The TurningTides Blog

    "I've never been to anything like this in Scotland…where people get up on stage and bear their soul".

 The words of an intrigued John Swinney, Deputy First Minister of Scotland.

He had joined the ULab Scotland community gathered at Pollock Halls in Edinburgh to watch the final Live session of the 'Transforming, Business, Society and Self' programme. People were getting up on stage to share their inspiring ULab stories and they weren't holding back.

Yes, perhaps it was 'un-Scottish'. But it's another indication that it's a Scotland in transition.....towards a more compassionate, equal and resilient society.

So what is it about ULab that makes you want to share your innermost thoughts?

This is the third in a series of four posts capturing my thoughts and experiences while engaging with the U Lab programme Transforming Business, Society and Self.

Guided by the U Lab process I've been reflecting on how leaders are supported in their organisational and service change work. Hosting a Hub at the Melting Pot on 'Sustaining the Change Makers' has meant I've engaged with the process at deeper level than I might have. It's certainly encouraged me to think differently.

Navigating the System

In Scotland much of the success in public service reform will lie in the ability of leaders, teams and individuals to work collaboratively across the sectors to build more equal, enabled and resilient communities. 

 Systems’ thinking tells us that the implicit role of the system is to maintain the status quo. Corporate governance arrangements, while important for public accountability, can become overly concerned with protecting the interests of the organisation militating against their ability to collaborate with external partners.

Ambivalence can result. Senior leaders know they have to collaborate but cultural norms and accountabilities get in the way.

Middle managers receive mixed messages and are left to navigate the turbulent waters of collaboration. 

Oshry in his book Seeing Systems doesn’t mince his words: 

"Tops are burdened by what feels like unmanageable complexity...... Middles are torn and confused between the conflicting demands and priorities...."

Sound familiar?

I'm undertaking the U Lab programme sponsored by Scottish Government. Angie Meffan-Main who is coordinating the programme invited me to write a blog post on the experience so far.  Here's my reflections....

Half-way through the U Lab programme it's too early to report on outcomes. We're currently sitting at the bottom of the U.

Instead I reflect on the origins of The Melting Pot Hub in Edinburgh and some of the questions that are arising for me as Host. Maybe these questions will resonate with others.

Hubs are a feature of the U Lab programme and bring the learning alive. They're self organised and connect people by virtue of special interest or locality.  

Since the independence referendum and probably long before, people in Scotland, whatever their political affiliation, seemed to be searching for something different. It was nebulous but palpable. 

If change is so 'wanted', does this mean that the journey to the 'something different' will be easier? Less fraught? 

When the conditions are right and the political will is there, will change happen more fluidly? 

These are some of the questions that have emerged for me.

The Roots of What's Gone Before Are Still Growing

Otto Scharmer describes the dance between the security of the familiar and fear of the unknown as the complex interplay of 'Presencing' and 'Absencing'.

Dayna Cunningham's contributions as a guest speaker during week 3 of U Lab were particularly powerful. Using a tree metaphor to describe her experience of campaigning against racism, she reflected that you can chop down the tree but the roots continue growing unseen for years to come.  

Liken the roots to the behaviours that support the status quo and you get a sense of why planned change can be problematic. The roots of what's gone before are still there to trip you up.