How do you solve tough problems?

Adam Kahane is a person you have probably never heard of (in comparison to someone like Nelson Mandela perhaps), but his work has had a tremendous impact all over the world.

Adam has worked on some of the toughest problems around the world, both in organizations and in societies – playing a lead role in the Mont Fleur project in South Africa in the early 90′s as it was transitioning away from apartheid, to Colombia during the civil war, Argentina during the collapse, Guatemala after the genocide, Israel-Palestine, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, and the Basque Country.

In his book Solving Tough Problems he argues that problems are tough because they are complex in three ways:

Dynamically Complex – cause and effect are far apart in space and time, and so problems are hard to grasp from firsthand experience

Generatively Complex – problems are unfolding in unfamiliar and unpredictable ways

Socially Complex – the people involved see things differently and so the problems become polarized and stuck

It is within this context that Adam discusses open talking and listening as a way to overcome these problems, highlighting some of his past successes as well as failures, and the lessons learned from each of them.

Essentially, people talk with and listen to one another in one of four ways:

1. Downloading - This is the most common, maintain the status quo. We talk politely and say what we are expected to say. We also repeat what we already know, not noticing anything different or new

2. Debating - We see more of what is there (through vigorous debate and reasoned decision-making), but create nothing new. In moving from downloading to debating, we speak our minds more openly even at the risk of fragmenting the system – we debate and make judgements, make observations about the outside world and other people.

3. Reflective Dialogue – Calls on us to be empathetic – to see the world through the eyes of others, and self-reflective – to understand how we influence the world around us. This  mode is rare in organizational life but is essential for deep change, and unlike downloading or debating, allows us to participate in the future that is emerging.

4. Generative Dialogue – We are fully present to what is emerging in the whole system. This is the least common and most precious for it is this mode of conversation that allows a group to discover its larger and deeper shared purpose. This is vital for the success of deep change initiatives.

How to change the world

If we are going to change the world and to find solutions to some of the world’s most intractable and complex social problems, we need to be able to engage in reflective and generative dialogue. Adam mentions a story in his book that is very simple, but the lesson from it is profound:

There is a story about a man who wanted to change the world. He tried as hard as he could, but really did not accomplish anything. So he thought that instead he should just try to change his country, but he had no success with that either. Then he tried to change his city and then his neighbourhood, still unsuccessfully. Then he thought that he could at least change his family, but failed again. So he decided to change himself. Then a surprising thing happened. As he changed himself his, family changed too. And as his family changed, his neighbourhood changed, his city changed. As his city changed, his country changed, and as his country changed, the world changed.

***

My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families in the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Posted via web from Renjie Butalid

Share and Enjoy

•