Experience Meetings a New Way

This posting is based on and adapted from the section "Seeing from Within an Organization" in the book Presence by Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski and Flowers.

Edgar Schein, a founder of the field of organizational psychology, said "If you want to understand an organization's culture, go to a meeting."

To experience meetings in a new way, consider how you can apply Schein's insights in a systematic way. Rather than participating normally, pay attention to what is going on ... and to your own reactions.

• Who speaks? Who doesn't?
• What issues are addressed? Which are avoided?
• What's the pink elephant in the room that no one will mention?
• Who is listened to? Who isn't?
• What kinds of words figure promptly in the language of the powerful? the ignored?
• What can you learn from the body language?

For the aficionado of meetings and office politics, there's nothing new to those questions. Where the new learning often comes is through reflecting on your own thoughts and feelings.

During the meeting, take quick note of your reactions. Later look at the event in detail, consider what you heard, what you say, and what you felt.

• When do you feel safe? feel threatened?
• When are you confused? When are you clear on what is being said?
• Where were you fully present and engaged? Where were you distracted?
• Were you feeling conflict? feeling in agreement?
• What assumptions of your own are you noticing?

Then stretch your experience even further and imagine how different people were experiencing the same events. What do you learn about yourself by imagining the experience of others?

In spending the time to process your experience over a series of meetings alone and with your coach, you will deepen your understanding of the organization's culture - its norms, beliefs and fundamental assumptions. You can start to see yourself as a part of that culture, noticing where you contribute to the patterns of behavior. And perhaps you'll finally ask yourself the question,

What am I doing - in my actions, thoughts and feelings - to maintain these patterns as they are?

... and then,

Is this what I want to be doing?

Reinventing Office Politics

I've posted a number of times on Organizational Politics, and watch closely for new information on the topic. Gill Corkindale recently posted Reinventing Office Politics on the Harvard Business Online. She reiterates the position that negative (manipulative, self-serving) politics is to be avoided. Positive politics (understanding other's motivations, influencing with integrity) are an integral part of succeeding at senior levels of most organizations.

She highlights the following tips for employing positive politics:

• Learn the system and work around it
• Cultivate relationships with the right people
• Understand individual agendas
• Act in a principled way
• Develop a network of information sources
• Avoid making enemies
• Build support for constructive ideas
• Build a personal reputation
• Treat everyone fairly
• Influence rather than using direct authority
• Learn how to steer meetings
• Negotiate in tough situations
• Manage conflict

For more on this topic, see some of my earlier postings:

• Office Politics: Playing the Game
• Avoids Political Behavior
• Political Awareness: Alliance-Building or Turf-Protection
• Silos, Politics and Turf Wars
  

Political Awareness: Alliance-building or Turf-protection

Researchers from the Warwick Business School in partnership with the Chartered Management Institute have just released their research report on political awareness across all sectors in the UK. They found, in interviewing 1495 managers and executives, that less than one-third saw politics are "protecting turf". Conversely, nearly 60% found politics to be about building alliances in support of organizational objectives.

The activities seen in UK organizations that are dependent on political skills are:

• shaping key priorities within the organization
• building partnerships with external partners
• promoting the reputation of the organization
• managing risk of the organization.

Notice the strong focus on external forces. In our media-rich world, with increasing competition and globalization, political skills are moving from that of promoting self-interest, to understanding other's motivations and developing appropriate outcomes.

The work suggests using these approaches in developing individual political awareness:

• Assess your political skills using 360° feedback
• Observe, reflect and question actions and motivations, particularly in times of crisis and mistakes
• Seek opportunities to be involved (even if only in a minor role) in politically-sensitive situations
• Mentally debrief after key meetings to develop stronger skills in reading people and situations
• Gain exposure to other cultures, business sectors, functional areas, etc. to build understanding of the various perspectives and needs

An executive summary of the research is available at Leading with Political Awareness.

Top Prohibitions

The Chinese have a phrase gaoyaxian (高压线) which literally means a high-voltage line. In the fast paced, economically oriented climate of Shanghai, the phrase is more often translated to “top prohibition”, the rules that one should never break, as it could be as lethal as touching a high-tension wire.

In an earlier posting, we discussed Office Politics, and the need to develop an understanding of politics to enable you, as an employee or manager, to get things. Another part of the oft-called “secret handshake” of office politics is learning the rules, and most importantly the gaoyaxian.

