I have been a bit slow editing this page but plan to work more intentionally through 2023
to add material I think might be helpful for fellow collaborators. Enjoy!
to add material I think might be helpful for fellow collaborators. Enjoy!
Mix of my Bookshelf, Screen & Listening Resources
...These are Probably Game Changers as we Navigate Complexity...
All things related to the Cynefin Framework
"The Cynefin Framework was developed to help leaders understand their challenges and to make decisions in context. By distinguishing different domains (the subsystems in which we operate), it recognises that our actions need to match the reality we find ourselves in through a process of sense-making. This helps leaders cultivate an awareness of what is really complex and what is not and respond accordingly so that no energy is wasted in overthinking the routine but they also never try to make the complex fit into standard solutions." (source: The Cynefin Co. Website)
I discovered Cynefin when I was searching for useful frameworks during my MBA research "An Analysis of Impediments to Collaboration in the NZ Public Sector" and quickly signed up for a Masterclass. I have continued to follow its various iterations/evolutions and use the framework extensively through my work, constantly growing in my understanding. There are so many frameworks out there - many light weight and not grounded in theory or research - Cynefin is not one of those. I had a lot of fun contributing to the wiki development (specifically the Complex Facilitation and Triopticon pages) whilst working with global practitioners - great community of thinkers to tap in to!
Dr Chellie Spiller's work on Wayfinding and Leadership - book, Tedx Talk and articles on her website.
As a Persian Kiwi, I come from a long line of Wayfinding ancestors - so it's no wonder that the Polynesian approach to Wayfinding, has been a source of fascination and learning for me since living in New Zealand, my adopted home. I have immersed myself in this work since I first discovered it some years ago. As Rabindranath Tagore writes in 'The stream of Life' - 'And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.'
The book: SandTalk (2020): How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the world by Tyson Yunkaporta
and the Re-Emergence: Complexity Yarns with Indigenous Thinkers Webinar Series (a partnership between the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab at Deakin University, The Cynefin Centre, The Cynefin Centre Australia and Complexability Pty Ltd).
Even though I acknowledge that as a Persian my heritage is different, so I may not fully understand the detail and layers of this work - it's filling my soul and having been raised in the traditions of the Sufi teahouses I deeply resonate with this “yarning” approach.To live and know something born out of yarns with our elders and knowledge holders and then to work to share that/explain it in some way to a wider audience is a gift - even though we recognise that much will be lost in translation and the re-telling and the feeling/deep understanding of the moment is difficult to capture.
Quote from the book: “[yarning] has protocols of active listening, mutual respect, and building on what others have said, rather than openly contradicting them or debating their ideas. It references places and relationships and is highly contextualised in the local world views of those yarning.” (…) “The end point of a yarn is a set of understandings, values and directions shared by all members of the group in a loose consensus that is inclusive of diverse points of view” (Tyson Yunkaporta).
Leadership in Complexity and Change: For a World in Constant Motion by Dr Sharon Varney
The best book I've read on Leadership for a long time..it's grounded in theory and research and works intentionally and effectively to make that learning accessible to practitioners. It now sits on my desk as a frequent reference book.
Unchartered : How to Navigate the Future by Margaret Heffernan
Love You: Public Policy for Intergenerational Wellbeing by Girol Karacaoglu
You Matter More Than You Think: Quantum Social Change for a Thriving World by Karen O'Brien
Human Learning Systems: A practical guide for the curious A complexity friendly approach to public services.
The Complexity Lounge Conversations
- The book - Cynefin: Weaving Sense-Making into the Fabric of Our World
- The Field Guide: Managing complexity (and chaos) in times of crisis (A field guide for decision makers inspired by the Cynefin framework)
- The Wiki Cynefin.io
- And check out "When Meaning Loses Its Meaning" - conversations between Dave Snowden and Nora Bateson exploring the uses and shifting meanings of some of the key concepts and ideas in the fields of complexity and systems theory.
