyz to the full—to avoid flexibility, in fact.

In letting this situation persist, we make a fundamental error…

For a team to be successful, it needs to learn, and for a team to learn, it needs its members to be searching out their individual development, not staying in their boxes.

Otherwise one of the conditions for learning and growth in an organisation—personal mastery (responsibility for one’s own change)—isn’t present.

We’ve taken it away with our profiling.

Filed Under: Change, Organizational Learning, Personal Mastery, Systems Tagged With: change, Dr David Fraser, personal mastery, psychometric profiling, responsibility for one's own change, teams

Do you speak the language of resistance?

February 1, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Three senior managers “Culture change program”

“Public sector reform”

“Get well program”

We hear these phrases all the time. We might even use them ourselves.

But there’s a problem…

Using language like this, the hearers need to accept that what they were doing yesterday was wrong. Human beings don’t really do that. Instead, we’ll likely stay just the same tomorrow as we are today, in order to prove that we were right yesterday and had no need to change.

Talk about “culture change program” or “public sector reform” or “get well program” and we’re liable to build up resistance to what we hope to achieve. We’re “programming” it.

Best not to put people in the position where they have to accept there’s something wrong before they’ll do something right.

Much better just to talk about the specifics of what you want, without reference to what you don’t want.

That’s if you want to avoid resistance anyway.

It’s all about the egos.

Filed Under: Change, Communication, Leadership, Organizational Learning, Systems Tagged With: building up resistance, culture change program, Dr David Fraser, get well program, programming resistance, public sector reform

To change the whole, stop trying to

January 30, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Earth from space Given the large scale challenges facing the world, it’s tempting to get on a mission of changing the whole system, thinking that’s the only way we can make progress.

Trouble is…

Pick any major issue you like and it’s easy to show that the system which determines it is incredibly complex, well beyond our individual ability to comprehend, much less control. Attempt to change the whole and you’re likely to be rebuffed, and if you persist in trying to change the whole, funnily enough, you make it harder for the whole to change, because you build up resistance and block the energy flow.

Sit with this for long and you realize the most you can do is something smaller. You can only change what you’re in touch with. However, the more you are connected to other people, the more they will change too, and the more you are wise in what you do, the more successful your change will be.

Once enough people get that they can’t change the whole; and instead take the small actions they can take, then the whole starts to change.

It takes a certain acceptance—of our significant insignificance, you could say.

And a certain belief—in the power of small action, and the power of connection.

Filed Under: Personal Mastery, Relationship Skills, Systems, Wisdom, World Affairs Tagged With: changing the whole system, Dr David Fraser, insignificance, the power of connection

Do you give them time to think?

January 28, 2013 By Dr David Fraser 1 Comment

Group of people listening Do you even give yourself time to think?

Culturally, in the West at least, we behave as if we’re expected to move into action quickly, and usually we are.

But what if the action we take isn’t the right action?

An action taken in haste is often exactly the opposite of what a measured response would be, one that is sensitive to the longer term, systemic effect. Reacting to the symptoms of a problem, otherwise known as events, often makes the underlying fundamental problem harder to solve. Some time to reflect might develop that understanding.

We have a choice…

React to events, or give pause and address the underlying issue?

Worth bearing in mind when we deal with other people, whether professionally or personally and it applies to families just as much as to organizations. Developing either is more successful when we appreciate the system we are dealing with.

Buddhists would say: Right vision, right intention, right action, in that order, and with emphasis on vision.

Creating the space for others to think before they act is likely to bring you better results, especially in the long run.

Just remember, you’re swimming against the cultural tide in doing so. And that’s why it matters.

Filed Under: Leadership, Relationship Skills, Systems, Wisdom Tagged With: culture, Dr David Fraser, reacting to events, right vision right intention right action, system

Are you an architect or a gardener?

January 25, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

House and garden It is said that “The policy maker should act as a gardener not an architect.” In other words, the policy maker will do better to support good ideas that emerge rather than direct from on high.

I connect that with experience of some organizations that assume new ideas cannot come from external sources and innovation can only be initiated within. But they have no monopoly on knowledge.

On the other hand, sometimes the leader really does know best.

When it comes to change, do you direct as an architect, or nurture new growth as a gardener?

Do you develop a vision and then command its realization, or do you hold space for new things to emerge?

The art, of course, is in holding these opposing dynamics in balance.

Filed Under: Change, Leadership, Personal Mastery, Systems Tagged With: architect, Dr David Fraser, emergence, gardener, innovation, knowledge, policy maker

Are you a model of not knowing?

January 23, 2013 By Dr David Fraser Leave a Comment

Or do you always give an answer even if you’re not sure?

One of the greatest gifts a leader can give their team (and themselves) is to show that it’s OK to say you don’t know, or at least it’s much better to say you don’t know than to pretend you do.

Here’s the benefit…

When we accept we don’t know, we open ourselves up to new data and the learning we need, and we ensure our decisions aren’t corrupted by false information. Model that and we’ll create a culture of transparency. Pretend we know and everybody’s feedback loops get confused, including our own.

It sounds so obvious, and yet our egos tend to get in the way.

For some, the “Italian Flag” method (from Patrick Godfrey and others) can help. Traditionally, a judgement call in a review, for example, might be seen as having two outcomes: OK or not OK, go or no go, green or red. Add-in white as a possibility and we have: OK, not OK, and don’t know, and of course, the colors of the Italian flag —green, white and red. And we have the chance of uncovering uncertainty.

That’s a technical approach.

At the human level, it’s simpler… The words “I don’t know” will do.

How do you model not knowing?
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I’ve decided to make available the notes (6 pages) from a talk on leadership I gave recently. These include specific insights into how to get organisations to learn and change and increase their performance. You can get a copy here…

http://www.drdavidfraser.com/keys-to-successful-leadership/

Filed Under: Leadership, Personal Mastery, Systems Tagged With: Dr David Fraser, feedback, I don't know, Italian Flag method, modeling, not knowing