BMA eBook - Manual / Resource - Page 64
Intervention and Leadership
Figure 2
Questions to Guide Diagnostic Observation
(Preparing to Intervene)
•
How clear and shared is the goal and purpose? For this session and
for long term?
•
How in focus is the discussion?
•
What are the levels of participation? Wide or Narrow? How is inclusion
orchestrated? Who speaks?
•
Is there inquiry and dialogue where issues are explored and problems
opened up or is the discussion more an exchange of opinion or ‘data’?
How are differences aired and responded to?
•
What are the ‘political’ dimensions in the groups? Who aligns with
who? Who represents what positions or values?
•
Does the group demonstrate it has the capacity to productively tolerate
stress, difference or disequilibrium or does it keep things calm and
ordered?
•
How are (small) acts of leadership responded to? What informal
authority structures emerged?
� Copyright M. Johnstone and M. Fern 2005
A key assumption behind considering the political dimensions, what Heifetz,
Grashow and Linsky (2209) call “thinking politically”, is that people in groups
and organisations are trying to meet the expectations of those with whom they
are most aligned, to defend a position or perspective important to them and to
Copyright Vantage Point Consulting Pty Ltd 2010
Not to be reproduced without the author’s permission
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