朝邦文教基金會 『對話新訊息』12月份12月份的朝邦對話新訊息資料來源出自『績效的三大定律』一書(已有中文版)。作者Steve Zaffron and David Logan, 針對『對話如何協助組織與領導者改寫未來？』這個議題提供他們的真知灼見。
績效表現的三大定律
績效第一定律： 人們的表現和他們對情況如何發生的看法具有
關聯性
領導力法則一： 領導者對事情有自己的看法也要讓別人有他們的看法
績效第二定律： 語言可以改變人們對情況發生方式的看法
領導力法則二： 領導者善用對話環境
績效第三定律：以未來式語言來轉化情況的發生方式
領導力法則三：領導者傾聽組織的未來
績效第一定律：人們的行為表現和他們對情況如何發生的看法具有關聯性
一個人的經驗，包括他對過去的看法(事情為什麼會這樣)以及將來(事情會如何發展)。引導者透過提出開放式的問題，啟發參與者的主觀覺察力，邀請他們對發生情況提供有洞見的詮釋，不斷持續地探詢與反思，直到從個人的角度能夠理解別人的行為。
績效第二定律：語言可以改變人們對情況發生方式的看法
語言包括溝通上的口語、文字、肢體語言、面部表情、語調、形象、音樂、外表以及任何帶有象徵性企圖的行為。沒有說出來的通常是最重要的。但是當沒有被說出來而且溝通時欠缺察覺力，語言反而成了文字垃圾，這些包括假設、期待、失望、遺憾、後悔、詮釋、象徵性以及感到危險的議題。績效表現的關鍵不在於推動與策略有關的新對話或重整進入一個已經混亂的空間；清楚的表達未說出口的話──空間也將因此而打開。
辨識『未說的語言』必須從自己開始：
(1)要留意在你腦海中的聲音。那個聲音週而復始佔據你大部分的覺察力。
(2)要留意你自己的「雜音」：那些是存在已久的抱怨、隨著抱怨而來的行為模
式、抱怨繼續存在所帶來的好處以及為這個行為付出的代價。
未說出的與未察覺的語言所帶來的好處與代價顯而易見。為你內在的雜音命名，認清一個人之所以無法突破表現與他看待情況如何發生在他身上有關。當你能幫未說出口的表達命名時，剛開始的時候可能有點荒謬，接著你自然地會想出方法來清理它。這裡的學習重點是：說出未說出口的事情然後處理它。
績效第三定律：以未來式語言來轉化情況的發生方式
人們活在他們的認知所看到的未來。這個「預設的未來」是由個人的期待、恐懼、希望與預測所構成，這些都與個人過去經驗有關。
以未來為主的「創生性」語言創造未來取代預設的未來。我們要知道壓抑我們的不是實相而是語言。為預設的未來命名，問自己：「我們真的希望我們的將來是這樣嗎？」接著「完成」過去未解決的議題。「完成」的意思是將這件事從「預設的未來」拋回到過去，讓它不再驅動我們的行為也不再繼續渲染我們對情境的認知。接著，要與別人一起想像一個能引發大家行動的未來─說出每個相關者的擔憂並且在對話中真誠表達。當大家有了共同願景就會自動自發地實踐它。
根據『績效表現三大定律』而產生的領導力會擁有改寫組織未來的力量。作者將這個觀念衍生為『領導力法則』。
領導力法則一：領導者對事情有自己的看法也要讓別人有他們的看法
那些懂得授權給別人改寫未來、創造未來的領導者都能夠扭轉乾坤，不論事情看起來是多麼不可能。試者問問自己以下這些問題：我如何和別人互動讓他們覺得更被授權？我能夠安排什麼樣的流程、對話、會議讓人們覺得他們是改寫新未來的共同作者，而不只是「預設的未來」的接受者？
This month's newsletter focuses on key takeaways from the book The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron and David Logan who offer an answer to: How canconversations enable organizations & leaders to rewrite the future?
Law 1: How People Perform Correlates to How Situations Occur To Them.
