[OSList] Control, Perceived Control, and the Loss Thereof

[Harrison Owen]

Keith wrote: "Loss (or perceived loss?) of control is also something that
some senior leaders struggle with."

 

True - and not only in Open Space. It may be my own perversity, but I find
this to be a very useful struggle which may bring these folks to a deeper
understanding of themselves, the organizations they serve, and the world in
which we live. The actual truth of the matter (and for sure my personal
experience) is that control of the sort they are afraid of losing never was
theirs to begin with. Agonizing over  something the doesn't exist is not
only a little silly, it also bespeaks of something approaching delusion, if
not delusion itself. The pain of their agonizing is to be regretted, but it
is a self inflicted wound, and unfortunately its impact is not limited to
the nervous executive(s). It can (and often does) effect the entire
organization in adverse and sometimes lethal ways. Space closes, innovation
withers, agility get clunky - and organizational health shows critical signs
of decline in terms of loss of productivity, efficiency, effectiveness - to
say nothing of employee morale and self-respect. Not a pretty picture.

 

Given all of the above, I find that a little struggle is not only good for
the soul but may also have a positive impact on the bottom line. Under the
best of circumstances the nervous executive will discover Open Space to be a
personally liberating experience. He/she will discover that good and
powerful things can and do happen without benefit of his personal
supervision. He/she will be amazed at the competence and quality of fellow
workers, all of whom were presumed to possess limited understanding and
intelligence. I remember one older, very senior executive who characterized
himself as an "unreconstructed control freak," standing in the corner while
500 of "his" folks literally saved the company. He had a quizzical smile on
his face and repeated, almost as a mantra. "Amazing. And they don't even
seem to know that I am here."

 

Of course, there are those who will hang on until death. But even under
those circumstances it usually turns out the Open Space worked just fine,
even amazingly so - but what happened afterwards was a different story. In
one situation, the 300 employees worked well and hard producing some 8
million dollars addition to the bottom line through new products and a
series of cost savings. Job well done. But come Monday Morning, the CEO went
back to his old ways of micromanagement. For the first several months, folks
tried to help him understand, but six months along it became clear that his
understanding and capacity for learning was minimal. In the 7th month, The
Board fired the CEO. The decision was a no-brainer. The CEO's continued
presence was going to cost some 8 million. Out!

 

There is no question in my mind that there are massive good works to be done
coaching executives through their addiction to control. And it really is an
addiction, I think, and should be treated as such. Those in the "Addiction
Business" will tell you that, of the many barriers and difficulties to be
faced and overcome - The Enabler is a major obstacle to health. Enablers are
typically good hearted souls who in the name of sympathy, empathy and
compassion do little things, and large, to effectively shield the addict
from a direct confrontation with his/her addiction. I more than suspect that
when we seek to shield an executive from the possibility of losing control
in Open Space, we are doing something of the same sort, and for sure we are
not doing anybody a favor. Should our efforts take the form of assuring
people that "certain" items/issues will be kept carefully under protective
cover (read "control"), that constitutes promises we can't keep. If the
items/issues are truly important to somebody (other than the nervous
executive) - they will be present, one way or another. If not in a "session"
then for sure in some back hall conversations where it is most likely that
they will fester and grow. 

 

Pre-work, as Lisa Heft is wont to tell us, is important. But I find that (at
least in the case of executive fears) it can be pretty straight forward. I
simply describe what Open Space is and the kinds of results I have
witnessed, making little reference to how it works - unless asked. In most
cases we proceed directly to operational concerns: Theme, location, dates,
etc. But in the event that the conversation moves to issues of control and
the perceived lack of same, I tend to call for a time out, suggesting that
maybe they need some more time to think about their needs and the
appropriateness of Open Space. If I don't think they have heard me, I put it
a little stronger. I suggest that they think about any other way to achieve
their ends. And should they run out of options, call me back. I run about
50/50 on the call backs. But when they call they are ready to go. So am I. 

 

Harrison

 

 

Harrison Owen

7808 River Falls Dr.

Potomac, MD 20854

USA

 

189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)

Camden, Maine 20854

 

Phone 301-365-2093

(summer)  207-763-3261

 

www.openspaceworld.com

www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)

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