BMA eBook - Manual / Resource - Page 70
Intervention and Leadership
•
Those that describe particular patterns of behaviour or interaction. For
example “I notice that when Jim (from faction A) speaks no one responds
while when Tom (from faction B) contributes others always acknowledge
him”;
•
Those that attempt to have the group face a problematic, adaptive reality.
For example “I have noticed you (subgroup A) arguing for a particular
outcome while not offering any compromise but asking the others to be
more flexible. You may not make much progress under those conditions”;
and
•
Those that challenge or confront an individual, who may represent an
issue, need or value in the group . For example “Eric, you have asked the
group the same question three times. Who else in the room do you think
shares this perspective?”
For those who attempt to exercise leadership, observation and interpretation
are an essential part of leadership work. Learning to be more skilled and
effective in ones’ observations and interpretations is possible but it is a longterm learning endeavour.
5. Questions
Though questions can be asked to clarify or gather ‘data’, it is unusual to hear
questions that aren’t motivated by an idea, value, judgment or hypothesis. It is,
therefore, hard to be truly neutral when using questions as a tool. Questions
Copyright Vantage Point Consulting Pty Ltd 2010
Not to be reproduced without the author’s permission
Page 17
