The Co-creative Meeting: Practicing Consensual Effectivity in Organizations

110 Pages·2013·1.325 MB·English

by  Christoph Mandl, Markus Hauser, Hanna Mandl (auth.)

SpringerBriefs in Business
For further volumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/8860
Christoph Mandl · Markus Hauser · Hanna Mandl
The Co-creative Meeting
Practicing Consensual Effectivity
in Organizations
1 3
Christoph Mandl Hanna Mandl
University of Vienna Mandl, Luethi & Partner
Vienna Vienna
Austria Austria
Markus Hauser
Katholische Sozialakademie
Österreichs (ksoe)
Vienna
Austria
ISSN 2191-5482 ISSN 2191-5490 (electronic)
ISBN 978-3-642-34230-1 ISBN 978-3-642-34231-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-34231-8
Springer Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012950850
© The Author(s) 2013
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Foreword
This book is written by three well-read thinkers with broad field experience who
pursue a very simple and convincing idea: All organizations deploy different struc-
tures and modes of discourse but few differentiate that, inevitably, there are two
paradigms of discourse: the one good at production, the other at creation.
The paradigm that relates to production deploys structures relevant to modes of
discourse geared to maintain high quality of products and services. This at mini-
mal time and cost, but with no competence at deciding what are the cases and the
problems that are to be addressed, let alone how to do so.
The paradigm that relates to creation deploys structures and modes of discourse
which are oriented toward introducing innovation and development. This emanates
from the quest to effectively deal with ever-changing organizational competencies.
Beyond pointing out how essential this differentiation is in terms of the mission
of any organization, the book provides distinct and action-oriented guidelines: the
one as to how to operate toward production-oriented discourse, the other toward
change-oriented discourse.
This book is written with remarkable clarity and lays out the differential struc-
tures and modes of operation for each of these two alternatives. Its special empha-
sis is on how to launch, run, and maintain the paradigm geared at creation with
all its complexities. It addresses the issue of how to deploy the elusive collective
and individual creativity which enables the discovery of its unique contribution to
organizations in this changing world.
There are many who are likely to benefit from these simply stated, easily
digestible, and action-oriented suggestions for organizational learning. Of special
value are its so understandable quotes.
It seems to be essential that this book has now been translated into English. I
believe it has a potentially wide readership in multiple areas of interest that are bound
to benetfi more than they expect from this experience-based and user-friendly volume.
Jerusalem, Israel, July 2012 Jona M. Rosenfeld
Unit of Learning from Success
Paul Baerwald School of Social Work
and Social Welfare
Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute Hebrew University
v
Acknowledgments
Unlike in disciplines such as mathematics or theoretical physics, the art of
Co-creative Meetings cannot be advanced in thought experiments. Practice is
necessary and people who are willing to run the risk of participating in uncon-
ventional meetings, who are willing to share frustration, anger and fear, but also
inspiration, joy, appreciation and moments of happiness. Had it not been for the
numerous people who have attended our workshops, we never would have been
able to write this book; we could not have tested the ideas of Martin Buber, Chris
Argyris and David Bohm, let alone develop their ideas further. Their hard work
is why this book is theirs, too and we want to thank them. Special thanks also go
to Doug Ross who carefully and with great enthusiasm read our manuscript and
made valuable and appreciated suggestions to improve it.