"The Cynefin Framework was developed to help leaders understand their challenges and to make decisions in context. By distinguishing different domains (the subsystems in which we operate), it recognises that our actions need to match the reality we find ourselves in through a process of sense-making. This helps leaders cultivate an awareness of what is really complex and what is not and respond accordingly so that no energy is wasted in overthinking the routine but they also never try to make the complex fit into standard solutions." (source: The Cynefin Co. Website)
I discovered Cynefin when I was searching for useful frameworks during my MBA research "An Analysis of Impediments to Collaboration in the NZ Public Sector" and quickly signed up for a Masterclass. I have continued to follow its various iterations/evolutions and use the framework extensively through my work, constantly growing in my understanding. There are so many frameworks out there - many light weight and not grounded in theory or research - Cynefin is not one of those. I had a lot of fun contributing to the wiki development (specifically the Complex Facilitation and Triopticon pages) whilst working with global practitioners - great community of thinkers to tap in to!
Dr Chellie Spiller's work on Wayfinding and Leadership - book, Tedx Talk and articles on her website.
As a Persian Kiwi, I come from a long line of Wayfinding ancestors - so it's no wonder that the Polynesian approach to Wayfinding, has been a source of fascination and learning for me since living in New Zealand, my adopted home. I have immersed myself in this work since I first discovered it some years ago. As Rabindranath Tagore writes in 'The stream of Life' - 'And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.'
The book: SandTalk (2020): How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the world by Tyson Yunkaporta
and the Re-Emergence: Complexity Yarns with Indigenous Thinkers Webinar Series (a partnership between the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab at Deakin University, The Cynefin Centre, The Cynefin Centre Australia and Complexability Pty Ltd).
Even though I acknowledge that as a Persian my heritage is different, so I may not fully understand the detail and layers of this work - it's filling my soul and having been raised in the traditions of the Sufi teahouses I deeply resonate with this “yarning” approach.To live and know something born out of yarns with our elders and knowledge holders and then to work to share that/explain it in some way to a wider audience is a gift - even though we recognise that much will be lost in translation and the re-telling and the feeling/deep understanding of the moment is difficult to capture.
Quote from the book: “[yarning] has protocols of active listening, mutual respect, and building on what others have said, rather than openly contradicting them or debating their ideas. It references places and relationships and is highly contextualised in the local world views of those yarning.” (…) “The end point of a yarn is a set of understandings, values and directions shared by all members of the group in a loose consensus that is inclusive of diverse points of view” (Tyson Yunkaporta).
Leadership in Complexity and Change: For a World in Constant Motion by Dr Sharon Varney
The best book I've read on Leadership for a long time..it's grounded in theory and research and works intentionally and effectively to make that learning accessible to practitioners. It now sits on my desk as a frequent reference book.
Unchartered : How to Navigate the Future by Margaret Heffernan
Love You: Public Policy for Intergenerational Wellbeing by Girol Karacaoglu
You Matter More Than You Think: Quantum Social Change for a Thriving World by Karen O'Brien
Human Learning Systems: A practical guide for the curious A complexity friendly approach to public services.
The Complexity Lounge Conversations
Connections are made slowly, sometimes they grow underground.
You cannot tell always by looking what is happening.
More than half the tree is spread out in the soil under your feet.
Penetrate quietly as the earthworm that blows no trumpet.
Fight persistently as the creeper that brings down the tree.
Spread like the squash plant that overruns the garden.
Gnaw in the dark and use the sun to make sugar.
Weave real connections, create real nodes, build real houses.
Live a life you can endure: Make love that is loving.
Keep tangling and interweaving and taking more in,
a thicket and bramble wilderness to the outside but to us
interconnected with rabbit runs and burrows and lairs.
Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen:
reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in.
This is how we are going to live for a long time: not always,
for every gardener knows that after the digging, after the planting,
after the long season of tending and growth, the harvest comes.
From The Seven of Pentacles by Marge Piercy
You cannot tell always by looking what is happening.
More than half the tree is spread out in the soil under your feet.
Penetrate quietly as the earthworm that blows no trumpet.
Fight persistently as the creeper that brings down the tree.
Spread like the squash plant that overruns the garden.
