PART 2 - PRACTITIONER LEARNINGS FROM A DISSERTATION ON COMPLEXITY

In my previous blog, I described my MSc dissertation on what the idea that organisations are complex might mean for the practice of development in organisations. In that post, I shared a story from a few months ago, which described how this research helped inform my participation with a client group. In this second post, I am sharing some of my research and inquiry process findings. ? Firstly, I want to share some of what I found about the stance of a practitioner.? Here I am using the word practitioner as someone working in the People and OD space.

Inner and Outer Work

Practitioners are working with the complexity of the presenting challenge and social complexity, the dynamics at play within and between people. A significant theme from the inquiry process was how complexity feels, how it's experienced and how people and groups respond to it.? Sharon Varney shares,

‘Complexity is often used to mean difficult or convoluted; a problem where the answer is not obvious…Complexity science focuses on how patterns emerge from the myriad of interactions between people and comes from the notion of things being intertwined.’?

In this definition, words such as convoluted, myriad, and intertwined speak to how complexity can feel.? Since I carried out my thesis, Jennifer Garvey Berger and Carolyn Coughlin's new book further raises the importance of the felt sense of complexity.

This highlights the importance of why developing capacity for 'inner work' can be helpful for practitioners. ? I saw this as developing the ability to notice how and what we are paying attention to—broadening what we are sensing and perceiving at the levels of self, individual, group and organisation. Patricia Shaw (2006) talks about 'I', 'Me' and 'We' ('I', my essence, 'Me', the image I project and 'We', my interaction with others). This focus can help us explore what drives us and how it informs our presence and interactions with others. Inner work translates to helps us more effectively understand what is happening in groups and with others.??

It is invaluable for practitioners to have spent time on their development to raise their consciousness and understand more about their perspectives, stories, gifts, biases, and shadows to support them in understanding how they connect with others and hold their work and where they can fall down. In the cooperative inquiry group that formed part of my dissertation research, the findings consistently highlighted how the practitioners got data from their bodies, noticing tensions and patterns in themselves and with others that informed their sense-making and the insights they would use in their work.

Here the inner work can then translate to outer work. Insights guide the approach(es) to take; understand how we embody our practice, build connections and support clients. Inner work supports intuition and the felt sense to create reflections that can be explored and create experiences that further develop clients' capacities to work with complexity. This work can provide valuable data to create opportunities to notice and explore what patterns, habits, and ways of being there might be within a system. Practitioners have many available approaches to inform future development and change, such as narratives, stories, dialogue, and reflective practices. The metaphor I currently have is a mariner's ability to notice the currents and changes in the sea, to predict potential events and course correct… and sometimes, as its a complex beast - it will produce a surprise!?

Past, Present and Future

People tend to post-rationalise events into linear pathways, where we 'should' have known or predicted what would happen. We saw this after the 9/11 tragedy, where analysts sought to sequence the events. The human need to rationalise, order, and create understanding developed a perspective that we should have been able to detect 9/11. In reality, only hindsight allows causality to be seen in such weak and unprecedented signals.??

When we look at this example, we can see how the passage of time affects how we view events. The perspective will be different, depending on the individual and their experience through a period. For example, an organisation's intention to make change happen will be informed by past understanding and the desired purpose or outcome. As we move towards the future, insights and knowledge emerge continually in the present. These shift our perspectives on both the past and, in turn, the future we seek to create.????

There is significant learning in the exploration of different stories and perspectives. Creating processes that enable people to hear and explore perspectives, consider choices and discover more about the constantly moving currents and shifting what is occurring provides rich insights. At both individual and group levels, these insights enable people to make more sense or see more of what is happening around what they are trying to achieve. It is said you cannot see the culture you are in. However, it is possible to see more and become more versatile at engaging with people and responding more effectively.

In a recent peer learning group, we were looking at the challenge of managing up; one of the frames I was using was the relationship and stories people had about power, sharing some content of different sources and forms of power.? The group explored both their organisational and personal stories on power.? Seeing how they held the concept and what played out for them and others enabled them to see their own patterns as well as how things played out in their leadership relationships.? The group process we had created also enabled others to share their reflections and noticing, furthering the powerful insights built.?

The Learning I Am Taking, For Now...

Working with these insights, I have seen a shift in my practice. The continued focus on personal development has increased my capacity to sense-make and gain a feel for dynamics at play, supporting my grounding and presence when working. I am tuning into my body more effectively and noticing more 'currents' to gain new insights. I now understand my practice more deeply, where I am strong and where I need to bring in others.

In the inquiry group, we had an ongoing theme about the omnipresent nature of complexity. One member of the inquiry group used the analogy of recognising complexity as the wallpaper of life; it's always with us. I moved from seeing complexity as dark, heavy and out of reach to something neutral, which is always with me. Working on my relationship with complexity allowed me to explore what I notice, pay attention to what I am feeling and perceiving, and be curious about its context and direction has been helpful.?

Always curious to talk to people interested in this subject - please reach out if you are also interested in exploring.

Shaw, P., Stacey, R,. (2006) Experiencing Risk, Spontaneity and Improvisation in Organizational Change Working Live.?Routledge?Abingdon