3 Questions to design engagements that matter!
— Transforming Organizations, Revitalizing Communities and Developing Human Potential
3 Questions to design meetings & events that matter
The following is adapted from a 30 min. high-impact change tool webinar and various writing by/conversations with Steve Cady, Ph.D. [webinar slides].
Have you ever attended a meeting and questioned, “why am I even here?”; ever been asked to consent to a decision and realized, “we don’t even have the right people here to make that call!”; ever left a training thinking, “well, at least I got one nugget…”; or attended a large scale event wondering, “am I just being manipulated to a foregone conclusion?”
What if instead, you could be part of a collaborative change engagement, where facilitators leverage the fact that people support and defend what they have helped create?
Ron Lippitt, one of the founders and thought-leaders for the field of organization development, called ‘The Master of Planned Change’ by some, intuitively asked these 3 simple questions to guide the design of any collaborative meeting or event.
Ask these 3 questions to identify your approach to the change you want to see. Answer them to define the sequence of steps that will lead to sustainable collaborative action. They went something like this:
What’s the Purpose?
Who needs to be involved?
What conversations need to be had?
Let’s look at the three questions in a bit more detail:
1. What’s the Purpose? Purpose is about meaning. It’s your WHY? In the context of change, it captures the essence of how the people in the system aspire to be different because they have come together, in-person or virtually, in order to collectively create their future. Getting to purpose is hard work. Bold questions about what is desired become a powerful source for clarifying the intentions and aspirations for change. Uncovering purpose can lead to lengthy debates, crumpled up paper, and starting over. Ironically, conflicts, problems, and issues are something to be welcomed rather than resisted or feared because they provide clues to what is best and needs to emerge. Inviting people into shaping the specifics ensures the investment is worthwhile.
Purpose is first about identifying outcomes – answering the collective answer to, “what do we want to accomplish on this change journey? What aspirations do we hold?” In developing the outcomes, consider the following general guidance:
Keep the end in mind. Clarifying the “WHY?” provides an opportunity for taking the conversation deeper in a way that brings out the meaningfulness of the change. A powerful question to ask of any activity is, “in order to what?” The answer will uncover the real desires – the compelling inspirations and aspirations.
Focus on the intentions for the change. It’s seductive for change agents to pre-determine the conclusions (goals, decisions, action plans, etc.) that they believe are the “right” answers. It is a leap of faith to let go of “I have the answer” and trust the wisdom in the room.
Now that you have compelling outcomes, ask the second follow-up question, “if all of these outcomes are accomplished, in one sentence, what will be different in your/our world?” The answer to this question gets at the heart of the purpose.
2. Who needs to be involved? The question of “WHO?” helps to define the natural boundaries of the system that needs to be engaged. It is an iterative process in which the emerging web of connections (e.g., functions, intentions, aspirations, interests, geography, etc.) informs the type of system and meeting or event size. In addition to the type of system, it is important to consider the sheer number of people expected to participate in the meeting or process and the events. Consider the following:
Make a clear choice to engage. The primary aim for involving people is NOT to reduce resistance and create buy-in. These are bi-products of a more compelling reason to engage people: Wisdom. The people in the system, when engaged, will ensure that the best decisions about the future are made.
Get the right people involved. Who is affected by the change? Who can influence it? Who brings needed resources? Consider both stakeholders, representation, and diversity. Stakeholders are those constituents that play a particular role related to the delivery of products or services, including customers and suppliers, for example. Representation refers to bringing together the most representative group possible from throughout the system you want to engage: from the C-suite to housekeepers and maintenance crew. Bringing together broad representation sets the stage for breakthrough. Diversity refers to characteristics such as gender, age, and ethnicity. The more creatively the system is defined, the more the potential for wisdom to emerge. Perhaps the most surprising participants are the “wild cards” – both nay-sayers and the people who seem to have the least connection to the system – because they contribute perspectives and ideas that aren't normally part of the conversation.
3. What conversations need to take place? With purpose clear and the WHO? identified, focus on the nature of the process – the WHAT? of how to have productive and meaningful conversations that move the organization or community towards the future it yearns to have. Consider the following tips:
Take the time it takes. “Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.” Humans require a certain processing time when addressing ambitious issues. Research confirms this notion. The “Zeigarnik Effect” states that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. Multiple day processes rely on this insight often ending the afternoon with an open-ended task. Don’t risk the opportunity for breakthrough by scrimping on the time.
Finally, keep it simple. Whether it is in the choice of method, selection of participants, or the specifics of process design, if you are working so hard that nothing gels, it is usually a good indicator that something simpler is needed. It is time to return to the purpose, the ‘WHY?’ of your project, in order to find a more elegant answer.
Check out NEXUS4change’s new webinar series of 30-min. high-impact change tool talks. Check our events page [www.NEXUS4change.com/events] for more on the power of Design Teams, the Change Formula, Collaborative Roadmaps, Appreciative Benchmarking and more.