Gnaw in the dark and use the sun to make sugar.
Weave real connections, create real nodes, build real houses.
Live a life you can endure: Make love that is loving.
Keep tangling and interweaving and taking more in,
a thicket and bramble wilderness to the outside but to us
interconnected with rabbit runs and burrows and lairs.
Live as if you liked yourself, and it may happen:
reach out, keep reaching out, keep bringing in.
This is how we are going to live for a long time: not always,
for every gardener knows that after the digging, after the planting,
after the long season of tending and growth, the harvest comes.
From The Seven of Pentacles by Marge Piercy
Articles & Papers- some oldies here, but all good foundational material...
"To get to more radical outcomes, we need more radical ways of working together. It is both as simple and as hard as that."
Kramer, M. R., & Pfitzer, M. W. (2016). The ecosystem of shared value. Harvard Business Review (October).
Article intro: Companies must sometimes team up with governments, NGOs, and even rivals to capture the economic benefits of social progress. In the past, companies rarely perceived themselves as agents of social change. Yet teh connection between social progress and business success is increasingly clear. Consider these examples: The first large-scale program to diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS in South Africa was introduced by teh global mining company Anglo American to protect its workforce and reduce absenteeism. The €76 billion Italian energy company Enel now generates 45%of its power from renewable and carbon-neutral energy sources, preventing 92 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76. [An early paper outlining the Cynefin Framework.]
Abstract: Many executives are surprised when previously successful leadership approaches fail in new situations, but different contexts call for different kinds of responses. Before addressing a situation, leaders need to recognize which context governs it -- and tailor their actions accordingly. Snowden and Boone have formed a new perspective on leadership and decision making that's based on complexity science. The result is the Cynefin framework, which helps executives sort issues into five contexts: Simple contexts are characterized by stability and cause-and-effect relationships that are clear to everyone. Often, the right answer is self-evident. In this realm of "known knowns," leaders must first assess the facts of a situation -- that is, "sense" it -- then categorize and respond to it. Complicated contexts may contain multiple right answers, and though there is a clear relationship between cause and effect, not everyone can see it. This is the realm of "known unknowns." Here, leaders must sense, analyze, and respond. In a complex context, right answers can't be ferreted out at all; rather, instructive patterns emerge if the leader conducts experiments that can safely fail. This is the realm of "unknown unknowns," where much of contemporary business operates. Leaders in this context need to probe first, then sense, and then respond. In a chaotic context, searching for right answers is pointless. The relationships between cause and effect are impossible to determine because they shift constantly and no manageable patterns exist. This is the realm of unknowables (the events of September 11, 2001, fall into this category). In this domain, a leader must first act to establish order, sense where stability is present, and then work to transform the situation from chaos to complexity. The fifth context, disorder, applies when it is unclear which of the other four contexts is predominant. The way out is to break the situation into its constituent parts and assign each to one...
Surman, T., & Surman, M. (2008). Open sourcing social change: Inside the constellation model. Technology Innovation Management Review (September+2008), 9-15.Abstract:
Article Intro: Constellations are self-organizing action teams that operate with in the broader strategic vision of a partnership. These constellations are outwardly focused, placing their attention on creating value for those in the external environment rather than on the partnership itself. While serious effort is invested into core partnership governance and management, most of the energy is devoted to the decision making, resource s and collaborative effort required to create social value . The constellations drive and de fine the partnership.
The constellation model emerged from a deep understanding of the power of networks and peer production. Leadership rotates fluidly amongst partners, with each partner having the freedom to head up a constellation and to participate in constellations that carry out activities that are of more peripheral interest.
Sadri, G. (2012). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Development. Public Personnel Management, 41(3), 535-548.
Abstract: This paper reviews the current literature on the concept of emotional intelligence and makes recommendations for incorporating emotional intelligence into leadership development programs. The paper is divided into four sections: the first section identifies the two most cited models of emotional intelligence. Section two reviews research on the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence. The third section provides a synopsis of the arguments for and against emotional intelligence. The fourth and final section illuminates how the components of emotional intelligence integrate with contemporary leadership development practices and suggests some methods for developing emotional intelligence competencies among managers and leaders.
