What do we do systemic modelling for?
I was minding my own business happily enjoying facebook when the question ‘what do we do systemic modelling for?’ popped up in the systemic modelling training group from Caitlin Walker. At first, I thought what an obvious question to ask but 2 weeks later here I am still writing down my answer and deciding if it is worth sharing without further context on what this stuff is.
She provided a couple of lower-level questions that I will try to answer below to help frame my answer.
What is happening to the group?
The group are starting to get more curious about each other’s similarities and differences. These can be things like how they work at their best? or worst? Moving on to more specific topics like ‘for them agile is like…what?’. They also start to become more resilient. Change is hard, people often laugh when I say I don’t like change, but I think it’s part of being human!. When change happens, the drama will increase. Teams that can deal with drama, will cope easier with that change.
What are we doing this to the group for?
I am doing this to help support change that might last. I have been part of change programs where change is done to people and they soon fall flat. By co-creating an understanding of what agile is for their organisation, and what outcomes they want from the change, we are more likely to get something that will add real value. It also helps move some of the people in contempt of the change to some level of curiosity.
What does it mean to create a network of attention?
A network of attention is when I am doing little work to facilitate, individuals are fully present in the moment and are curious about each other and the topic. Over time this means the client is not going to need me around as much, which means I can focus on a new client.
The picture above shows the red lines as a centralised communication pattern back and forth to the facilitator an example of this would be a daily scrum with the ScrumMaster controlling the communication within the team (they nominate the next person).
The Green lines are when the team start to talk directly between each other with the facilitator contributing only when it is in service to the group (e.g. the outcome of the session is in danger).
What do you think the pros and cons are of each of these approaches? I would love to hear your thoughts?
What are we hoping is happening to them individually and collectively?
Personally, systemic modelling has made a huge difference to who I am as a person and how I show up. The first thing it gave me is ownership of my own actions and behaviours. One example is that I used to think I was never in drama. I had no awareness whatsoever! Now I realise I am always in some kind of drama, more than anyone I know. Having this awareness gives me a choice sometimes, for example, I might decide that I am happy for the drama to continue. Other times I might decide to move to a shared outcome. Other times I know people are in drama with me and I decide that it is ok. But the key is the level of self-reflection on myself is much higher. This is what I would like the individuals I work with to start to having as it is literally life-changing. Imagine an organisation where self-reflection was high, the feedback was specific, often and actionable without blame and drama was dealt with in the moment. What would be possible?
What next?
This is now 2 very teasing blogs in a row covering why systemic modelling and agile are the perfect match. I promise to give you something more tangible next time. If you can’t wait then think about joining one of my training courses at www.agileaffinity.com or here from Caitlin herself https://cleanlearning.co.uk/
