Discussing the Undiscussable E-Book

William R. Noonan

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 480

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2007

Beschreibung

Since his 1990 landmark book Overcoming Organizational Defenses, Chris Argyris has extensively researched and written about how well-meaning, smart people create vicious cycles of defensive behavior to protect themselves from embarrassment and threat. In Discussing the Undiscussable, Bill Noonan enlivens the scholarly work of Chris Argyris through the use of reflective exercises and easy-to-read chapters that illuminate the basic human experience endemic to the creation of defensive routines. This book offers hope for altering organizational defensive routines by leveraging the greatest opportunity for change--the way we think and act. Discussing the Undiscussable provides a set of practical "how to do" exercises for detecting, surfacing, and discussing organizational defensive routines in a safe and productive way. The combination of text, business fable, and interactive and reflective exercises is versatile in its application to both individuals and groups. The companion DVD contains video vignettes of the book's business fable where the actors model both defensive routines and virtuous cycles of behavior. Readers will instantly recognize what has long been going on in the workplace, and will be able to develop the skills to talk about it productively.

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Foreword

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Part One: Defining Defensive Routines

Chapter One: Framing the Issue

What is an Organizational Defensive Routine?

How I Came to Write This Book

From Workshop to Book

The Style of the Book

Who is This Book For?

The Layout of the Book

Chapter Two: The Foundational Skill Set

The Left Hand Column

The Ladder of Inference

Advocacy and Inquiry

Part Two: Mark, Brenda, You, and Me: Bringing Defensive Routines About and Keeping Them in Place

Chapter Three: Conditions of Threat and Embarrassment

Summary: Setting the Stage for Defensive Routines

Mark and Brenda Aside: Conditions Of Embarrassment And Threat

Constant Themes

Conditions of Threat and Embarrassment: A Crucible for Learning or Just Cause For Defense

Chapter Four: Being in Control

Summary: Squaring off

Mark And Brenda Aside: What Causes The Unilateral Control Model To Kick In?

The Main Features of the Unilateral Control Model

The Unilateral Control Model Revealed: Three Common Reactions

Chapter Five: Bypass Tactics and Covering Up

Summary: Keep on Keeping on

Mark and Brenda Aside: How Do We Keep Defensive Routines In Place?

Making The “Way Things Work Around Here” Routine

Part Three: Discussing the Undiscussable

Chapter Six: Strategic Interventions

Interviews and Mapping

Massaging the Knot

The Interview

Organizing the Information

Mapping

Chapter Seven: The De-Escalation

Summary: Searching Inside

Brenda and Mark Aside: It’S Not About Fixing Something

The Power of Reflection

Why Bother?

An Invitation to Reflect

Chapter Eight: Engaging Differences

Alternative Action Begins with Curiosity

Action Design’S Advanced Version of the Ladder Of Inference

A Learning Stance Toward Differences

A Four-Step Process for Engaging Differences

Chapter Nine: Key Thought Enablers

Instant Change Of Thinking

Gradual Change Of Thinking

Key Thought Enabler I: Granting Legitimacy

Key Thought Enabler Ii: Assuming Partiality

Key Thought Enabler Iii: Attributing Positive Intent

Key Thought Enabler Iv: Acknowledging Impact And Contribution

Putting The Enablers to Work

Part Four: Staying on the Path of Learning

Chapter Ten: Mistakes, Continuous Learning, and Progress

Obstacles to Learning from Our Mistakes

Thinking of Mistakes as Puzzles

Chapter Eleven: Helping Those Who Teach, Learn

Cognitive Competence and Ability to Model the Skills

Off the Script and On Your Own

Becoming Proficient in the Skills

Conclusion

Appendix A: Mapping Templates

Appendix B: Strategies for Case Study Groups

Bibliography

Index

How to Use the DVD

Copyright © 2007 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Noonan, William R.

Discussing the undiscussable: a guide to overcoming defensive routines in the workplace/William R. Noonan; foreword by Chris Argyris.—1st ed.

p. cm.—(Jossey-Bass business & management series)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-7879-8632-2 (pbk.)

1. Conflict management. I. Title.

HD42.N66 2007

650.1'3—dc22

2007013596

THE JOSSEY - BASS BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT SERIES

To Lori, Jeremiah, and ColinAmor Vitae Mea

FOREWORD

Much research has been done on the negative impact of organizational defensive routines. Many change programs have been and continue to be executed to reduce them, and the dominant focus has been to change the culture of the organization. Yet the effectiveness of cultural change programs as documented by evaluations of the participants varies from very effective to quite ineffective. And even when participants report that the programs produced positive changes, the changes have not persisted. Why?

Most individuals answer this question by saying that

Organizations are too rigid and bureaucratic. They contain organizational defensive routines that inhibit learning and change.

There is a lack of appropriate rewards.

There is a lukewarm commitment to change from those at the top.

I often hear additional explanations for why successful change is not sustainable. The following are the three main explanations I’ve heard:

Most busy executives do not have the time that is required to generate lasting commitment by others.

It is frustrating getting people to realize that they are responsible for the problem and to stop blaming others or the system.

Many executives express concern about harming their reputation if they take initiatives that are too risky.

The implication is that if we can reduce or eliminate these problems, culture change will flow more easily and be more persistent.

I have tested the implications of removing these obstacles to sustainable change, and my findings suggest several conclusions. First, it is true that organizational cultural factors do inhibit effective change. To implement a new culture, we require the support of the type of culture that we have been able to specify but have so far been unable to create. A new culture would have to include reward systems and champions necessary to support the change. On the level of interpersonal interactions, fears associated with the loss of reputation and career can inhibit change. Resistance to changing behavior and overcoming blindness is always difficult to overcome. And the constraints of everyday pressures will inhibit the effectiveness of any change initiative.

