Friday Space: a wander through language and metaphor
“As soon as I thought of it, I knew it was the right thing to do.” That’s how I felt about re-starting our informal Friday space zoom drop-in: although it was actually Griff’s idea, I was sure it would be good. And so it has been! In our second Friday space a fortnight ago, we explored language, metaphors, and the balance of being and doing...
After Friday Space I often have a few sentences or words in a notebook or on a post-it note, and one line I kept from the olden days of Friday space is a parallel between OD and sailing. When you feel out of control or don’t know what to do, it can be tempting to hold everything more tightly. Instead, try letting go of everything to see what happens: looking at where you are and the situation you’re in. Thankyou Pete!
Two of the Friday Space participants had been at a workshop about wellbeing, and some questions had arisen about what wellbeing means for each person – and our choice and agency to attend to our own wellbeing. We explored how our well-intentioned organisational wellbeing interventions – like turning off the email server overnight – may be out of step with individuals being able to decide and act for themselves. Taking more control of what people can do: is it good for the individual? Good for the organisation? Good OD? Hmmm.
Well-being … Well-doing … Well-thinking … Well-feeling?
We talked about value judgements. The midweek workshop had a slide about human biases aka ‘thinking errors’ and we discussed how limiting it can be to have already characterised something as an error. Those human biases (things like copying others, doing something rather than nothing, only using the information we have) come from thinking processes that probably saved an ancestor’s life at some point in the evolutionary journey! They may not be as useful now, but we I’m not sure that labelling them as !!ERRORS!! helps us.
We chatted about the use of language in our work: how it’s such a large part of the stuff we work with, but it can also constrain and steer us. Trying to keep away from specific language might keep us away from being fenced in. And metaphor and imagination can help us to move beyond our well-trodden thinking processes. The idea of clean coaching – where the coach only uses the language of the client - can feel clumsy. But it also can allow the client’s thinking not to be derailed by the coach’s mental pictures.
I’d been listening to this podcast about some famous experiments on conformity. Study participants in the US who fell in line and agreed with their (planted) fellow-humans, despite the evidence of their own eyes, were described as ‘conforming’ or being ‘influenced’. There was a real overtone of weakness or cowardice and disappointment from the researcher that people didn’t stand up for themselves. But one of the podcast contributors made the comment that in some Japanese societies, there is pressure not to embarrass others. So the same behaviour might be described as ‘tact’ or ‘sensitivity’. As practitioners can we let go of judgements and see things through different lenses?
Griff highlighted (please correct me if I’ve missed the point) a feature of the human system dynamics approach: that it doesn’t specify a frame. Starting from an orientation point of talking about trust, or leadership, or high performing teams (or whataver!) puts some expectation into the conversation, which maybe constrains the work. Starting with a more open frame – with no externally imposed variables – allows ideas and themes to emerge as the work happens. We moved on to talk about a group consultancy/coaching exercise where one person presents a topic or problem, then remains silent while others take turns asking questions. The usual process of exploring and developing common understanding through conversation – often staying within a single frame - isn’t allowed to happen. Instead, the frame is constantly shifting as individual questioners use their own lens on the topic.
We also chatted about tools and toolkits, and I almost offered a household plumbing anecdote as another metaphor. But that’s a story for another Friday!
Lizzie Reather
Friday Space is a flexible open space for members to talk about OD, work and life. It's online every two weeks and is 90 minutes long, conversational, loosely structured and not recorded or AI-summarised. You don't need to register, just show up on the day. One or both of Lizzie Reather & Griff Griffiths will host initially. (The session isn't intended for ODNE Board matters; there will be other opportunities for that). Find the next episode on the Events page.
“I like it because you can say what you like and no-one is trying to show off or compete."
Friday Space participant