Jack, you're writing
> The executives immediately smelled something inauthentic in this
> approach, and labeled it "manipulative". We were unable to
> redesign so as to meet this objection, since the methodology
> involved finding out the presumed "opponent" wants and then
> tailoring your approach to feed those feelings.
This seems to be a very typical reaction. Does it uncover the executives
own mental models: they have been tying to manipulate their workers for
years, now they cannot think of such an approach as not manipulative???
Many time when people are accusing someone or something as such and
such, you can reverse the argument and say it's their own thinking
and their own motives behind, which makes to approach to be such and
such.
Another example:
I'm working with shop floor people in a big chemical production
plant. One seminar is designed for those who step into their first
experience as supervisors. Now in each of these seminars I hear the
participants complain about 'the workers' who are 'not able to work
in teams', 'lazy people', and so on. But if I'm asking around within
these groups of people (I've had over 100 in these seminar so far),
none of them would say of himself that he's 'not able to work in
teams' or something else. It's always the others who are such and
such.
So I usually tell them: If you expect someone else to behave in a
certain 'unwanted' manner, maybe it's your own thoughts projecting
this into the other's mind. So look at your own mental models first.
This usually causes quite a lot of discussion within the groups,
and makes them think a lot!
--- YoursRoland Foerster ----------------------------------------------------------- "Die Zeit ist so gross, wie man sie sieht, und an der Groesse der Zeit waechst der Mensch" C.G. Jung ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Roland E. Foerster, Management Consulting & Development Bueelisackerstr. 28, CH-5622 Waltenschwil, Switzerland voice: ++41-57-23 14 68, fax: ++41-57-22 83 65 e-mail: foerster@dial.eunet.ch (NeXT & MIME-Mail welcome)