All cultures have defined rules of behavior. We normally learn them through normal socialization – family life, religious education, school and media. Orientation programs and employee handbooks give us our first clues to the rules of behavior at most companies. Some companies continue the socialization with training programs, ethics posters, communication meetings and newsletters. Have you ever noticed, however, that when you change divisions or bosses, new rules seem to appear? Rules on when to show up, how to dress, acceptable forms of conflict, how decisions are made, who is allowed to make a decision, and so forth.

When you are in a new position due to a company change, a merger, or a promotion, invest in building organizational awareness. Be curious, listen to others talk about how to get things done, explore comments like “I would never try that”, watch actions, discern patterns of behavior. Especially try to determine the gaoyaxian – top prohibitions. You may want to try what others are afraid to try, but know whether you are breaking a lethal rule or bringing fresh air to a stale organization.


高压线 (gaoyaxian)
top prohibitions
The term literally means a high-voltage line. It is often used to refer to rules that one should never break because it will prove to be as lethal as touching the high-tension wire.

Shanghai Daily Buzzwords 20 November 2006

What are the gaoyaxian in your company?

For Promotion

“For promotion, city now requires proof of ‘model son or daughter’” read the headline of an article in the Monday 20 November 2006 Shanghai Daily. For a promotion, officials in a number of cities and/or counties in China must prove that they care sufficiently for their family members. The government will interview family, friends and neighbors to assess the level of family responsibility.

We could look at this as a structural means for enforcing Confucianism and respect for the elderly. In fact, the filial piety was a criterion for selection as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 200 AD). However, the quote from the local Party secretary is intriguing, “If a candidate is found to be cold-hearted and neglectful of his parents, we could not consider him a responsible official.”

Is the implication that a person, who is cold-hearted and neglectful of those most close to him, will be cold-hearted and neglectful of everyone? Or is the assumption that being irresponsible in one area of life means a high likelihood of irresponsibility in others?

In coaching, there is a widely held assumption that what shows up in your life, shows up in your work. While caring for parents is not evaluated for promotion in western firms, as a candidate for promotion, a manager or an interviewer consider the elements of life that may be reflected in work.

• Do you follow through on all of your commitments?
  
• Do you consistently seek new challenges and opportunities?
  
• Do you show respect for others, always?
  
• Have you spent time to understand the point of view of others you interact with?
  
• Have you found ways to give to others?

Please add your thoughts and comments below.

Office Politics: Playing the Game

Politics, whether we are discussing George Bush and Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, or the Shanghai mayor, usually carries a negative connotation. When encountered in discussions about what happens in companies, politics is described not just as negative, but as counterproductive and even, destructive.

A definition of politics is “the process by which a community's decisions are made, rules for group behavior are established, competition for positions of leadership is regulated, and the disruptive effects of disputes are minimized.”* Notice that this is a neutral definition; politics is one of the structures of behavior – common to all human relations.

Understanding politics – the process by which decisions are made – enables a manager to get things done in an organization. Politics become counterproductive only when self-interest of the individual is the main driver, or when the methods employed lack integrity.

Entering into office politics becomes a game of figuring out why people do what they do. It would be ideal if everyone worked from the same assumptions and beliefs, and based every decision on logic derived from those beliefs. Instead, underlying most decisions are varying beliefs, wants, needs and relationships, which influence the outcome. Your trick is to become an organizational observer uncovering the rules, power structure, and nature of the competition.

Begin by looking at the informal structure of relationships.

• Who went to school together? Who golfs, goes to church, plays cards or lunches together?
• Who gets along with whom?
• Who is respected?
• Who has influence?
• Who is feared?

Be curious about people and events.

• Why did they do that?
• Why did they think that?
• What will happen now?
• Why is this no longer in favor?
• Who will look bad, or good, if this happens?

Build your areas of influence.

• Who can give you insight into what is happening?
• Who needs your help?
• How can you give help and then seek help in the future?
• Can you anticipate what will be of value to someone and provide it?

Use your network to develop greater understanding of the organization.

• What do they think happened at the meeting?
• Identify possible objections in advance.
• Allow others to test ideas.
• Gather and share more information.
  

It is rare when someone shares with you the rules of the game. More often, you need to develop the skills of watching, listening, questioning, gathering and sharing information, collecting and calling on favors, building and leveraging your network. If you can combine these activities with a strong sense of your values, then you too can participate in the game of politics with integrity and focus on getting things done.

* www.anthro.wayne.edu/ant2100/GlossaryCultAnt.htm