Slides from the Agile Coaching Exchange meet up 22/1/19. A session by Carolyn on Complexity and Systems.

1. C a r o l y n M c D o n a l d
Coach Consultant Mediator
M.A. Lic Ac. PG Cert.

2. Why am I here?
• Barefoot Coach and Tutor
• www.barefootcoaching.co.uk/
• Coach Consultant Mediator
• www.adapterconsulting.com/
I love how individuals, groups, teams,
organisations and systems interact.

3. Complexity & Systems

4. Complex Systems in Action

5. Some Theory
• Wilfred Bion, psychoanalyst with particular
interest in groups, influenced by his WW1
experiences
• Work Group, the group has real purpose and
members are united to achieve that purpose
• Assumption group, the group is held together
by a set of interlocked feelings which are
connected with a basic assumption of the
group

6. 3 Basic Assumptions
• Dependency Group- need for a leader or
some external force to save them
• Fight/Flight Group- survival matters most and
survival is constantly under threat
• Pairing Group – exists to facilitate individuals
in it pairing off
• A functioning work group can quickly be
pulled by these basic assumptions as they
come from strong underlying needs & fears

7. The Matrix
• S. H. Foulkes a psychiatrist and
psychoanalyst who worked Military Neurosis
Centre developing group work during WWII
• The matrix is a hypothetical web of
communication and relationship in a given
group. It is the common shared ground,
which ultimately determines the meaning and
significance of all events and upon which all
communication and interpretations, verbal
and non verbal rest….

8. The Matrix (cont’)
• The group matrix is the operational basis
of all relationships and communications.
Inside this network the individual is
conceived as a nodal point. The
individual, in other words, is not conceived
as a closed but as an open system… As is
the case of the neurone in the nervous
system so is the individual suspended in
the group matrix. (Foulkes, 1964)

9. A neuron is a cell in the nervous system
whose function it is to receive and
transmit information

10. Listening
“Hearing is a physiological
phenomenon; listening is a
psychological act.”
Roland Barthes

11. Listening is an active process that
constructs meaning from verbal and non
verbal messages
Practice
• In pairs A & B
• A talks to B for 2 minutes. Start with the question “What
would you like to think about?”
• B does not speak for the whole 2 minutes
• Listen. Pay attention to your partner. Show warmth and
interest.
• If necessary, B can ask “what more do you think, feel or want
to say?” if A is stuck
• Show that you are listening.
• I will tell you when the time is up, then we will swap
Nancy Kline Thinking Environment

12. Implementing Change within a
system without listening

13. Implementing Change within a
system without listening

14. What is the coaching approach?
• Helping people find their own answers, owning
their own solutions, thinking and acting for
themselves
• Asking more and telling less-empowerment over
advice
• Listening carefully and asking open, insightful
questions
• Focusing on outcomes ‘beginning with the end
in mind”

15. What happens when we coach well?
• We are more likely to do something if we ‘own’ it
ourselves
• We often know that here are thing we can do for
our own good, e.g. diet and exercise
• Does that mean we always do them?
• We often know what we should be doing
• What stops us is where coaching may be
valuable

16. World Café Principles
• Set the Context
• Create Hospitable Space
• Explore Questions that Matter
• Encourage Everyone’s Contribution
• Cross Pollinate and Connect Diverse
Perspectives
• Listen Together for Patterns, Insights, and
Deeper Questions
• Harvest and Share Collective Discoveries

17. World Cafe

18. Change happens individually and
becomes a force collectively
• 10 mins in our table groups
• What does change mean to us individually and as
an agile coach?
• Listen, write, draw, represent the complexity of
your thinking/feelings.
• After 10 mins, all but one person moves to another
table
• 10 mins to continue the discussion, the table host
provides context if needed.
• Come together to view themes, outcomes,
similarities and differences.

19. References
• Coach’s Casebook, Watt & Morgan, 2015
• Time to Think, Nancy Kline, 2009
• Group and Team Coaching: the secret life of
groups, Christine Thornton, 2016
• The World Café, www.theworldcafe.com
• Contexts Issue No. 40 Group Analytic Society
• Experiences in Groups, W.R. Bion, 1961

20. Contacting Carolyn
Email: carolyn1mcdonald@gmail.com
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/carolynmcdonald
Website: www.adapterconsulting.com
Barefoot Coaching
Call 07584241412