Our Approach: Autonomous & dynamic decisions

1. Co-development and Joint Learning

 

How we work with you -

1. A case example
2. Subject matter summary

Example: Organizational fraction

After several years of rapid international expansion, the board of an international NGO called for the consolidation, structuring and systematization of the operations. This decision sent shock waves through the hitherto enthusiastic staff. What had been an exceptionally homogeneous, family-like and spirited working community, broke apart into two distinct camps: the ' dream catchers' who deemed literally any form of structure a fatal attack on creativity and compassion; and the ' pen pushers' who hailed formalized order in even the most remote areas as a matter of future survival. The fracture went across all levels, including the board of directors. Within weeks, the NGO started to become paralyzed by this polarity and a boosting schizophrenia - the 'dream catchers' organized their anti-structure resistance in most sophisticated, organized and efficient ways; and the 'pen pushers' developed a most imaginative and creative energy in designing new processes and matrix structures. State-of-the-art change management was deployed with outside help, but produced marginal effects.

In the visible scene , we faced the standard challenges of organizational change - one would expect that good management and time would cure them. However, mapping the underlying energies , another picture merged. The collective notion of uniqueness, moral and organizational supremacy, and of belonging to an 'elected' group had a cost that the people now must pay.

Individually and collectively, they had delegated large parts of their creative potential, intellectual capacity and personal imagination to a communal idea so glorious that it requested quasi total subordination. The call for structuring and systematization had the emotional effect of stripping the idea naked of these delegations and projections. The 'dream catchers' and the 'pen pushers' acted out the same energy - although each group in different forms - of conserving the image: these by resisting the dismantling of the delegation, those by giving it a new protective form. Delegation and projection then found an additional outlet in the relation between the two fractions - they entered an 'emotional division of labor', one group responsible for creativity (yet taking this assignment on in a quasi professional and highly structured manner), and the other one in charge of formality (yet carrying that job out most imaginatively).

We initiated an across-the-board learning exercise centered on transverse strategic themes that triggered everybody's fancy and eagerness to participate. Jointly we mapped the different issues, their correlation and the diverging outlooks and ideas on how to resolve them. Thus, we captured the seemingly opposing inner dynamics. We went on with co-designing issue-based maps in order to chart past, existing and possible future motions of the NGO, its various undertakings and of its partners. The dynamics changed rapidly. Providing a communal framework of thought an action, the learning endeavor led to the articulation of diversity, contradictions and opposite longings. Polarity turned into stimulating diversity.

Several fundamental goals were achieved within a limited time. In the scene , the 'consolidation' took place - but now as a jointly developed and agreed consequence of a jointly designed direction. Regarding the inner constitution , the diverging emotional conditions had begun to surface and become visible for all. The matter was no longer to maintain homogeneity but to orchestrate the diverse energies without disregarding or over-emphasizing them. An emerging new strategic framework, organizational structure, job descriptions - and the like - were mere consequences of this.

Core elements of cooperation

The core characteristics of our work with you include:

• Relating evident problems to fundamental, less visible developments
• Capturing diverging views and the underlying dynamics that they represent
• Creating a communal platform of viewing, thinking and acting
• Capitalizing on polarity, contradictions and opposites to amplify vision
• Including the inner condition s of the actors
• Incorporating efforts of others
• Generating conclusive movements regarding concrete issues
• Focus

We understand our work not as an alternative to the contributions that others may make to your endeavor - including, for instance, auditors, consultants, lawyers, mediators, donors and social investors, etc. Rather, we focus on structuring integral developments at a level and with a dimension that orchestrates such efforts.