George Peabody (†1869) has already said: “Our task is not to bring order out of chaos, but to get work done in the midst of chaos.”
In some cases, distancing yourself from old-rigid hierarchies with silo thinking feels unnecessarily complex. During this time, it is important for management to provide clarity and perspective, but as employees, it is also important to find ways to deal with uncertainty and to remain effective. Because in a VUCA world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity), in which there should also be room for purpose and participation, a high degree of personal responsibility is required and that demands a lot from employees. Fortunately, there are certain models and thought patterns that can help you cope in this dynamic working world. About...
As beings with awareness and ability to reflect, we humans have a strange tendency to question the meaning of... well, actually everything. Be it the meaning of life, the meaning of wasps and mosquitoes, the meaning of our Monday morning meetings, whether sand is called “sand” because it lies between lake and land, and On top of that, our brain has most of these thoughts at three o'clock in the morning. 😉 But whether this way of asking for meaning can also help a company to work more efficiently, be more productive and make better decisions as a team? To unravel the chaos in the company?
At first glance, it's a strange term, because quite obvious The best way to deal with chaos is to make sense of this. The definitions of the term are sometimes somewhat repetitive or redundant, but David T. Moore explains concisely and effectively:
“[...] Sensemaking is “a set of philosophical assumptions, nouns propositions, methodological framings, and methods.” Working from [this] point of view, Sensemaking [is] an approach that involves planning and replanning about how to make sense of an issue; foraging for, and harvesting sources of information; seeking to understand what they reveal; and communicating that knowledge to others.”
Definitions that cause headaches but, as is so often the case, sound far more complex than they actually are. In summary, according to Moore, sensemaking has three clear functions:
Is it that easy to dismantle chaos? Basically yes. In effect, it is about taking a step back and dissecting the chaos in which you find yourself — neutrally and externally. In particular, this requires asking questions, an indispensable aspect of sensemaking. Why is that so? How do I relate to the problem? What are other perspectives on the problem?
In the midst of new work, holacracy, agility, etc., this can mean for an individual employee that they need an explanation of their actions within the organization. In order to be able to do that, sensemaking is an important leadership skill, but how conscious is that currently?
Our research shows that sensemaking is, in fact, a predictor of leadership success. And yet few leaders model or implement sensemaking in their organizations. We also found that most executives don't even rate sensemaking as a key attribute of a great leader. Of the 1.395 characteristics or behaviors that executives associated with great leadership, less than 4% related to sensemaking, even though other attributes mentioned — such as being visionary or building credibility — require sensemaking in order to be executed well.
In all fairness, if you ask employees about the desired competencies of leaders, they will obviously be more likely to answer “I hope person XY is nice and competent and pays me well and maybe donuts will be brought to the office, I like them with sprinkles,” as “Phew, I find excellent sensemaking to prevent irreparable chaos virulence essential.” Sensemaking therefore acts a bit like nutrients: You only notice a deficiency when it is there — and a small reminder is often enough to prevent it. A bit like Supplements in a pill box. As a method for this, we have put together the following dose for you:
introduction — Sensemaking should be introduced as a familiar pattern of thinking and behavior in the workplace, applied to real problems within the company. To solve a problem, sit down together and work closely on problem identification, data acquisition and questioning. Let's see what comes out of it!
Showcase — As is well known, theory without practice is only useful in this and that way. Leaders who want sensemaking in the workplace must therefore set an example.
Establishment — The work culture should not place quick problem solving above problem identification, data acquisition and questioning. It should be said, however, that if previous methods work, you should definitely keep them! Sensemaking is a best practice, not a religion — functional working methods should not be thrown to pieces for this purpose. However, if the previous model is not functional, you have to establish sensemaking as part of the work culture and be able to demonstrate the value of it.
Understanding situations — Indispensable if you want to construct such a culture. To do this, you have to give colleagues one thing in particular: time before action takes place. Leaders who accuse that there are too many questions being asked instead of encouraging them are themselves suffering from a fundamental misunderstanding about the model.
learning — Just because you follow all these steps doesn't mean mistakes, misunderstandings and the like will no longer occur. Psychological safety is important, which enables the occasional step back in order to create more understanding.
Employees are regularly faced with new, opaque and seemingly indomitable tasks — whether as a result of a new career start, a move to a new team, or changes in the workplace triggered by digitization. Not only can sensemaking help in the sense of questioning, interpreting, combining and sharing acquired knowledge, but also a mental guiding principle that stuck with us from Marie Forleo's book of the same name: “Everything is figureoutable”. For us at 55BirchStreet, this is included in basic training, so to speak. 😉
Accordingly, the basic idea is that nothing in life is as complicated as it often seems. Yes, even behind the biggest successes of seemingly impenetrable topics such as astrophysics or nanotechnology are... people! Like you and me! Forleo asks us: “Do you realize everything that surrounds us was once only a thought? An idea? A wild, formless figment of someone's imagination?”
Forleo's approach is that it is time to set aside excuses (e.g. “everything is so messy,” “management doesn't make clear decisions,” etc.) and instead take action, roll up your sleeves and get involved. Instead of saying “That doesn't work for me/us”, instead of saying “How can that work for me/us?” to ask.
Transferred to uncertain change processes in organizations or chaotic work environments, this attitude can help everyone to do their job with more results, success and fulfillment.
The nice thing about it: “The figureoutable philosophy becomes geometrically more powerful (and fun!) When applied in collaboration with others.” — Marie Forleo.
Good for us! 😊
What do you think? Just more buzzwords in the Conundrum of New Works or good methods for coping with the changing world of work?
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