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Essentials of Social Innovation: Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review
This article identifies and outlines the five conditions of collective success:
Ten Years On: Redefining Collective Impact ...SSIR ran the "Collective Impact, 10 Years Later" series, which captured some insights and learnings through this period.
The revised definition of collective impact reads:
Collective impact is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems-level change.
"The Relational Work of Systems Change" (John Kania, Katherine Milligan & Juanita Zerda, Jan 2022) from the series is definitely worth a read. And, it highlights Wesley Community Action's mahi here in NZ which they say illustrates that "making meaningful progress on the complex challenges of our time requires totally different ways of working that prioritize relational practices".
They identify five qualities shared by more radical and relational ways of working together (summarised in their diagram below):
1. Deep Relational Work
2. Cultivating Space for Healing
3. Serendipity and the Sacred
4. Inner and Outer Change
5. Transforming Power Dynamics
Full article here
The Collaborative Leadership & Governance Series By Tamarack Institute (2022-2023)
The series draws on Tamarack's experience in the field and included six articles:
Article intro: Companies must sometimes team up with governments, NGOs, and even rivals to capture the economic benefits of social progress. In the past, companies rarely perceived themselves as agents of social change. Yet teh connection between social progress and business success is increasingly clear. Consider these examples: The first large-scale program to diagnose and treat HIV/AIDS in South Africa was introduced by teh global mining company Anglo American to protect its workforce and reduce absenteeism. The €76 billion Italian energy company Enel now generates 45%of its power from renewable and carbon-neutral energy sources, preventing 92 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76. [An early paper outlining the Cynefin Framework.]
Abstract: Many executives are surprised when previously successful leadership approaches fail in new situations, but different contexts call for different kinds of responses. Before addressing a situation, leaders need to recognize which context governs it -- and tailor their actions accordingly. Snowden and Boone have formed a new perspective on leadership and decision making that's based on complexity science. The result is the Cynefin framework, which helps executives sort issues into five contexts: Simple contexts are characterized by stability and cause-and-effect relationships that are clear to everyone. Often, the right answer is self-evident. In this realm of "known knowns," leaders must first assess the facts of a situation -- that is, "sense" it -- then categorize and respond to it. Complicated contexts may contain multiple right answers, and though there is a clear relationship between cause and effect, not everyone can see it. This is the realm of "known unknowns." Here, leaders must sense, analyze, and respond. In a complex context, right answers can't be ferreted out at all; rather, instructive patterns emerge if the leader conducts experiments that can safely fail. This is the realm of "unknown unknowns," where much of contemporary business operates. Leaders in this context need to probe first, then sense, and then respond. In a chaotic context, searching for right answers is pointless. The relationships between cause and effect are impossible to determine because they shift constantly and no manageable patterns exist. This is the realm of unknowables (the events of September 11, 2001, fall into this category). In this domain, a leader must first act to establish order, sense where stability is present, and then work to transform the situation from chaos to complexity. The fifth context, disorder, applies when it is unclear which of the other four contexts is predominant. The way out is to break the situation into its constituent parts and assign each to one...
Surman, T., & Surman, M. (2008). Open sourcing social change: Inside the constellation model. Technology Innovation Management Review (September+2008), 9-15.Abstract:
Article Intro: Constellations are self-organizing action teams that operate with in the broader strategic vision of a partnership. These constellations are outwardly focused, placing their attention on creating value for those in the external environment rather than on the partnership itself. While serious effort is invested into core partnership governance and management, most of the energy is devoted to the decision making, resource s and collaborative effort required to create social value . The constellations drive and de fine the partnership.
The constellation model emerged from a deep understanding of the power of networks and peer production. Leadership rotates fluidly amongst partners, with each partner having the freedom to head up a constellation and to participate in constellations that carry out activities that are of more peripheral interest.
Sadri, G. (2012). Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Development. Public Personnel Management, 41(3), 535-548.
