Episodes
Wednesday May 12, 2021
15 - Provoking Learning
Wednesday May 12, 2021
Wednesday May 12, 2021
People and teams have the opportunity to learn all the time, not just in training. And, in order for knowledge to be generated, we need to provoke learning. But what is provoking learning, how do you do it, and how do I recognize when learning is not happening? That's what we talk about in this episode.
The download that we talk about in the episode is available here.
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
13 - Help the system see the system with reflective observations.
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
In episode 11, we talked about Observing systems and in this episode, we explore using Reflective Observation as a way to help a system see the system.
By using interviews and observations, we help people see patterns and gaps clearly. Thus, they can choose their own actions to improve which in our experience leads to greater buy-in compared to prescriptions from an outside "expert".
However, how do you engage in reflective observations? How do you make sense of what you see and hear? How do you present it to the system? Those are just a few of the things we cover in this episode.
Enjoy!
-Esther & Viktor
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
12 - Accumulating Sorrow and Network Trauma
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
Tuesday Feb 04, 2020
We, humans, are greatly influenced by the people around us. Our social networks affect our behavior and emotions. They can be a source of support buoying us up. But what happens when most of your network is in the same distress? When sorrows pile on, the whole network can spiral into trauma. In this mini-episode, we’ll talk about what you can do if you are in an organization that is experiencing a cumulative accumulation of sorrow and network trauma.
Thursday Jun 13, 2019
8 - Entering Systems
Thursday Jun 13, 2019
Thursday Jun 13, 2019
As consultants we both enter new systems on a regular basis. But even if you are working in a company, any time you interact with a new group, you are entering that system, and you will have an impact on that group. The thing is, because you are new, you don’t know what has happened before you got there, what the struggles have been, what the norms are. So it is useful to enter with clarity about your own intentions, and a clear commitment to understand who the group was before you. As a newcomer, you are looking at the group with fresh eyes. Your insights are more likely to be accepted, if you stand in curiosity, rather than judgement.
In this episode we’re shifting focus a bit--but still, we come back to questions. The questions that we ask ourselves, and some that you might ask for self-reflection.
Saturday Apr 13, 2019
6 - Asking Better Questions - How Different Structures Of Questions Function
Saturday Apr 13, 2019
Saturday Apr 13, 2019
For the most part, we've learned how to ask questions from the way people have asked us questions, but also through observing and imitating our parents, teachers, and other people in authoritative positions. Very often the question we are asked in school have a right answer, they are closed or multiple choice which is a variation of a closed question. As a result, our questions are often not nearly as effective as they can be and in this episode, we explore the structure of questions and how the structure impacts their usefulness or effectiveness. We also discuss the scope of a question and how that can either empower or disempower the team or people we ask the questions too.
We've created a short download with example questions. Download it here.
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
5 - Asking Better Questions - Intentions
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
The questions we ask determine the answers we get--obviously. Being aware of sort of answers your questions are likely to illicit (which we call intentions) increase your ability to choose questions that will help groups think clearly and solve problems.
In this episode, the first in a series of episodes about asking better questions, we go through 9 different intentions that we’ve found helpful when working with groups.
We've also created Question Intentions Worksheet in which we list and describe intentions and give several examples of them. Download it here.
Wednesday Feb 13, 2019
4 - System Constraints and De-constraints
Wednesday Feb 13, 2019
Wednesday Feb 13, 2019
Adding and removing constraints impacts patterns and performance. Too many constraints limit people from taking action and collaborating which is usually the opposite of what organizations want. But with too few constraints we get flailing. Or? Do we? That's what we talk about in this episode--what if we got it all wrong and our job is mostly about removing constraints?