When I worked for police, we were involved in delivering and promoting a program known as Protective Behaviours. In the context I was working in, it was aimed at young people and provided a terrific way of making decisions in order to keep themselves safe and minimise any harm to themselves.

In re exploring this program recently, it occurred to me that it also has wonderful application in the adult workplace.

The two themes:

“We all have the right to feel safe at all times”

and

“Nothing is so awful we can’t talk about it”

certainly have resonance for adult workers.

Underpinning these themes is the notion of safety, risking on purpose and unsafe behaviour.  Understanding these concepts links very much with our emotional intelligence and how we make choices about our behaviours, what we say and our feelings and how these influence ours and others safety or lack of it.

And the notion of “Nothing is so awful we can’t tell someone about it ” has at its core the concept of persistence ie in other words if you can’t get the first person you tell to help restore the environment of safety, then keep on trying and work through your network until you do find someone. This can equally apply to your own safety or that of others.

The technique also advocates the development of a personal safety network  a person can turn to when they are feeling unsafe. This needs to consist of adults who are able to non judgmentally listen and who are willing to take action on your behalf. It provides for an opportunity to gain diverse perspectives for action , often necessary in the complex world in which we live, and a means of restoring personal safety.

Some of the work I am developing around the concept of PBs links directly to the leadership field and EI and other work is around the use of metaphor in terms of working through safe and unsafe options and its use in maintaining personal safety. As this develops I will make it available through this blog.

Metaphor is a powerful way of:

• developing ideas,
• starting a conversation,
• transferring knowledge and
• developing an understanding of complex concepts.

In much of the work I undertake I weave in metaphor at some point and often along with story.  It serves to develop a strong image in the listeners mind thereby enhancing the understanding of the concepts or their own or another persons behaviour.

In the attached video ( via the link below) I discuss metaphor along with 3 of my colleagues. In this particular instance it refers largely to the Organizational Zoo metaphor developed by Arthur Shelley who also features in the video.

So if you are needing to look at change, values and attitudes, behaviours, teams, thinking, knowledge transfer….the list is only limited by one’s imagination…I would suggest the use of metaphor woven into whatever you are doing!!!!!

Have a look at the video………..you may find it sparks the imagination and gives you some ideas about how you might explain concepts differently or have a difficult conversation!!!!

Org Zoo talking metaphor

The workshop is a wonderful opportunity to further explore your leadership capabilities in depth.

The workshop is highly experiential and uses action learning, reflection and simulation to assist with your learning.

A follow up coaching session is offered as part of the package. The total package including catering is $600 inc GST

Electronic registrations are now open. To access the brochure on which there is a link to register please click on IMPACT workshop

The group was a highly multicultural group with people from Malaysia, Chinese mainland, Egypt, Singapore and India. The workshop was structured around developing an understanding in the first instance of the use of metaphor. This was achieved by introducing the participants to some of the animal characters in the zoo so they could talk about what came to mind, when, for example they saw the picture of the lion. This developed a common understanding of the concept and a sense of confidence and safety in using the concept of metaphor to understand behaviors.

We then built teams using the notion of animal metaphor and which set of behaviors and characteristics would contribute positively and then negatively to a team. Rich conversation evolved out of this exercise and it became clear to people that the issue of behavior was contextual.

Participants then worked in small groups, designing their own scenario to apply the techniques . They were asked to look at behaviors in this instance that were  highly desirable , good to have , tolerated and not desirable. Some of the scenarios chosen were ” Being a Parent” and “Giving a  Performance Review” The outcomes of the exercise generated a great deal of conversation, debate and knowledge sharing which would not have occurred as easily without the metaphors. It also developed a sense of collaborative activity and dialogue amongst the group and a respect of the notion that there are many differences in how we do things.

Comments made by the participants were very positive:

“Very informative, fun and interactive. I can apply what I learnt in may situations. I am eager to use it.”

“Interesting way of understanding behaviors in organizations. Effective and impactful way to stimulate collaborative practices for enhanced performance. These methods of facilitation/teaching have a lasting impact. than the traditional methods. A perfect way to learn through fun.”

“The workshop has introduced me to interesting technique in profiling behavior. I can definitely see many usage techniques in the following scenarios- team building, hiring/staffing, adapting different behaviors during project lifestyles”

In a later role a similar technique was used in evaluating the ROI on a senior leadership program. The whole issue of looking at ROI for such a program caused a great deal of thinking and struggling with what might be the best way to do it as one cannot simply turn out leadership widgets at the conclusion of the program. In this instance I used a technique more aligned with the work undertaken by Brinkenhoff but in a modified format. This again proved to be useful and captured the richness of experience as well as the impact for people. It was also a method by which we could continue to capture the impact over time and develop a rich knowledge repository.

