Constellations and the Dynamics of Business

Rconciling the Irreconcilable

2011-08-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

Reconciling the Irreconcilable

A political constellation was conducted to look at the issue of fostering peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Specially, the focus question was how can America enhance its role in fostering peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians? While the historical roots of the conflict go back 3 millenniums American involvement dates back to the middle of the twenty century after the British withdrawal from Palestine. Our official efforts to broker peace started in earnest after the 1967 war. The high water mark of those efforts was realized in September 17, 1978 by President Carter when a treaty between Israel and Egypt was signed by Menachem Begin and Anwar El Sadat at Camp David.

While there have been other successes, such as the establishment of the Palestinian Authority through the Oslo Accords in 1993 and 1995 and the initiation of the “two-state solution,” a viable and lasting peace has yet to be realized. Despite significant investments of time, talent and money in the region by the American government for close to half a century peace has yet to breakout. Why should we care? Why should we even keep trying? Three numbers: 9/11. American diplomats in the Middle East have admitted that our fate is tied to the fate of the Palestinian people. As long as the conflict remains unresolved the stability of a very unstable region will be even more at risk. The resolution of the conflict, even partial steps in that direction like the Camp David Accords, represent huge foreign policy victories for the incumbent US administration and reduce the threat to our homeland security.

8 participants attended a political constellation session to explore this issue. Most had limited experience as representatives. Only one besides the facilitator had spent time in Israel or West Bank/Gaza. Warm up constellations were conducted to help familiarize the participants with the energetic aspects of being in a state of conflict. Actual personal conflicts that participants were experiencing were constellated. The participants appreciated the insights they gained. The facilitator emphasized that the archetype of conflict between individuals or groups is visceral and personal. Most of us can relate to polarized dynamics of conflict that are felt as helplessness or powerful and fearful or angry. These feelings are usually played out in roles or projections around victim, perpetrator or rescuer. The warm up constellations demonstrated that when we more objective about the conflict and less caught up in our judgments and feelings new possibilities surface that provide more insight and even resolution. Would it be possible to apply this principle to conflicts between groups over scarce resources like land and water? The participants brainstormed on the number of different “actors” involved in Israeli-Palestinian conflict and came up about 25. The list was narrowed down to a top 8 that included: Israeli settlers, Israeli Palestinians, Israelis, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, holy sites (sacred to Christian, Jewish, Islam and other religions), the Holocaust, the American public and the international community.

The representatives were handed cards with one of the groups written on it but asked to hold off looking at the cards so they did not know which group they represented. Then they were told to find their place and stand there with no agenda but to notice what they noticed. The group arranged itself in the following manner (image to be inserted)

While still in the mode of a blind constellation the representatives were asked to report out. The representative for the Israeli Palestinians felt anxious and upset. The Holocaust felt a connection with the person behind her but also heavy and detached. The group circled up in the middle seemed interested in each other while the Israelis and Palestinians watched in a somewhat detached manner from a distance. Another unnamed representative (Sol) was added who felt drawn to the Palestinians and moved to where he could stand beside her.
He expressed the felt sense that she was key to a positive outcome. The group was asked to notice what shifted with the addition of the new representative. The US felt very attached to the representative for the Holocaust and moved close beside her. The Israeli Palestinians felt somewhat better and turned towards the group. All the representatives were asked to look at their cards and say who they were. The new representative was a solution that leads to peace. He felt that the Israelis themselves would need to come to terms with and acknowledge the trauma of the Holocaust. (image to be inserted)

With this acknowledgment the Holocaust was able to turn and feel more connected to the group. Another representative (48/67) was added to represent the trauma of the Palestinians who were expelled from their homeland in 1948 and 1967. When he was added the representative for the Israeli Palestinian felt much better. The solution stated that both Palestinians and the Israelis needed to see and acknowledge the pain and trauma of their past. However, neither of the two felt much interest in relating to their own or the other’s painful past. The American public felt almost obsessively protective of the Holocaust. She realized that her fixation gave her a sense of moral superiority.
As long as she held on to that payoff she could not see the others, their sufferings or the solution. The solution could see and felt connected to Israelis, Palestinians and Israel Palestinians and their respective traumas.