Abstract: This paper reviews the current literature on the concept of emotional intelligence and makes recommendations for incorporating emotional intelligence into leadership development programs. The paper is divided into four sections: the first section identifies the two most cited models of emotional intelligence. Section two reviews research on the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence. The third section provides a synopsis of the arguments for and against emotional intelligence. The fourth and final section illuminates how the components of emotional intelligence integrate with contemporary leadership development practices and suggests some methods for developing emotional intelligence competencies among managers and leaders.
Kania, J., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Essentials of Social Innovation: Collective Impact. Stanford Social Innovation Review
This article identifies and outlines the five conditions of collective success:
- Common Agenda
- Shared Measurement Systems
- Mutually Reinforcing Activities
- Continuous Communication
- Backbone Support Organisations
Ten Years On: Redefining Collective Impact ...SSIR ran the "Collective Impact, 10 Years Later" series, which captured some insights and learnings through this period.
The revised definition of collective impact reads:
Collective impact is a network of community members, organizations, and institutions who advance equity by learning together, aligning, and integrating their actions to achieve population and systems-level change.
"The Relational Work of Systems Change" (John Kania, Katherine Milligan & Juanita Zerda, Jan 2022) from the series is definitely worth a read. And, it highlights Wesley Community Action's mahi here in NZ which they say illustrates that "making meaningful progress on the complex challenges of our time requires totally different ways of working that prioritize relational practices".
They identify five qualities shared by more radical and relational ways of working together (summarised in their diagram below):
1. Deep Relational Work
2. Cultivating Space for Healing
3. Serendipity and the Sacred
4. Inner and Outer Change
5. Transforming Power Dynamics
Full article here
The Collaborative Leadership & Governance Series By Tamarack Institute (2022-2023)
The series draws on Tamarack's experience in the field and included six articles:
- Collaboration: A spectrum of Approaches
- Collaboration: Beginnings & Endings
- Collaboration: The Act of Building Trust (also see 2017 article below)
- Collaboration: The role of the convener
- Collaboration: What problem are you trying to solve?
- Collaboration: The skillsets and mindsets of collaborative leaders.
Relationships & Trust are key to Successful Collaboration...
Turf, Trust, Co-Creation and Collective Impact, Liz Weaver (2017) - Co CEO and Strategic Lead for Collective Impact at the Tamarack Institute
"Authentic community change moves at the speed of trust. And yet, we spend so little time and focus on intentionally building trust amongst partners. This paper explores the intricacies of trust, how to build it and what to do when trust is broken."
Turf in a time of Community Change
"We live in a complicated time. It is a divisive and polarizing era in which we respond by constantly seeking like-mindedness. We have a growing number of ways to meet up with people similar to ourselves. We are drawn to people with the same interests, same tastes, same politics. Every time I buy something online, I am told what other people like me also bought. And it works. As a larger society, cities are resegregating into neighbourhoods of people like us. As nations, we are voting for politicians who want to keep out strangers and reclaim our country as if someone has taken it away. We live in a time of growing alienation and isolation. We are losing trust in our institutions and our governments to act in our interests. Most of our elections are variations of a ‘no’ vote. We have growing economic divisions, ideological divisions, contests, over values." from "Collaborating with the Enemy" by Adam Kahane (Forward by Peter Block)
The Neuroscience of Trust
Understanding that there is a neuroscientific connection between trust and performance is important for work environments but equally relevant to community change efforts. If the individuals around collaborative tables are not connected and do not build trust, they are less likely to be effective or to bond as a team.
Check out David Rock's SCARF model below.
Trusting Ourselves, Trusting Others
In "The Speed of Trust", Stephen M. R. Covey describes trust as occurring in waves and observes that there is connection across these waves of trust. He specifically identifies five waves of trust: self trust; relationship trust; organizational trust; market trust and societal trust.
Trust and Time
Building trust is relational and begins with introspection and learning to trust ourselves. Building trust takes time. the barrier we seem to have is scarcity of time.
"Authentic community change moves at the speed of trust. And yet, we spend so little time and focus on intentionally building trust amongst partners. This paper explores the intricacies of trust, how to build it and what to do when trust is broken."
