informal coalitions

The dynamics of continuity and change in organizations - an analogy

Later today, Derby County play away at Manchester United in the English Premier League. Currently, Derby are languishing in 20th place in the table (out of 20!), with Manchester United second.  One possibility is that the match will run true to form and that United will win the game. At the same time, it is also possible that Derby will upset the odds and collect all three points.  In the words of one of football's (soccer's) well-worn clichés: "On the day, it's just eleven men against eleven - anything can happen".  As a Derby supporter, I can but hope!

Whilst it's true, of course, that anything can happen, current form suggests that Manchester United will win the match comfortably.  Both outcomes are possible in the everyday heat of the local 'battle' but it is much more likely that United will come out on top - and probably by some margin.  In football matches, as in life, established patterns tend to channel interactions and outcomes down well-trodden pathways. Despite this tendency, though, they also hold the capacity for an upset (i.e. something new) to occur. Which brings me on to the dynamics of continuity and change in organizations ...

Gareth Morgan's 'plantpot solutions'

Picture the scene. A man is on his knees, arms spread wide and eyes cast skyward. People are seated in front of him, looking on attentively and listening intently to his words. A book lies open by his side.

This was the picture presented to us by Gareth Morgan, at a workshop on metaphor, paradox and change that he ran in London around ten years ago. "What is the man," he asked, "and what is he doing?"

Drucker on controls and control

In Is a Balanced Scorecard Bad?, Jonathan Becher argues "... metrics by themselves are unlikely to increase the performance of an organization... metrics must be accompanied by objectives and initiatives."  This echoes Peter Drucker's often repeated view that:

• controls are different from control; and, most importantly, that
• more controls do not necessarily lead to more control.

Becher makes the equally important point that use of the term "scorecard" inevitably places undue emphasis on measures (ie 'scores' and scorekeeping).  As I've suggested elsewhere, organizational scorekeepers and commentators are too often seen as more important than the players!

Key influence #5 - Gareth Morgan

Gareth Morgan is Distinguished Research Professor at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto. He is a writer and management consultant, who places particular emphasis on the use of metaphor and paradox to understand the dynamics of organizations and the challenges of change. I first saw Morgan in action at a full-day session of the Independent Change Management Forum in 1997, in which he explored various aspects of metaphor and paradox in relation to organizational change. This reinforced my attraction to the use of metaphor and analogy as language and thinking tools. His discussion of the paradoxical nature of organizations also re-ignited my interest in this important but under-explored and misunderstood aspect of organizational dynamics.

Key influence #4 - Clough and Taylor

"SOS Bring Back Clough"

On Tuesday 16 October 1973, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor resigned as manager and assistant manager of Derby County Football Club.  They had been forced out of their jobs by a Board that lacked the vision to see what was unfolding before them, as the team scaled the heights of a European Cup semi-final only five years after finishing near the foot of the then Second Division. A small number of men, who were not prepared to live in Clough’s shadow and who were bolstered by their command of the majority of shares in the Club, successfully forced Clough and Taylor out of Derby County and ended the most successful period in the Club’s history. 

Key influence #3 - Robert Quinn

Robert Quinn is Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management at the University of Michigan Business School. He is a researcher, analyst and writer in the field of organizational behaviour. I was first attracted to his approach in the book Beyond Rational Management, which introduced his "competing values framework" as a way of viewing the paradoxical nature of organizations.

Key influence #2 - Edward de Bono

Edward de Bono is internationally known for his work on creativity and as the originator of the concept of lateral thinking. His academic background is in psychology and medicine, and he has held faculty appointments at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, London and Harvard. He is a prolific author and has taught thinking in both business and academic forums.

Taking de Bono's ideas laterally

De Bono’s work has had a significant effect on my thinking since the late 1960s. A key contribution has been his articulation of the brain as a self-organizing system; and, in my view, many of the more appealing theories on the dynamics of organizations (eg as set out by the Stacey school) are consistent with the ideas that he has been advancing for many years. The more that I have developed my thinking on organizations as networks of ongoing, self-organizing conversations, the more parallels that seem to exist with de Bono’s many writings on the brain and lateral thinking.

Key influence #1 - Ralph Stacey

Ralph Stacey is Professor of Management and Director of the Complexity and Management Centre at the Business School of the University of Hertfordshire. He is also a member of the Institute of Group Analysis. He consults at many levels across a range or organizations and is the author of a number of thought-leading books and articles on strategy and complexity theory in management. His work has had a significant impact on my approach to change leadership and organizational dynamics, as reflected in the pages of Informal Coalitions.