During the closing debrief it was stated that the shift that needed to occur to enhance Americas effectiveness in facilitating peace was about letting go of its sense of moral superiority. It was not clear exactly where this sense came from, perhaps from its role as a defeater of Nazi Germany or feeling like the protector and rescuer of those who suffered from the Holocaust. However, until the American public was able to acknowledge the oppression and suffering of every group in the system, it could not expect the Israelis and the Palestinians to acknowledge and grieve the suffering they have experienced and caused each other. This mutual acknowledgement on an emotional level would help open up the space for real negotiations and the resulting agreements that both sides could live with.

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Metro Safety: exploring solutions through OC

2010-03-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Situation:

Since 2002 DC’s Metro system has accounted for 42% of rail track worker fatalities nationwide. There have been 17 deaths in the last 5 years. Passenger and worker injury and fatalities are higher than in other jurisdictions. The overall level of safety is considered sub par.

Question: Given there is a safety problem, what can be done to make the system safer?

Problem areas: Some of the areas that may have contributed to this issue include: aging equipment, procedural noncompliance to safety rules, lack of corrective action in response to past investigations, budget shortfalls, and poor communication between management and workers and between departments.

Response: DuPont safety program (2007 to 2012) to enhance worker KSA and
participation in strengthening safety. Management, regulators and public
attention has intensified. Various initiatives and safety measures to improve
safety for workers and passengers have been initiated and conducted.

Related Questions:

Are the resources, budget and leadership in place that are needed to transform the culture of Metro and improve the level of safety?

Does the culture really need to change and, as some suggest, shift the focus from building the system towards maintaining it? Others argue that demand is expected to surpass capacity by 2025, justifying the major expansion to connect Metro to Tyson’s Corner and Dullas International Airport. Observers claim the system been starved by lack of funding over the years. During times of economic uncertainty, where will the funding come from to build capacity and maintain the system?

The current Metro GM steps down this spring. Who will take his place?

Important Disclaimer

The constellation process can provide an assessment, explanation and solution for an organizational problem. However, the results are hypothetical and can not be accepted
as the reality of the situation until a valid, organizational development assessment is conducted. Until then, the results of the constellation approach have to be seen as one possible hypothesis among the many offered for explaining Metro’s safety issues.

Process:

The OC Special Interest Group conducted a problem-solving assessment using the constellation process to see what insight and solutions might emerge. The process first identified the most tangible parts of the system as the following:

Passengers
Workers (bus and rail)
Supervisors and Management
Federal Regulators (NTSB, DOT, etc)
Equipment and systems
Metro Board

Other, less tangible, but still relevant, parts of the system included these:

Budget (capital and operation)
Organizational Culture of Safety
Leadership and teamwork
Equipment Vendors
Operational rules and procedures

The initial layout started with setting up representatives for the following parts:
                                           equip
                                            V
                       sops >                      < mgt
                                             ^
                                          worker

The first observable dynamic was that management seemed pulled in opposing directions. Dealing with equipment and systems was one issue and dealing with the workforce was another. Responding to a crisis in one was often interrupted by needing to respond to a problem in the other.

The rules and standard operating procedures (SOPs,--known in Metro as “general operating orders”) were added to the system as one of the means to coordinate the interface between equipment and workers. Management moved next to the equipment and faced the workers directly. The workers moved the SOPs away from themselves feeling there should be more space between them.

Management reacted with indignation, “What are you doing kicking the rules away? They need to be right next to you.” The workers felt that the rules were imposed on them without their input or consideration. The more space there was between them and the rules the more comfortable they felt.

There was a clear dichotomy in the system. On one side, there was the management and the rules they imposed on the workers for operating the equipment. On the other stood the workers; adamant about protecting their independence and dignity. The more strident management was about the rules, the more the workers felt distrusted and not respected. The workers felt that management was arbitrarily imposing the rules upon them.

A Shift toward Clarity:

What could move the situation out of the current stalemate? For a short period of time, the constellation seemed at in a standoff. No particular inspiration came. The distant and hierarchial tone of respresentative for management suggested it was coming from senior or upper management. A gap in constellation became clear and a representative for the first and second line supervisors was added. These supervisors had the role of developing and implementing the new SOPs. Management was impatiently looking to the supervisors for a plan. The supervisors were looking to management for a budget. “Show us the plan then we will talk about the budget!” was countered by the argument, “How can we come up with a plan if we don’t know our budget?” Both sides seemed to be looking for leadership from the other. The workers felt frustrated with the lack of leadership and direction. Instead of being supported in their jobs, they believed they were being set up for failure.

