Transforming Emotion to Develop Organisational Strategy

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Transforming Emotion to Develop Organisational
Strategy

• Mary Morrissey
• Change Management Transition Team
• Health Service Executive, Ireland
• E.C.L.O, May 2005

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• We trained hard, but it seemed that every time
  we were beginning to form into teams, we would be
  reorganised.
• I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet
  any new situation by reorganising, and the
  wonderful method it can be for creating the
  illusion of progress while producing confusion,
  inefficiency, and demoralisation.
• Petronious Arbiter (A.D. 66)

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OUTLINE

• CONTEXT
• CONCEPTS FROM PSYCHOTHERAPY LITERATURE
• EXERCISE
• KEY LEARNINGS
• CHALLENGE FROM EXERCISE

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CONTEXT

• In Change programme Challenge not only
  strategy, structure, culture or systems yet
  always about change of behaviour
• People are both logical and full of feelings
• Behaviour Change happens by speaking to peoples
  feelings.
• Small things can take on an enormous importance

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Context continued

• During highly charged time of transition
  everything takes on a symbolic hue and means
  something.
• Behaviour change happens in successful situations
  by speaking to peoples feelings.
• Feelings alter behaviour sufficiently to overcome
  the many barriers to large-scale change.
• In less successful cases, this seeing feeling
  changing pattern is found less often if at all.
• Kotter, emphasis in books and education is
  overwhelmingly geared towards analysis,
  thought- feelings seen as soft.

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Concepts from Psychotherapy Literature

• The beginning of wisdom is to call things by
  their right names. Chinese Proverb
• Transference the transferring of emotions from
  a previous close relationship on to someone as
  if it was that person.
• Counter transference the emotional reaction of
  the therapist to a client.
• Parallel Process the display of issues through
  team dynamics which are similar to the issue
  which emerge in the organisation or client
  group.

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EXERCISE

• We think in generalities, but we live in
  detail.
• Alfred North Whitehead. Philosopher
• Think about something in the last week within
  your work to which you had a strong reaction
• How did this effect you? What is the key
  feeling?
• What impact or meaning could it have for the
  wider team with whom you work?
• Is there a message for the wider organisation
  that needs to be addressed? What meaning could it
  have?

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Key Learnings from Exercise

• Creates opportunity for acknowledging the truth
  of the situation
• Example i) Who does he think he is?
  Feeling disconnected/insignificant.
• Example ii) Excited, Powerful". Pleased
  with affirming feedback.
• What is an issue for a particular individual at
  this time in this team, can provide an
  opportunity for learning and alignment for the
  whole team
• e.g., i) address potential splitting/break
  down of communication.
• ii) Timely decision making and feedback.

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Learnings continued..

• Development of recommendations relevant to wider
  organisation
• e.g. i) Clarify roles, create connections
• ii) Maintain vision. Devolving Power.
• Encourages creation of alignment of self,
  relates to the relevant meaning within group or
  team and symbolically then what meaning the issue
  has for the wider organisation..leading to
  ..alignment of individual, team and
  organisation.

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Challenge of Exercise

• Requires those involved to observe what is
  happening as a metaphor rather than taking the
  issue personally i.e. ask what could this mean
  for the wider organisation.
• Remembering that this relates mainly to strong,
  often out of character reactions by the
  individual.
• Change causes transitions, Transitions cause
  emotion, Emotion is created by motion.

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Why we do what doSix Human Needs

• The 4 Needs of Personality
• Need 1 Need 2
• Connection ? paradox ? Significance
• Need 3 Need
  4
• Certainty ? paradox ? Variety
• The 2 Needs of Spirit
• Need 5 Need
  6
• Growth
  Contribution

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• But strange that I was not told
• That a brain can hold
• In a tiny ivory cell
• Gods heaven and hell
• Oscar Wilde

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Myths of Ages

• We have no reason to harbour any mistrust against
  our world, for it is not against us. If it has
  terrors, they are our terrors. If it has abysses,
  these abysses belong to us. If there are dangers,
  we must try to love them, and only if we could
  arrange our lives in accordance with the
  principles that tell us that we must always trust
  in the difficulty, then what now appears to us
  alien will become our most intimate and trusted
  experience.

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References

• Arbiter, Petronius (Circa 66 A.D.) The Satyricon
• Hacker.S (1999) Work Miracles Through Yourself
  and Your Organization.An Insight Press Book. .
• Morrissey, M and C. Jackman (1998) Psychotherapy
  and Therapeutic Environment Inside-Out
  Outside In Irish Journal for Child and
  Adolescent Psychotherapy. Vol 1 no. 3.
• Bridges W ( 2003) Managing Transitions Making the
  most of Change. Nicholas Brealey Publishing
  London
• Kotter (2003) The Heart of Change.
• OKeeffe (1999) Business Beyond the Box.
  Nicholas Brealey Publishing London.
• Richards, J and M. Morrissey (1999) Freeing the
  Spirit A Framework for Individual, Professional
  and Team Skills Development. Resource Manual
  for the Department of Child Protection, Brasov,
  Romania.
• Wilde, Oscar (1881) from Poem, Roses And Rue (To
  L. L.).