A person's experience includes one's view of the past (why things are the way they are) & the future (where things are going). Facilitatorscultivate awareness in participants about their own subjectivity through open-ended questions that invite insight in to how we interpret situations. Continue inquiring & reflecting until the actions of the "other" are understood to be reasonable from the actor's point of view.
Law 2: How a Situation Occurs Arises in Language.
"Language" includes spoken & written communication, body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, images, music, appearance and any actions with symbolic intent. The unsaid is the most important part of language. But when unsaid & communicated without awareness, language becomes linguistic clutter, such as: assumptions, expectations, disappointments, resentments, regrets, interpretations, significance and issues that feel dangerous.
The key to performance is not pushing new conversations about strategy or reorganization into an already cluttered space. Articulating the unsaid - that's when space begins to open up.
Recognizing the "unsaid" begins with oneself:
(1) Be aware of the talking voice inside your head. Its loop-track takes up much of your awareness.
(2) Be aware of your own "rackets":
A complaint that has persisted for some time; A pattern of behavior that goes
along with the complaint; A payoff for having the complaint persist; A cost for
this behavior.
The payoff & cost are evident in the realm of unsaid & unaware. Name the racket & recognize that how a situation occurs to a person is exactly what holds him/her back from breakthrough performance. When you name the unsaid, at first the situation sounds absurd; then you naturally think of ways to clear it out. The learning here is: name what is unsaid and deal with it.
Law 3: Future-based Language Transforms How Situations Occur to People.
People live into the future they perceive coming at them. This "default future" is made up of one's expectations, fears, hopes, and predictions, all of which are based on past experiences.
Future-based (generative) language creates a future to replace the default. Recognize that facts do not constrain people, language does. Name the default future and ask, “do we really want this as our future?” Complete unresolved issues from the past. Completing means moving it from the “default future” in to the past so the issue no longer drives one’s actions nor continues to color how situations occur to a person. Then, envision with others what future would inspire action for everyone. Address the concerns of everyone involved, and be real in the moment of speaking. When you have a shared vision people will naturally self-organize to realize it.
Leadership that arises from the Three Laws of Performance has the power to rewrite the future of an organization. The authors call these perspectives "leadership corollaries".
Leadership Corollary 1: Leaders have a say, and give others a say, in how situations occur.
Leaders who empower others to rewrite & realize futures can transform any situation, no matter how seemingly impossible. Ask yourself the following questions:
How can I interact with others so that situations occur more empowering to them?
What processes, dialogues, or meetings can I arrange so that people feel like co-authors of a new future, not merely recipients of a default future?
Leadership Corollary 2: Leaders master the conversational environment
What makes the most difficult situations become malleable are the conversations that exist, or can exist, in an organization. For most organizations, the network of conversation is noisy, conflicted and filled with chatter describing a default future. This conversational environment makes new & different futures difficult to imagine. Two elements needed for a conversational environment to achieve breakthrough performance are:
- an ongoing, company-wide commitment to resolving incompletion
- implanting integrity. Integrity creates a condition of workability. (Without it, effectiveness is diminished and displaced by broken promises and a lack of accountability.)
Leadership Corollary 3: Leaders listen for the future of their organization
Leaders create conversations composed of future-based language. These conversations invent futures for the organization that previously did not exist. However, leaders do not rewrite the future by themselves. They create the space and provide the “listening” for that future.
Conclusion: Creating a Self-Led Organization
Honoring one’s word (integrity) creates complete social and working relationships which provides an actionable pathway to earning the trust of others. A person who acts in this way is "Self-led." Self, with a capital “S”, represents a full integration of all parts of a person; it arises in language and through conversations.
A Self-led organization is created by stakeholders' participation in the organization’s conversational ecology. This network of conversations enable organizations to continually rewrite the future and by doing so are able to adapt to the inevitable oscillations of business and life! Through conversation, the organization’s Self emerges - this is the collective essence of how stakeholders view a future that inspires and fulfills their concerns.
The conversational environment needs to include integrity & future-based communication in order for new futures to emerge. Once leaders enable stakeholders' alignment along declarations about the new future of the company, managers can then build systems, processes, policies and procedures to turn the declarations into reality.
