Appreciating the unpredictable:
A case study of questions
Steven E. Wallis, Ph.D. (HOD class of 2006)
Fellow, Institute for Social Innovation (ISI)
Director, Foundation for the Advancement of Social Theory (FAST)
swallis@ProjectFAST.org
Fielding Graduate University, PSY Winter Session
January 18-23, 2010 – Santa Barbara, CA
Presented at Academy of Management Convention.
Revised version currently under submission to an academic journal
HOD – PSY Connection
In this engagement, we primarily relied on individual
interviews (common to HOD and PSY).
Our conclusion suggests that there may be useful
techniques for encouraging surprise. And, that
surprise may be linked with successful action, instead
of discomfiture and dysfunctional response.
This suggests an opportunity for learning that is of
relevance to (at least) two of Fielding’s schools
… and, the opportunity for collaboration…
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Abstract
A case study is presented describing a consulting
engagement where three organization development
consultants help a small manufacturing firm heal a
rift between management and labor by facilitating
the creation of a shared values statement. While
some results were to be expected, others were
rather surprising. The insights from this experience
suggest a relationship between engagement style
and the amount of “successful surprise” that
emerges within the client organization.
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In This We Used A Variety of
Techniques Including:
Semi-structured, open-ended
interviews.
Facilitated group discussions (including
brainstorming and related techniques).
The Action Research cycle.
Self-reflection by consultants (and using
all these techniques within our
consulting team).
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History of the Engagement
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Conversations with management team to learn
the situation and teach them about our process.
Semi-structured interviews with each manager
provided a wealth of qualitative data.
Management team worked with interview data to
choose a focus (to develop a values statement).
Group development of draft values statement.
Group discussions by employees to review and
discuss values statement.
Management finalized values statement.
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Predictable Results
Interviews surfaced useful data on the state of
the organization.
Management decided to create a values
statement as a tool to alleviate labormanagement tensions.
The statement was created by a facilitated
collaborative effort.
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Labor relations are improved. ZAP’s values
were defined as:
Recognizing the global environmental crisis, ZAP is committed to:
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Creating a world that utilizes non-polluting transportation
Promoting personal ethics and social responsibility
Financial success without compromising company core values
Being an exciting, fun and innovative workplace
Challenging the status quo by continually expanding personal,
social and environmental limits
Creating quality products that exceed customer expectations
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Yet… achieving desired goals
leads to unanticipated
outcomes
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Surprising Results
The production supervisor resigned
A manager was promoted to Chief
Operations Officer
These unexpected results seem directly
related to our activities. And, may be
more significant than the more
predictable results!
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Nature of Surprise
“Surprise challenges us and upsets us. Our natural
desire to have the world be a predictable place and
to be in control of situations as they unfold can lead
to dysfunctional responses to surprise.”
“… surprise is not necessarily the result of bounded
rationality, limited information, or system design,
but often is the result of the fundamental nature of
the system in question.”
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MIND-SHIFT
If surprise is fundamental, why work
against it?
What might we do to create MORE (and
more successful) surprise?
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Our Actions That Appear to
Support Surprise:
1. Timing – We allowed ample time between
planned activities for unplanned things to
happen. This allowed (perhaps
encouraged) individual managers to
contemplate and act as individuals.
2. Asking questions – As a way to
encourage client to consider their situation
(past, present, future alternatives).
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More Actions That Appear to
Support Surprise:
3. Scaffolding – Ask questions in a
progressive order. Thus, each answer
opens the client to the next step.
4. Shifting levels – Move client’s
perspective between individual, team,
corporate – and back again.
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Extentions
The present paper is not meant to be a
conclusive study; rather, it is an opening
to a broader conversation on how
uncertainty might be understood as an
inevitable aspect of individual &
organizational life; and, how that
uncertainty might be increased for the
benefit of human systems – both known
and unknown.
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Opportunities for Research
How well can we experts “let go” of our need
to control outcomes?
How might we teach that to clients?
What is the relationship between the
techniques we use, and results that are:
predictable/unpredictable?
good/bad?
quantity/style of surprise?
pleasant or unpleasant?
How are results different for various
individuals and groups?
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Appreciations
I wish to thank my collaborating consultants,
Dan Kaupas and Robyn Tureman, for their
questions, answers, and efforts.
My thanks to ZAP for their willingness to work
with us on this project.
I greatly appreciate the School of Psychology
for their openness to this poster session as a
“cross-pollination” between the HOD & PSY
schools of Fielding Graduate University.
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