Emergent Teams case study

Case study: Emergent Teams and the universal language of systems

"Human organisations emerge from a process that can be comprehended but never controlled.”
Margaret J Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers

During the pandemic, unhelpful behaviours and patterns had emerged in a client's leadership team. They were stuck in a reactive cycle, spending most of their valuable time responding to daily pressures. This was having a detrimental effect on the team's ability to focus on strategy, key decisions, prioritisation and the empowerment of their next level leaders. They were caught in the weeds and it was having a negative impact on their respective departments and the broader organisation's health. The leader had scheduled an off site meeting to address the issue.

Upon exploring further, it was evident that the leader himself was trapped and consequently modelled many of the same behaviours he’d identified in others, but couldn’t see it. The client was micromanaging his LT, who felt disempowered and rudderless. The client was impatient for change, had ideas on what needed to change and wanted results, fast.

The leaderships team’s living history

To explore the various relationship dynamics at play (both spoken and unspoken), a facilitated systemic exercise was held focussing on time and belonging. The 3 contexts were: Time on the current leadership team, Time in any leadership team and Time in their profession.

As each context changed, it revealed new truths, and surfaced some false assumptions. Rich discussions arose about individuals' value to the team and perceptions. People spoke honestly about their feelings and emotions. Towards the end of the session, the group wanted to try a different context. This time they ordered themselves based on the number of different organisations they’d been part of, and again the system spoke to them.

The exercise showed that everyone has a different, unique and a valid perspective from their place in the system. It showed that when dynamics shift, fresh insights and information can act as an untapped resource. Some talents were shared for the first time. It revealed the importance of staying curious about the ever changing dynamics. It also showed the importance of dynamic balance and the giving and receiving required for better organisational health.

Through this holistic, emergent approach, the leadership team were better equipped to deal with the bigger, broader issues. They explored the needs of various internal and external stakeholders, agreed on how they should spend and structure their time together (strategic thinking, prioritisation and decision making) and the importance of empowering and developing others.

When the right conditions are created, disruptive shifts can occur revealing hidden patterns and unspoken assumptions and enabling honest and challenging conversations to take place. These important ingredients are the foundations for lasting change. They ultimately strengthened my client and his leadership team by illuminating the needs of the broader system and freeing them from their old narrative which will set them on the path for greater outcomes.