Over at Informal Coalitions, Chris Rodgers has picked up on my criticism of leaders concentrating on a ‘vision.’
I like his suggestion that instead of spending effort on vision, leaders should reflect "on how their own words and actions (including their silence and inaction) are being perceived, interpreted and acted upon by their staff."
His blog is the only other blog I have found on change that reflects an understanding of the thinking that is the basis for my own explorations in organisations – complex responsive processes.
Perhaps that is why his is the only ‘change’ site currently on my blog roll (see right hand column).
Thanks, Stephen. That’s no doubt why I keep visiting your site; which continues to stimulate my thinking.
I’m reminded of what Michaelangelo is reputed to have said when asked how he’d managed to sculpt his statue of David from a block of solid marble: “It’s easy. You just chip away the bits that don’t look like David.”
I view the task of bringing this thinking on complex responsive processes (or complex social processes/ informal coalitions) into mainstream practice in a similar way. We just need to ‘keep chipping away’ at it.
The seductive power of the ‘ten easy steps’ approaches to change inevitably means that the challenge is, metaphorically, a bit like trying to sculpt marble. We just need to remember that Michaelangelo got there in the end!
Comment by Chris Rodgers — January 8, 2009 @ 10:18 pm