In later times I have applied the methodology developed by Cognitive Ede by using Sensemaker. In this particular instance we needed an innovative method of evaluating and capturing the impact of a statewide innovation network that was funded by the Victoria Public Service. Sensemaker provided the tool that allowed us to capture narrative , make sense of the anecdotes and look at emergent trends. I have uploaded a copy for those who are interested VPSCINevaluation2

I am currently collaborating with some colleagues in developing other pieces of narrative research using Sensemaker and anecdotes. Some of this is anticipated to be quite ground breaking and I hope that I am able to share details on this blog in the not too distant future.

The other complicating issue was that the values as yet had not been agreed. This was  symptomatic of how various sections of the organisation saw their identity as even though they were all the one organisation, their employment conditions and who they were employed by were completely different as were the jobs they undertook.

So a decision was taken to work with the underlying behaviours in the form of narrative and metaphor. The Organizational Zoo techniques developed by Arthur Shelley were the tools of choice for the metaphor.

Participants were encouraged to share stories in response to stimuli and then choose a positive story to which they applied the Organizational Zoo metaphor. Through the use of the animal cards they were able to identify positively contributing behaviours and behaviours that detracted from the story. As a whole group they then designed their own Organizational Zoo.

This brought about a number of benefits and quite exciting results. One was the open and rigorous conversation that took place about appropriate behaviours and the group decision that was reached about what was ok or not. Secondly there was emergent use of other metaphor to talk about situations. For example they wanted to use the instruction cards in the box of cards as part of their Zoo as this represented the legislation on which their work was based!!! And there was also the emergence of values that the group agreed to. These were their own,with an understanding of the underpinning attendant behaviors.

It was also fascinating to see how many drew characters as well as having the conversation. The drawings seemed to stimulate conversation and dialogue within their small groups. Below is an example of the drawing which is amazingly accurate in terms of the characters developed in the Organizational Zoo!!!

The organisation now has their own Organizational Zoo to refer to metaphorically in terms of what they want to be and are continuing the conversation to strengthen the understanding.

IMPACT

Influencing, Mastering Power, Authority, Control, Tactics

a professional development opportunity

Registrations are now open electronically for the IMPACT workshop on October 25.

The workshop is being facilitated  jointly by Bespoke Results and Creative Cognicion.

It is a wonderful opportunity to further explore your leadership capabilities in depth.

The workshop is highly experiential and uses action learning, reflection and simulation to assist with your learning.

A follow up coaching session is offered as part of the package,

To register, please click on the link bespoke_brochure_6_Aug_2011 which

takes you to the brochure and then click on “here” on the brochure which will take you to the registration page.

As a result of my thinking I remembered an article by Robert Goffee that I circulated widely when I worked in that particular organisation. It brought  response….both positive and negative and at least started the conversation about leadership!!! The article is here why should anyone be led by you. Maybe it will start a conversation in your organisation too!!!!

Influencing, Mastering Power, Authority, Control, Tactics

a professional development opportunity

We live in complex and demanding times, and demands for leaders in organisations  to be skilled and respond have never been greater.

Organisations are complex social and political systems. Optimising their performance requires a sophisticated set of skills to effectively manage the emotional and social processes that impact on group and organisational performance.

Creative Cognicion in collaboration with Bespoke Results are faclitating a workshop on October 25.

In this highly experiential workshop you will be provided with deep insights into what makes organisations and groups tick.  We will examine the cultural and systemic factors that either support or have the potential to derail your organisation’s ability to deliver on its strategic objectives.

Registration is currently open and further details including registration details can be obtained by contacting Laurel on laurel.sutton@cre-ativ-cognicion.com.au.

Electronic registration will  be available in the first week of August.

Influencing

Are you often confronted with “No” as the first answer to your ideas? The Influencing workshops can assist you in having “Yes” said more often. The workshops use metaphor drawing on Organizational Zoo techniques to understand behaviors, and a range of creative techniques to help you develop your pitch. The workshops are a series of half day workshops with workplace application between sessions to help gain traction for the capabilities learnt. A less intensive whole day workshop is also offered.

Improving Your Team

Through the use of metaphor and designed interactions participants can explore how to improve their team interactions and thereby build a more effective team. The workshop helps participants gain insights into their own behaviors as well as that of the team and make adjustments where necessary.  It takes participants beyond the traditional “team building approach” into the realm of behaviors and attitudes and self reflection. Organizational Zoo techniques are drawn upon to develop the metaphors and understand behaviors in a fun and safe manner.

How to Move Forward (& not be frozen by risk!!)

This half day workshop assists with making risk an enabler rather than a barrier to moving forward. It looks at risk head on rather than denying it and helps the individual or group use it to their advantage. It is conducted in collaboration with “Think Quick”

A description of all offerings can be found in workshops creative cognicionjune 2011