vii
Contents
1 Introduction ............................................... 1
1.1 Roots of the Co-creative Meeting ............................ 2
1.2 Our First Steps .......................................... 5
1.3 Advice ................................................ 5
References .................................................. 6
2 What is a Co-creative Meeting? ............................... 7
2.1 The Two Fundamental Dynamics in Organizations .............. 7
2.2 The Coordinating Meeting ................................. 9
2.3 The Co-creative Meeting .................................. 10
2.4 How Can a Meeting Become Co-creative? .................... 12
2.5 Meeting Paradigms ....................................... 12
References .................................................. 13
3 Dysfunctional Meeting Culture................................ 15
3.1 UTM Case ............................................. 16
3.2 What Went Wrong? ...................................... 19
References .................................................. 20
4 Interdependency of Meetings and Organizations................. 21
4.1 Emergence in the Social System of Road Traffic ................ 21
4.2 Organizations as Emergent Systems ......................... 22
4.3 Micro Level and Macro Level in Two Schools ................. 24
4.4 Meeting Routines ........................................ 25
4.5 Leverage Points ......................................... 26
References .................................................. 27
ix
x Contents
5 Maxims of the Co-creative Meeting ............................ 29
5.1 Responsibility ........................................... 31
5.2 Listening ............................................... 32
5.3 Speaking One’s Mind ..................................... 33
5.4 Observing Oneself ....................................... 34
5.5 Inquiring ............................................... 35
5.6 Keeping Silence Together .................................. 36
5.7 Openness .............................................. 37
5.8 Initiating Change with the Maxims .......................... 38
References .................................................. 39
6 Phases and Roles ........................................... 41
6.1 Management Meeting ..................................... 41
6.1.1 The First Meeting .................................. 42
6.1.2 The Second Meeting ................................ 43
6.1.3 The Third Meeting ................................. 43
6.1.4 The Fourth Meeting ................................ 43
6.2 Phases of the Co-creative Meeting ........................... 44
6.2.1 Phase 1: Searching for Common Ground ................ 44
6.2.2 Phase 2: Identifying Differences ...................... 45
6.2.3 Phase 3: Exploring Assumptions ...................... 45
6.2.4 Phase 4: Gaining Insights ............................ 45
6.3 Roles in Meetings ........................................ 46
6.4 Strategy Meeting ........................................ 47
6.5 The Four Roles .......................................... 48
6.5.1 The Mover ....................................... 49
6.5.2 The Follower ..................................... 49
6.5.3 The Opposer ...................................... 49
6.5.4 The Bystander. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
6.6 Embodying Roles ........................................ 52
References .................................................. 52
7 Designing for Co-creativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
7.1 Space ................................................. 54
7.2 Time .................................................. 55
7.3 Seating Arrangement ..................................... 56
7.4 Size ................................................... 58
7.5 Invitation ............................................... 59
7.6 Facilitation ............................................. 60
7.7 Documentation .......................................... 61
References .................................................. 61
Contents xi
8 Institutionalizing Co-creative Meetings ......................... 63
8.1 Communicating About Communication ..................... 64
8.2 Experiential Learning .................................... 66
8.2.1 Genuine Experience .............................. 67
8.2.2 Observation and Reflection ........................ 67
8.2.3 Conceptualization ................................ 68
8.2.4 Active Experimentation ........................... 68
8.3 Overcoming Mental Barriers .............................. 68
8.3.1 Mental Model ‘Coordinating Meeting’ ............... 69
8.3.2 Mental Model ‘Facilitated Meeting’ ................. 70
References .................................................. 71
9 Structural Variations for Co-creative Meetings ................... 73
9.1 Creating Shared Meaning ................................. 74
9.2 Suspending Judgment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
9.3 Revealing Basic Assumptions ............................. 76
9.4 Embracing Collective Intelligence .......................... 78
9.5 Exploring an Intricate Issue ............................... 79
9.6 Embodying the Four Roles ................................ 80
9.7 Reflecting Team ........................................ 81
9.8 Cascade .............................................. 83
9.9 World Café ............................................ 84
9.10 Metalogue Conference ................................... 86
9.11 Co-creative Peer Consultation ............................. 89
References .................................................. 90
10 Consensual Effectivity....................................... 91
10.1 Reaching Consensus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
10.2 Consensual Effectivity in Action ........................... 95
10.2.1 Phase 1: Exploring Potential ....................... 95
10.2.2 Phase 2: Reaching Consensus ...................... 97
10.2.3 Phase 3: Bringing into Reality ...................... 98
10.3 Beyond Organizations ................................... 99
10.4 Future Prospects ........................................ 101
References .................................................. 101
About the Authors .............................................. 103
Index ......................................................... 105
Chapter 1
Introduction
It is impossible to assess the function of a book, but I hope
this one may perhaps be of use somewhere, to someone else
wrestling with his own problems in relation to another time and
place. But if anyone should try to use it as a handbook, then I
can definitely warn him: there are no formulae; there are no
methods. I can describe an exercise or a technique, but anyone
who attempts to reproduce them from my description is certain
to be disappointed. I would undertake to teach anyone all that I
know about theatre rules and technique in a few hours. The rest
is practice.