A key criterion for effective cultural change is to change behavior. But if the changes are to persist, we must identify the most fundamental causes of the behavior. They are (1) the theories-in-use human beings hold about effective learning, (2) the defensive reasoning mind-sets that they use to design and execute their actions, (3) the organizational defensive routines that reward anti-learning, self-sealing processes, (4) the ways in which we are all causally responsible for creating these counterproductive features, and (5) our skilled unawareness and skilled incompetence, which prevent us from producing the changes that we can identify but cannot produce in sustainable ways.

This is a nontrivial challenge often acknowledged and rarely engaged. William Noonan’s book provides one of the most complete and detailed answers as to how to achieve change. He engages the puzzles head-on. He provides rich, warm, and thoughtful insights into his trials and tribulations while learning to become more effective. He connects this personal learning to recommendations as to how to design and implement changes in organizational defensive routines—changes that are both effective and sustainable. I recommend Discussing the Undiscussable as a first-rate example of how effective individual and organizational change can happen.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

July 2007

Chris Argyris

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge Chris Argyris, whose work inspired this book and whose personal encouragement set me on the path of transforming a workshop into a book. Throughout this book, I share my reflections on how I have put into practice the skills and concepts found in his research. The “how” could not have happened without the help of Diana Smith, Bob Putnam, and Phil McArthur, the partners of Action Design. They have been mentors, colleagues, and friends on this learning pathway, and their influence is evident throughout the book. Many of the concepts and templates used in this book are from Action Design.

There were many early supporters dedicated to a deeper understanding for how we all participate in defensive routines. The inception of the workshop took place during my tenure at Shell Oil Company in 1998. The company’s Learning and Transformation Services provided me a forum in which to design, experiment, and conduct workshops. I am grateful to Jerome Adams, the director at that time, and in particular staff members Bill McQuillan and Madu Prasad for their help. Paul Menzel was the creative writer with whom I collaborated to write the DVD case study, “Fix It Now or Fix It Later” (along with the valuable advice from Bob Putnam). From that time on, a consistent friend and advocate for organizational learning has been David Capozzalo from SADAF in Saudi Arabia.

I am grateful to my graduate students at Marylhurst University, who willingly shared their case studies and eagerness to learn. I am in debt to Todd Cook for his assistance with the DVD. The staff and editors at Jossey-Bass, Kathe Sweeney, Jessie Mandle, Mary Garrett, Michele Jones, and Byron Schneider, were extremely helpful throughout the process of writing. Regina Maruca shepherded the book from draft to its final version with her eye for style, flow, and clarity.

I am very fortunate to be married to a writer, so last and most important, I am grateful to Lori Russell, my wife and partner in the writing arts. Taking only the DVD script and suggestions from me, she wrote the fictional accounts of Mark and Brenda. She made them real people through her art, with the hope that you, as the reader, can recognize what we do to get ourselves into defensive routines and what we can do to alter them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bill Noonan is an educator and consultant who works with many leading learning organizations. His practice includes facilitation, executive coaching, and conducting workshops, and he collaborated on two Web-based learning programs: Forging Breakthroughs with Peter Senge (Ninthhouse) and Productive Business Dialogues and Managing Difficult Conversations (Harvard Business Review Publishing Company).

Noonan teaches at Marylhurst University in the Business Department, the Art Therapy Department, and the Religious Studies Department; he also teaches the philosophy series at Columbia Gorge Community College. He lives with his family in The Dalles, Oregon.

PART ONE

Defining Defensive Routines

Part One introduces you to the layout of the book, a definition of defensive routines, and the work of Chris Argyris and Donald Schön. A review of their work establishes a common understanding of the basic concepts and the foundational skill set used throughout the book.

CHAPTER ONE

Framing the Issue

The Work of Chris Argyris

Innovation, ingenuity, and thinking outside the box are often cited as hallmarks of successful organizations, but in practice, their occurrence is rare. More likely, the “way things work around here” is a litany of missed deadlines, low morale, strained relationships, and inept problem solving. In fact, many organizations manage to operate far below the standards of excellence they strive for. Why is that the case?

No one sits down and says, “Okay, here’s our plan for lowering morale in the company.” No one asks, “What can we do to run this project into the ground?” We are human beings who desire to succeed, to foster creativity, to be competent, and to value the dignity of work. Yet we find ourselves being ineffective, settling for less, and caught in escalating cycles of unproductive behavior toward each other. We also tend to cover up inefficiency to protect ourselves, and come to see those actions as necessary, realistic, and even caring. How does this happen?

I have written this book to help people and their companies sort out these puzzles of human behavior. My inspiration and the foundation for this book is the work of Chris Argyris. Professor Argyris has dedicated his life’s work to the topic of human behavior in organizations. His research has shown that our reactions to conditions of threat and embarrassment create patterns of behavior that he refers to as organizational defensive routines. These routines are predictable and ubiquitous in the world of work, and ultimately they do not serve the best interests of an organization. Understanding how each one of us participates in these dynamics is an important step toward creating a productive workplace. Learning how to mitigate or even avoid the resulting discord and loss of productivity is another. My goal is to help you accomplish both. This book, along with its accompanying interactive materials, attempts to make Chris Argyris’s work more accessible and practical.

WHAT IS AN ORGANIZATIONAL DEFENSIVE ROUTINE?

Organizational defensive routines arise when we find ourselves under the conditions of threat or embarrassment. In reaction to these conditions, we engage in a characteristic mode of defensive reasoning and behavior. We think, “The problem is not me, but you.” If both parties are thinking in the same defensive mode about each other, then the stage is set for some nasty behavior.