What makes groups really work?
Unleash the power of the people you work with
What do you do when you meet disruption?
No matter what kind of group you are part of, it's not all smooth sailing. Especially when you are working in complexity, uncertainty or on something that's important, inevitably challenge will come.
Disruption is uncomfortable, but it holds important information. Do you know how to make the most of it?
I've been working with groups for almost 30 years now. In the beginning I focused mainly on gathering tools to help my clients. A fundamental shift in my work and in my thinking happened when I discovered that I needed more than tools, I needed to change my own capacity. I discovered how blending outer practice with inner presence makes all the difference.
I moved from being just a specialist to being a practitioner who could help others to also become practitioners.
I have now been part of the Art of Hosting practice community for almost 20 years, building capacity for hosting and harvesting conversations that matter with people all over the world.
When you build capacity for people to host & harvest conversations that matter, everything changes.
Connections get stronger. Engagement increases. Meetings are more productive. People are more committed. Innovation rises. Anxiety falls. Resilience is strengthened. We know that no matter what comes, we can go there together.
The keys for creating conversations that matter
The practice of Hosting focuses on offering an intentional space and light structure for people to meet and experience meaningful dialogue. It is predicated on the idea that conversation is a medium of transformation.
When we focus together on something that matters to us, well held inquiry together leads naturally to co-creation.
When paired with strategic Harvesting, we have the opportunity to make sense and meaning together, look for patterns and create shared clarity. We capture insights that lead to wiser action. Commitment is enhanced.
Hosting and Harvesting are capacities anyone can learn and practice. They make all the difference to shared commitment and sustainable results.
How groups really work -- the Breath Pattern
Groups work in predictable ways. When you know this, you can ride the waves and design processes that help groups stay together in turbulence. The Art of Hosting uses what we call the Breath Pattern, based on Sam Kaner's Diamond of Participation. We use different processes during the phases of Divergence, Emergence and Convergence to unleash the power of the group, no matter what stage it is at.
Working with the natural rhythm of groups -- and helping them discover their natural rhythm together -- helps everyone breathe easier.
Are you a practitioner or just a "tooligan"?
My most important discovery for myself was that I didn't need an endless array of tools. I needed a firm foundation as a practitioner. The Fourfold Practice is the Art of Hosting's fundamental practice pattern. It creates and fosters a balance between outer practice and inner presence.
It works at all levels of magnitude -- for an individual, for a team, for a community of practice, an organisation, a community. When what we focus on has a balance and a core to it, everything flourishes.
(A big THANK YOU for these images from the work we've done together to Maja Rotbøll, Anne Madsen & Sabine Söder-Gressel)
Isn't it time to get more out of your work together?