—Peter Brook
The modern workplace can no longer be conceived without meetings and confer-
ences. The significance of meetings to organizational life is undisputed. Hardly
any essential decision is made without debating the pros and cons in director’s
meetings, meetings of supervisory boards, project meetings or in departmental
meetings. Severe problems are rarely solved without examining different perspec-
tives and discussing possible solutions in a meeting.
This is not real news; however, the number of meetings held today would have
been unthinkable 100 years ago. Back in the heyday of the industrial society, most
part of work meant manual labor. Clear commands and accurate execution were
needed. Politicians and businessmen were expected to make their decisions by
themselves. Long discussions were considered a waste of time and interpreted as
indecisiveness. As economic conditions became more complex and as the knowl-
edge society became interwoven with the industrial society, the importance of
meetings changed tremendously: Meetings became indispensable necessities. At
the same time an ambivalent approach could be noticed. Meetings were experi-
enced as both essential and unsatisfactory as they became more demanding and
stressful. As managers often did not possess the skills needed to effectively lead
their meetings, the role of the facilitator was invented.
C. Mandl et al., The Co-creative Meeting, SpringerBriefs in Business, 1
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-34231-8_1, © The Author(s) 2013
2 1 Introduction
A new method developed: facilitation. To lead meetings became the task of
professionals, of people with strong social and methodological skills. But over
time it became apparent that facilitators were not the cure-all solution for dys-
functional meetings. Professional facilitators were not appropriate for every
kind of meeting: a ministers’ conference with facilitators—almost unthink-
able; a facilitated supervisory board meeting—impossible due to reasons of
confidentiality; a facilitator for a regular departmental meeting—too expen-
sive. Another adequate format for meetings in the knowledge society had to be
found.
1.1 Roots of the Co-creative Meeting
At the turn of the twentieth century the common image of a well functioning
organization was that of efficient machinery. Just as complex machinery seems to
function best when operated in a centralized mode, the same was held to be true
for managing corporations. In this framework the main purpose of a meeting was
to pass on internal decisions and instructions from the top of the hierarchy down
the line. Orders had to be taken and executed but not discussed.1 Industry began
to expand and scientific research started to thrive. But in science the metaphor of
efficient machinery was not appropriate. Science is about gaining knowledge and
not about controlling standardized operating procedures. So what is the best con-
versation format for discussing discoveries and gaining new knowledge as a
group?
The philosopher Leonard Nelson from University Göttingen found an answer
to this question. His lecture about The Socratic Method [1], delivered in 1922, had
quite some impact. The Socratic Method—named after the classical Greek philos-
opher Socrates—is a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with oppos-
ing viewpoints. It is based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical
thinking and to illuminate ideas. As a dialectical method it often involves an oppo-
sitional discussion in which the defense of one point of view is pitted against the
defense of another; one participant may lead another to contradict himself in some
way, thus strengthening the inquirer’s own point. The purpose of the Socratic
Dialogue is to deal with basic assumptions through rigorous inquiry. It is the most
popular form of the Socratic Method and has become firmly established in the
German-speaking world. A large part of this success is attributed to the continued
practice of Socratic Dialogue by the students of Nelson’s Philosophisch-Politische
Akademie [2], founded in 1924 and still in operation today. The philosopher
Gustav Heckmann [3] continued to develop this method.
1 This point of view culminated in the book The Principles of Scientific Management by
Frederick Taylor which was first published in 1911.