The supervisors, however, did express their support for the workers. They felt the workers were being, to some extent, unfairly blamed for the safety failures in the system.

When the workers heard these words of support they relaxed and were less oppositional or resentful. However, they were still not ready to fully embrace the safety program being pushed by senior management; they felt the program was more about PR than about actually protecting the passengers and workers.

What else need to be acknowledged or included? A representative for the accident victims, both workers and passengers, was brought into the system. The representative entered the constellation in a place where there had been a empty space. The constellation shifted into the arrangement illustrated below:

                                       equip      mgt
                                           V         V

                    supervisors >                         < victims
                              sops   >
                                                 ^
                                              workers

The representative for the management was asked how she felt about the victims. She had little to say to them and even seemed resentful towards them as if they were the source of the trouble she had to deal with. The representative for the victims felt everyone had let her down and betrayed the trust she had had in them. She felt angry, frustrated and sad. The worker’s representative thought management was trying to make them bear the burden of responsibility for victims. The tension and resentment he felt towards management increased. He asserted management was trying to pass the buck instead of owning that the buck stops with management.
While the supervisors seemed be more sympathetic towards the workers and victims, nothing would shift as long as the management tried to distance itself from the tragedies and breakdowns that had occurred.
Management was asked to apologize to the victims and take responsibility for its part in what happened. It took several tries, but finally the managers were able to articulate their role in the tragedies without hedging. After they said they were sorry to the victims and took responsibility, the workers relaxed and felt more friendly and respectful towards management. “This is what happens when we don’t work together and follow our SOPs,” management told the workers and supervisors, while pointing towards the victims. The workers felt motivated now to move closer to the SOPs and the supervisors. Although they were not asked to, it is possible even more of a shift would have occurred if the supervisor also said they were sorry and took responsibility for their part in what happened.
The manager and equipment lined up with the workers and supervisors and faced the passenger and worker victims. “We must ensure their safety while we transport them,” the manager told the others while gesturing towards the Metro users. All the parts of the system were then aligned towards this purpose. A felt sense of unity that had been missing previously was shared by the representatives in the constellation.

Summary and Possible Implications

According to the constellation, the failure of Metro management to apologize and hold themselves accountable for the breakdown of the system and the injuries and deaths has kept the system in a destabilized state. As long as the workers feel blamed and disrespected by senior management, they will be averse to embracing anything management initiates no matter how worthy it might be. Perhaps, in some unconscious way, the workers identify with the victims who might also have felt disrespected and marginalized. The emphasis on new equipment, training and SOPs will not have much remedial impact until there is a management “mea culpa” that publicly takes full responsibility for the safety failures. While the new safety measures might be logical and appropriate, the needed sense of shared responsibility and partnership is not possible when the three key groups--managers, supervisors and workers--are locked in defensive positions.

A shift in attitude at Metro’s top towards taking responsibility could bring about a corresponding shift in the attitude of the workers.  The workers movement towards developing and implementing new safety procedures with the supervisors could be strengthened by the call to fix the system together. As long as they are seen by management as a problem that needs “fixing,” the workers will resist the imposition of rules and, in turn, will see management as the real problem that needs fixing. This is the classic standoff of different organizational levels seeing each other as the problem. Looking together at the safety problem, instead of pointing fingers at each other, will help break down the silos and increase the flow of timely information and ideas.
Getting this new message across will require extensive outreach to and dialogue with the workers on the part of management. It demands an interactive and dynamic style of leadership that is willing to engage directly with staff to discuss difficut issues.

While the issues of aging equipment, non-compliance with SOPs, expansion of the Metro system, political maneuvering and budget shortfalls all impact the problem-solving process, by themselves they are not source of the Metro’s current challenges. According to the constellation, the critical shift that needs to occur is a movement from management and staff blaming each other to their working toward a more unified organization that will look together at the system’s shortcomings and the opportunities for improvement. The movement towards a solution will come when management is able to find and express a greater sense of humility and personal accountability. Ironically, they first have to hold themselves accountable before they can hold others accountable and clarify their responsibilities.

Again, it must be emphasized that the above assessment is not necessarily valid, accurate or true. The constellation process offers a potential scenario that should be validated phenomenonally by an organizational development initiative before it can be accepted as more than a hypothesis. It does offer, however, the members of the organization a starting place to look in their search for solutions.

