We bet most of you don't think that systems and processes could ever be alluring or sexy, right? Wrong.
The lower right quadrant (ie Systems) of the Integral Framework, see (Making Sense of a F**ked Up World) for a brief overview of the Integral Framework) which is our sense-making construct for organisations, will seduce you and your business every time if you let it. Not that there's anything wrong or bad about this per se. You'll see from our previous blogs (Not Another Bloody System) how critical this quadrant is to an organisation’s performance and success.
However, and it's a big however, too much energy and focus on this quadrant at the expense of the others, will, over a period of time, be to your detriment and perhaps even your peril.
Let's first address the issue of why this quadrant, unlike the others, is a tempting seducer. As you’ll see in the graphic below, the axes that this quadrant is bounded by, are the external and the collective. Even without understanding what this means from an Integral perspective, the words themselves feel ‘safe’ – the external is out there and there’s safety in (collective) numbers.
The internal domain of individuals and groups (the upper left Perspective and lower left Culture quadrants respectively) are often hidden and can be elusive. Perspective is shaped by all those things that sit below the level of the waterline in ‘the olde but goode’ IceBerg Model, ie an individual’s values, beliefs, mindsets, characteristics, traits, motives etc etc. These aspects are drivers of behaviour (the upper left quadrant) yet often remain unseen and unexplored by the individual – we are mostly unaware of what drives 0ur behaviour. As if these aspects of ourselves weren’t elusive enough, this quadrant (and its internal/collective counterpart – Culture) also encompasses, the sub conscious and unconscious aspects of ourselves and the groups we engage with. Here we are plumbing the murky depths of our internal drivers. The unconscious, by its very nature, does not want to be looked at or examined. Individuals and groups have secret lives - lives that are sometimes made up of dark, subterranean depths that resist being brought to light and examined.
The upper right quadrant of individual Capability also shies away from scrutiny - why focus uncomfortably on myself, my leadership, my impact on others, when there are far more enticing things to be distracted by? How many of us are truly comfortable with seeking and soliciting feedback about our own behaviour? Incidentally, if you are keen to be the best leader you can be, stop buying leadership development books and focus exclusively on just two things… ready? The science and craft in leadership boils down to :
1. Self-awareness (upper left Perspective) which is the only thing that gives rise to
2. Behavioural flexibility (upper right Capability)
…. But this is a whole other topic for future blogs…
Back to the lower right quadrant of Systems – the external and the collective is safe territory and, like an attentive lover, it doesn't ask for much and is willing to give its all as long as you pay it attention and pander to its desires. These include the macro and the micro and everything in between - from strategy development to procedures, KPI’s, digital platforms, external measures, board papers, AGMs, mergers, acquisitions, cost cutting, major projects - the list goes on. All of these are critical to performance and results, and we’re certainly not advocating that you ignore them. Not only is the Systems quadrant critical in and of itself, it is the oil in the wheels of the other three quadrants.
However when all four quadrants are being given some focus and attention, it’s like a spinning top in dynamic balance and the impact on organisational effectiveness is synergistic, amplified and sustainable.
So until next time....
If you’d like a couple of our directors to sit around a whiteboard with you and work out if seductive systems might be taking up too much of your organisation’s energy, click on the link below
Click Here