On the card John wrote the word ‘listening’. He was proud of it. ‘I learned the importance of listening today. It’s makes for better teamwork. So that’s what I’ll do starting tomorrow back at the office’. As usual I was closing the meeting by asking participants to write down that single action they would do differently after the meeting.

John’s answer is not unique. In all the meetings and workshops I lead ‘listening’ is probably the most given answer to my closing question. During the facilitated exercises participants realise they cannot rely anymore on their normal daily routines. Listening and improvising become vital to stay focused and achieve the desired results.

Suddenly all the management gabble they have been hearing starts making sense. Working in flat teams, multi-disciplinary, open, responsive, fostering creativity, breakthrough innovation, solution oriented, etc…. During the meeting, they’ve reached a different level of consciousness and see bits of the new organisation, of the new way of working.

My meetings and workshops provide a safe space to try and test this new way of working through various facilitated exercises such as: improvisation, brainstorms, meaningful group discussions, etc…

Control and Command versus Innovation

But back at their desks, the old system sits in the way. The hierarchy, the sheer amount or rules, the endless pointless meetings… they are all symptoms of the deeply engrained command and control system that already exists since a long, long time. And they know how to work in this system. It’s their DNA. And suddenly they’ve been requested (sic!) to work in new innovative teams. It’s like forcing a square to become a circle, overnight!

It does not work.

And thus the seeds of the new system do not grow. They die, which is a yet another argument for the old system not to change, regardless of the changing world around them.

Suggestions to let the new emerge

So what is needed to let the new emerge and make the change really happen? Here is a non-exhaustive list of strategies from my side:

• organise safe spaces within the old system (e.g. community of practice)
• allow for failures within these safe spaces
• get rid of managers and procedures in those safe spaces
• give people in innovative teams the freedom to design their own function (regardless of the position in the command and control structure)
• create new physical spaces to help people change roles when switching between the new and old organisation
• use the old system to promote successes of the innovative teams (keep them aboard)

Feel free to add your own contribution to the list!