Special thanks to Karen Porterfield for her editing of this paper and
facilitating the constellation all rights reserved: © Team Building Associates, 2010 (teambuildingassociates.com)

Family Business

2009-12-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

As is often the case in a family business the parents hold on tight to the decision making responsibilities long past the time those responsibilities were to be past on to their children. One of those children, Sue, asked for a constellation to explore how to best deal with this issue. Her father, we’ll call him, Edward, was open minded about most things and talked about sharing executive responsibilities with his children. However, in practice, he kept a white knuckled grip on any decision of importance. Representatives were set up for the father, Edward, and the daughter, Sue, the other siblings, Sibs, and the business, F.B. After settling into their roles they were asked to move if they felt inspired to. Within a brief time the following arrangement emerged:

* Sibs - * Sue (facing their father side by side)

* Ed (the father facing his children with arms out as if to block their
access to the business)

* F.B. (the business behind the father)

“Ed” reported that he felt protective of the business. The kids were still kids in his eyes. The other siblings, and to some extent, Sue, felt frustrated with their father. They had paid their dues and it had not been easy. The business felt okay and interested in how things would turn out. Ed was honored by the siblings and Sue as their father and the steward of the family business. His contribution would not be forgotten and he would always have a place of honor both in their hearts and at the company office. Ed’s stance softened. He put his arms down but he still felt protective.

Sue revealed that their family’s business had been founded by Sue’s great grandmother at the beginning of the twentieth century. Her grandfather then ran the business till he passed it on to his son, Sue's father, after he died. Representatives for the great grandmother and the grandfather were placed in the constellation. Ed was asked to face his father. He appeared smaller, as if he was now in the role of being the child who did not have the confidence of his parent. The grandfather turned and faced his mother. He honored her role in founding the business and thanked her for passing it on to him. She handed him a purse (which actually belonged to Sue) to symbolize the responsibility for running the business. The grandfather turned and told the father that here is the responsibility for running the business which I received from my mother. He expressed his confidence in his son and blessed him as he handed him the purse. He and his children would also be good stewards of their family business.

Ed turned now and faced his children. His children moved closer. They honored their great grandmother as the founder of the business and their grandfather and father in turn as the good stewards who modeled how to keep it prosperous for future generations. Ed held out the purse but did not let go of it. He felt better about letting them participate in running the company, but wondered if they could handle all the responsibility by themselves. The children took hold of the purse. They promised to keep an honored place for him in the company. His voice would be heard when any important matter needed to be considered. They asked for his blessing and the opportunity to become the stewards that he had been. Ed blessed his children and slowly let go of the purse.

Online Constellations

2009-10-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

Not to be overly dramatic but September 30, 2009 might just be notable in the constellation world. On that date 5 of us used the web based "go to meetings" software to conduct two constellations online. Perhaps a first. The process worked nearly as well, as if we had all been in a room together. This blog will discuss one of the constellations and offer some lessons learned about conducting a constellation online. One huge advantage, of course, is not having to invest time and money in traveling to get to a meeting facility. Log into the gotomeeting website at the designated time, welcome the other participants who connect by phone or headset on their PC's, and begin the constellation. The participants all share the same screen that the meeting facilitator has on his or her PC. As the facilitator for the meeting on the 30th I used a Word document with triangle figures arranged on the document to represent the different people or parts of the question posed by the client. As the representatives reported out I move them by mouse on the screen or made new ones to include. A picture of the document at the end of the constellation, somewhat mangled when I downloaded it for this blog, is in the lower left. The consultant, whom we'll call Fred, had a client he was starting to work with again with after a lapse of several months because of unrelated business issues. Right before he finished his first round of work with his client, a team leader in a large organization, he was confided in by the team leader's boss about his dissatisfaction with the working relation he, the boss, had with the team leader. Fred wanted to take some action on this issue but did not have the opportunity. Now that he was back with the same group he was sure nothing had changed. Yet, what was he going to do about the issue? He believed his client, the team leader. whom he felt loyal to, would feel betrayed and blindsided if he raised the issue unilaterally. Yet not to deal with the issue would not be in her or anyone's best interest. How could he resolve this delimma? The constellation was started with just two representatives, the consultant and the team leader. Fred, the consultant, indicated to the facilitator where to put the two rectangles in relationship to each other. Two participants online were designated just as would be done in any constellation to be Fred and the team leader. After a few moments to settle in they were asked to report their sensations and feelings. Both participants said they got a better connection with the person they were representing by standing up. One placed her laptop flat on the floor and stood where the figures indicated. The other picked an object in the room to represent the other person. The initial report out of a knot in her stomach and wanting to move back on the part of the team leader and feeling like his hands were tied on the part of the consultant were affirmed as accurate by Fred. When the boss was brought in the team leader moved further back and turned to face in the other direction. She felt better when she was looking away from the boss. The boss felt frustrated with the lack of contact and was impatent to have the issue resolved. Fred felt even more under the pressure of a no-win situation. The contract was brought in to more clearly define Fred's role in providing coaching and feedback to the team leader. The team the leader supervised was also included. The team leader appreciated both elements, but not enough to want to turn around and face the boss or the team more directly. The purpose of the organization/team was included. The team leader expressed the sentiment that, finally, here was something she understood. When the purpose was placed in the center of the group she had to turn and face in that direction which she did not like doing. She did not understand the team or the boss so she did not want to deal with them. This attitude shifted when Fred offered to help improve her understanding of others if she would agree to his coaching and feedback as defined in a new contract. Through his coaching and facilitation he would help her engage with her team and align with her boss to accomplish their purpose.

