Connective Tissue

[Chris Kloth]

Peggy

The question of "connective tissue" for sustaining interpersonal,
business or community in a way which fosters, nurtures and sustains self
organization, especially in OD/OT etc consulting practices,  is
important to me because I believe I/we need to be able to model the
attributes for our clients.  My expereience is that many of us do not
walk our own talk.  This means that some of us really have no clue what
the experience of making this choice really feals like at its bes and at
its worst and all of the in between.  My favorite is the team building
consultants who have solo practices and are unable or unwilling to
sustain a professional team of their own!

For me Joe's "public presence in our specialty" translates into
credibility (an externally awarded/earned attribute) and competence or
capacity (internally developed attribute).  When the client population
we hope to work with experiences or learns of experiences where our work
as a team made a positive difference then we become recognized as a
consulting team or community and get invitations to work as a team.  At
changeWorks we have also collaborated with other consulting groups that
might be seen as our competition on projects.  During the contracting
phase of the project we work out the ways we will work with the other
consultants in the presence of the client...rough edges and all.  Now
part of our "public presence" includes how we model self organization to
both our clients and our colleagues!

Joe also refers to trust.  I would expand this slightly to mutual
respect.  Both are related to competence and credibility.  I have been
known to respond to the question "What does it take to be part of
changeWorks?" by saying it takes the deep knowing that if I was
parachuted with no notice into a client system intervention with only a
Swiss Army Knife and any one of my partners we would respond with
quality and integrety, leaving the system better than we found it.

I believe Michel's "sharing, support and caring" are behaviors which
exercise and allow credibility, trust and mutual respect  to develop.

The one thing I will add to the "connective" part of the mix is
interdependence.  For me there are at least two significant variations
here.

One is that the work to be accomplished requires the diverse knowledge,
skills and attitudes which we bring together as a group.  We do a lot of
work in large systems and on complex social issues.  We believe that
quality work requires more than one person, either on site or available
for a "reality check" during every phase of some projects.

The other variation is that the quality of our professional and personal
development require interaction with others who know our work and whom
we trust and respect to tell us what we need to hear when we needc to
hear it...even if we may not want to hear it.  I trust my partners to
tell me and the client the truth...always.  This means that I depend on
my partners even when I am working on a project that does not require
more than one consultant to actively work the case.  We debrief our work
with each other so we can learn from each other and help each other
prepare for whatever will be coming our way.

While I generally make a big point out of intentions and intentionality,
what I have learned in 12 years of working with the connective tissue of
interdependence, credibility, competence and trust is that the result is
a self orgainzing system.  I can't tell you how many business plans we
have ignored or trashed.  Somehow or other the structure that is needed
emerges for us when it is needed.  We still make mistakes, we still piss
each other off.... and we have a blast!

P.S.  I wonder if fun is part of the connective tissue ?

As the comic Dennis Miller might say on HBO, "Of course, that's just my
opinion. I could be wrong."

Chris Kloth

There are some things in life I prefer to do alone.  Some which I
suspect I may have to do alone.  I need

that next phone

So our "mission and values statement" includes references to the need
for changeWorks to provide its partners and associates with work and
growth and learning and fun while we serve our clients very well.  This
means that


My friend who is a piano tuner is in a business where the work with the
clients is best done alone.

joe self organizing systems public prsence in our specialty area trust
michael sharing support caring