Turf in a time of Community Change
"We live in a complicated time. It is a divisive and polarizing era in which we respond by constantly seeking like-mindedness. We have a growing number of ways to meet up with people similar to ourselves. We are drawn to people with the same interests, same tastes, same politics. Every time I buy something online, I am told what other people like me also bought. And it works. As a larger society, cities are resegregating into neighbourhoods of people like us. As nations, we are voting for politicians who want to keep out strangers and reclaim our country as if someone has taken it away. We live in a time of growing alienation and isolation. We are losing trust in our institutions and our governments to act in our interests. Most of our elections are variations of a ‘no’ vote. We have growing economic divisions, ideological divisions, contests, over values." from "Collaborating with the Enemy" by Adam Kahane (Forward by Peter Block)
The Neuroscience of Trust
Understanding that there is a neuroscientific connection between trust and performance is important for work environments but equally relevant to community change efforts. If the individuals around collaborative tables are not connected and do not build trust, they are less likely to be effective or to bond as a team.
Check out David Rock's SCARF model below.
Trusting Ourselves, Trusting Others
In "The Speed of Trust", Stephen M. R. Covey describes trust as occurring in waves and observes that there is connection across these waves of trust. He specifically identifies five waves of trust: self trust; relationship trust; organizational trust; market trust and societal trust.
Trust and Time
Building trust is relational and begins with introspection and learning to trust ourselves. Building trust takes time. the barrier we seem to have is scarcity of time.
Here are the 7 skills you need to collaborate in government | Published in Apolitical (9/9/2019)
Loved this article on being "Boundary Spanners" and the 7 skills you need to collaborate in government.
According to Wikipedia: Chutzpah (/ˈxʊtspə, ˈhʊt-/) is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. It derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "cheek" or "audacity"; which can have a negative connotation. But the English form has taken on a broader meaning. The word is sometimes interpreted—particularly in business parlance—as meaning the amount of courage, mettle or ardor that an individual has.
The cognate of chutzpah in Classical Arabic, ḥaṣāfah (حصافة), does not mean "impudence" or "cheekiness" or anything similar, but rather "sound judgment".
So what’s your “chutzpah quotient”?
Loved this article on being "Boundary Spanners" and the 7 skills you need to collaborate in government.
- Relationship building
- Communication skills
- Chutzpah (this is my new favourite word!)
- Empathy
- Creativity
- Diplomacy
- Ability to manage complexity
According to Wikipedia: Chutzpah (/ˈxʊtspə, ˈhʊt-/) is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. It derives from the Hebrew word ḥutspâ (חֻצְפָּה), meaning "insolence", "cheek" or "audacity"; which can have a negative connotation. But the English form has taken on a broader meaning. The word is sometimes interpreted—particularly in business parlance—as meaning the amount of courage, mettle or ardor that an individual has.
The cognate of chutzpah in Classical Arabic, ḥaṣāfah (حصافة), does not mean "impudence" or "cheekiness" or anything similar, but rather "sound judgment".
So what’s your “chutzpah quotient”?
Cracking the Code of Sustained Collaboration (HBR Article, December 2019)
Without a doubt collaboration is an idea whose time has come! But progress has been slower than anticipated and moving collaboration beyond a "buzzword" is now critical to find true movement.
This HBR article, goes part way towards closing the chasm between collaboration as an idea and collaboration in operational reality.
The article identifies six "training techniques" for consideration:
Without a doubt collaboration is an idea whose time has come! But progress has been slower than anticipated and moving collaboration beyond a "buzzword" is now critical to find true movement.
This HBR article, goes part way towards closing the chasm between collaboration as an idea and collaboration in operational reality.
The article identifies six "training techniques" for consideration:
- Teach people to listen, not talk [the need to develop the art of listening was a key finding in my research too]
- Train people to practice empathy [we need to go beyond the immediate words and consider the whole person]
- Make people more comfortable with feedback [a core part of my work is developing safe spaces to allow the variety of voices to be heard]
- Teach people to lead and follow [as you may have heard me say - it's an ongoing dance between the two!]