The final picture for the challenge provided by a business consultant is shown on the right:
The team and the team leader are focused on the
purpose of the organziaton and the boss, consultant
and the contract are all playing a supportive role.
Fred's task requires that he has the agreement and committment of the team leader and her boss to help them improve their communication. By keeping his focus on what the overall system needs to be whole he can keep from being co-opted by a misguided loyalty to the team leader that would reduce his effectiveness in helping her. Fred appreciated the insights he gained from the process. We spent a few minutes discussing the two constellations that were conducted online. The total time for the two sessions was about two hours.
The process may have moved a little slower because
we could not see each others faces. But it also help our connection to the process to wait more for people to speak and try not to all speak at the same time. Given the right group and an a few short breaks there is no reason the online sessions could not run longer. The session was taped, but for confidentality purposes it won't be put on line. Hopefully, a future session can by made public and a link put on my website, teambuildingassociates.com so others can experience working online and see how well it works.

Workplace Conflict

2009-09-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

At a recent workshop the theme was addressing conflict in the workplace
using the constellation approach. Some interesting insights emerged about the actual source of a conflict and how to address it unilaterally. It may take two to tango as some people are fond of saying but it only takes one to change the tune or the tempo or stop the dance all together:

Vision Crossing

A professional was upset with her boss. He said all the right things about consultative leadership and the importance of open and honest feedback. He declared at staff meetings his door was open for input and feedback and anything else that would take the organization to the next level. She liked what he preached but felt in practice he dismissed out of hand her ideas, concerns or requests. She was continually frustrated with his lack of responsiveness. She was not the only person who felt unheard and disregarded and could always borrow a sympathetic ear for venting her complaints. But she also knew this cycle of frustration and complaining was a waste of her time and energy. She wanted to have more influence, but lacking that, at least find a way to be at peace with the situation. She was asked to pick a representative for herself and for her boss. Surprisingly, she was reluctant to do that out of fear of picking the wrong person. Two people volunteered and she set them up in the field.

                Boss                  Professional

After the representatives settled into the field the facilitator walked around the edge of the constellation and noticed something. He invited the professional to stand beside him and look at the representatives. Clearly they were looking at something in the distance, each in their own field of vision. Representatives were placed where they were looking. When the representative for the professional saw the vision had been placed where she was looking she smiled.

                              Boss                Professional

                             professional's     Boss's
                              vision                vision

The boss and the professional each had their own vision. The visions did not necessary conflict with each other, but it did mean their priorities would differ. All that mattered to the boss was his vision. He was not antagonistic to the vision of the professional. She could do whatever she wanted. He just did not want to be distracted from what he was focused on. This was a revelation to the professional. She had not realized she did not need her boss’s approval or praise to achieve her vision. He had already empowered her to do what she wanted to do. What she really wanted was his approval like a child would want the attentive approval of a parent. She did not actually need his attention to move towards her vision. If fact, if he was not so focused on his vision he might try to spend more time managing her, something that would not be to her advantage or liking.

