I returned to the UK from a 'long weekend' break in Brussels yesterday. On the train from London to our local station, my wife said that there would be a lot of females waiting for me when I got home!
"How does she know this?" I thought. And, more disturbingly perhaps, "Why doesn't she seem concerned by the prospect!?" As it turned out, what she actually said was that there would be a lot of emails waiting for me. But, during the brief period before my curiosity and confusion led me to seek clarification, my attempts to make sense of this pronouncement had led me down a few interesting mental and emotional channels!
How we sense, perceive, interpret, evaluate and respond to what other people say and do, in the give-and-take of everyday conversation and interaction, determines what outcomes emerge - for us and for those we are engaging with. The same process that generates the taken-for granted patterns of interaction which enable us to 'get on' in the world together also holds the potential for novelty to emerge. During yesterday's conversation, this novelty was triggered by a misunderstanding/mishearing on my part; and the 'creative outcome' was short-lived and of no value - although we did laugh about it afterwards!
In organizations, the same dynamics are at work. Sensing and sensemaking trigger patterns that take thoughts, feelings and actions down particular pathways. Ordinarily, the bias is towards pathways that reflect previous sensemaking and action taking; reinforcing patterns of meaning and underlying assumptions about organizational life. But the same conversational process can lead to pattern shifting and organizational change, whether stimulated by chance interaction, misunderstanding or intention. In all cases, though, the outcomes are co-created by those taking part. And whatever emerges, emerges - whether reinforcing continuity or stimulating change. This is the case even where one or more of those present are acting with a specific intent in mind.
Our perceptions, interpretations and evaluations - in the moment of conversational interaction and as biased by what we sense and feel - are powerful. These determine how we 'see' the world, how we act (alone and in concert with others), and the outcomes that ultimately emerge.
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