- Speak with clarity and avoid abstractions [reminds me of Brene Brown's "clear is kind, unclear is unkind"]
- Train people to have win-win interactions [we have to be prepared to work together, across all kinds of differences].
SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others, David Rock
"The SCARF model involves five domains of human social experience: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness.
Status is about relative importance to others. Certainty concerns being able to predict the future. Autonomy provides a sense of control over events. Relatedness is a sense of safety with others, of friend rather than foe. And fairness is a perception of fair exchanges between people."
"The SCARF model involves five domains of human social experience: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness.
Status is about relative importance to others. Certainty concerns being able to predict the future. Autonomy provides a sense of control over events. Relatedness is a sense of safety with others, of friend rather than foe. And fairness is a perception of fair exchanges between people."
The Neuroscience of Trust (HBR Article, February 2017)
Building high trust relationships is foundational to successful collaboration.
In this HBR article the author suggests eight management behaviours to foster trust:
Building high trust relationships is foundational to successful collaboration.
In this HBR article the author suggests eight management behaviours to foster trust:
- Recognise excellence... I’d probably take this further and suggest offering affirmation and encouragement as regularly as possible! Often, the smallest of gestures make a heap of difference to the individual
- Induce “challenge stress”....set achievable stretch targets/set your team up for success (not failure)
- Give people discretion in how they do their work
- Enable job crafting
- Share information broadly
- Be intentional about building relationships
- Facilitate whole-person growth
- Show vulnerability
The Anatomy of Trust, Brené Brown
Foundational to successful collaboration is "trust".
We all know that developing trusted relationships takes time and effort.
But many see "trust" as an "intangible", a touchy feely concept, that can't be measured or really used in a business context and revert to (consciously or unconsciously) "who do I get on with" or "who thinks like me".
In this presentation Brené Brown identifies key elements of (or proxies for) trust that can be measured and talked about.
Using the acronym BRAVING, these are:
Foundational to successful collaboration is "trust".
We all know that developing trusted relationships takes time and effort.
But many see "trust" as an "intangible", a touchy feely concept, that can't be measured or really used in a business context and revert to (consciously or unconsciously) "who do I get on with" or "who thinks like me".
In this presentation Brené Brown identifies key elements of (or proxies for) trust that can be measured and talked about.
Using the acronym BRAVING, these are:
- Boundaries;
- Reliability;
- Accountability;
- Vault [holding confidences];
- Integrity;
- Non Judgement;
- Generosity.
Some tools that can be helpful, when used correctly and in the right context ...in a sense it's an artform!
But first, some stuff to think about:
Don't hold on to any tool too tightly. There is no "magic bullet".
The future is uncertain and we need to be adaptable. Any and all models are incomplete and subjective.
Waiting for a perfect plan is not an option - act now, clarity and change will (probably) follow.
Whakawhanaungatanga: fundamentally, collaboration is about people and relationships.
- Appreciative Inquiry - a strengths-based, positive approach to leadership development and organisational change
- Storytelling- sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment (and using them as legitimate measures for change)
- Sensemaking or sense-making - a process by which we can give meaning to collective experiences
- Constellation Model - check out Surman and Surman's paper referenced above
- Collective Impact Framework - check out Kania and Kramer's paper referenced above
- Collective Impact Action Tools and Planning
- Cynefin Framework - check out Dave Snowden's work
- ISO 44001: Collaborative business relationship management systems
- Collaborative Capability Assessments
- Resource Evaluation - Designing the shared back-office
- Opportunity and Goal Definition Tools
- Co-Design Approaches (various)
- Some of the many planning tools available: scenario planning, business canvas model, empathy map, journey map, backcasting, three horizons mapping
I work with a set of collaborative design principles, assessments and planning approaches that I have designed - or artfully mixed from the variety - which I unpack in my workshops. Just like a great chef, as we grow in the foundations, we learn to mix and match and adapt to the context, environment and season. It takes practice to move away from the recipe books.