Another person was placed in the middle of the group to represent the overlap between the two visions. As long as that person did not block the view the boss and professional had of their visions everyone felt fine with it. This arrangement worked for short time but the combined vision soon grew tired and felt the need to withdrawal.
The professional took the place of her representative in the constellation. Asked what she needed, she reported she felt she had the support and resources she required. She knew her boss represented the approval and attention her mother failed to give her, but she did not want to go into that. She felt ready to move forward and embrace her vision. She did just that and the constellation was complete.
Our next OC workshop in Falls Church, Virginia is October 24. Check out http://www.teambuildingassociates.com/ for more details

2009-08-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone; August 2009

There may be other blogs on sestemic, business or organizational constellations, but if so this is the first one I am aware of. If you are interested in enhansing the performance of an organization, looking at the systemic issues and helping foster change and engagement you should find some useful insights and ideas here. If you want to enhanse your own performance or that of others this blog should also be helpful.

My plan is to post monthly at least one constellation I've done with a client. It may not be the most recent to protect confidentailty but it should be instructive and interesting. Your feedback and questions, whether you are highly skilled and experienced in facilitating constellations or a total newcomer, will certainly help deepen our collective understanding of this new and profound process for gaining insights and solutions into organizational or personal peformance challenges.

Take a look at this constellation that was done during an consulting assignment in South American. Working systemically I believe has helped me help my clients with greater speed and depth. Without getting sidetracked by the he said/she said, we get to what is really behind the story or stories to that place where a shift can make a difference and things start moving again. Your comments and questions are welcome.
All the best ,
Harrison
Team Building Associates

CASE STUDY: Constellation Choir
A government ministry for education was put in charge of organizing a new, national “head start” program for kindergarteners. A retreat was organized to strengthen policy setting functions, conduct strategic and implementation planning and achieve the level of teamwork within the entire unit needed to successfully implement the new program.

Before the retreat the facilitators conducted their own planning constellation. Sitting on the beach near the conference center they created a knowing field in the sand to represent the different ministry groups that would be participating at the retreat. They believed representing physically the data they had gained from the needs assessment might give them some insights into how to best facilitate the unit. They had heard during the assessment there was a conflict between two key individuals who would be attending. How might this affect the proceedings? How could it be mitigated? Using small sticks stuck in the sand they placed the different participants and groups in relationship to each other. Reporting out was done by touching a stick and giving voice to what the person or group it represented might have to say. Using this process it appeared that the Minister’s attention was other places besides starting up the new program. The different groups faced away from each other, seemingly to pursue their own agendas. Two of those group leaders (really subgroups) felt their viewpoints were not respected by the other leader. This resentment might have come in part from a difference in communication styles. Two solutions emerged from the constellation. Establishing and affirming norms of mutual respect through reflective listening might help reduce some of the misunderstanding that fed the current tension between the two men. Creating together a clear and authentic vision for the unit could help focus the efforts of the different groups and improve information sharing.

The ministry had gathered 40 participants at a conference center for several days and hoped that a viable strategic plan would emerge from the proceeding. Before the unit could really consider its options how could the concerns and suggestions of its stakeholders and partners become part of this process?
All the participants were mid or senior level staff from the ministry. There were no recent polls or surveys to draw upon. Was there a way these other voices could be heard? At the beginning of the planning process small five groups were formed at random. Each group represented a voice that needed to be heard. The groups included, the ministry, teachers, parents, school administrators and of course, the children.

Each group was given time to prepare a presentation on their wants, needs and concerns related to the new program. All the members of each small group were asked to participate in the presentation. This rule created a more interactive and skit like atmosphere. As each group took its turn in the front of the room the feeling grew stronger that the information provided truly gave voice to what the actual stakeholders would have communicated had they been in the room. Although the process was lighthearted and playful, especially when the “children” took their turn, comparing and contrasting the different perspectives helped identify interconnected issues that needed to be part of the planning process. Each group had written their goals down on flipcharts. When put next to each other the combined goals unexpectedly turned out to be the shared vision of the program that had been lacking. This exercise was a high point for all the participants in that space had been made for differences and their related emotions to be expressed not only without blame and but with humor and good will. Although the Minister was frequently texting during the sessions or out of the room talking on his cell phone, he was sufficiently involved to affirm his commitment to the vision the unit had created. At the end of the retreat, as participants shared what they were taking away and the new actions they were committing to, a surprising comment was made. One of the two leaders who had had difficult relationship stood up and said that he did not know exactly why or how it had happened but now he felt like he and his colleague could work together and he was looking forward to a new relationship and a new beginning.

Labels: organizational, systemic constellations for