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Doing emotion | Fairy tales in coaching | Teams: the real secret | News
Do you know how to ‘do’ emotion? Sartre did
Often the story told in and about organizations is that emotions have no place in a place committed to considered judgement and rational action. Sartre and others since suggest that emotion is actually essential to sense making and judgement.
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Emotions are always functional and purposive |
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Emotions are action |
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Emotions serve as a means to alter a state of affairs in the world |
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Emotions involve moral judgements. (I can only be angry when I judge I have the right to be angry) |
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There are display rules for emotions within cultures that determine how an emotion should be expressed and we are socialized into understanding the degree of emotionality appropriate to a particular situation |
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They are crucial for making us aware of the particularly human reality of a specific situation |
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They are essential to our ability to make good judgements |
What does this mean for managers and others?
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That they need to be emotional literate |
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They need to be able to ‘do’ and to read emotion in different contexts/cultures |
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That to be an effective manager they must make emotional as well as rational judgements and evaluations |
From Mangham (1998)
Emotional Discourse in organizations in Grant et al: Discourse
and organization. Sage 10.1.02 |
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Who is the big bad wolf in your story? Fairy tales in coaching
A brilliant new book suggests the use of fairy tales as a metaphor in coaching situations. In the example used the coachee is still smarting from a difficult, public interaction with a senior organizational colleague. The problem of how to ‘go on’ was preoccupying her. The coach suggested that, to shift perspective and to move to somewhere more playful, they think about the situation as fairy story, asking who are the main characters?
Not only did this produce a new ‘take’ on the fairy story, it also led into further use of metaphor as the coachee was able to see her story as if she was looking down onto it in a children’s play theatre.
You will be pleased to know that she was able to confront her dragon, who turned out not to breath fire after all. Actually he was a camel and that day was… but that’s another story!
Allan et al (2001) The power of the tale. Wiley
Teams: What’s the real secret?
What makes a good team? Richard Hackman teamed up with Hays consulting to produce their 2001 report. Top teams, why some work and some do not.
They concluded that there were a number of criteria for success.
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Teams need a clear, compelling direction. Clarity is vital |
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An authoritative approach is valued, so long as it is diffused with democracy |
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But don’t be a ‘pacesetter’ always leading the way, it leaves others feeling disempowered |
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Create a team structure for 6-8 members, spell out norms of conduct |
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Select people with emotional intelligence: the ability to understand the emotional make up of others and to empathize |
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Make sure you have strong organizational support with good data |
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Make sure people are supported, trained and rewarded |
Other news
Jemstone’s series of articles in the London CIPD magazine Cymbal about post modern interventions have been well received and resulted in invitations to talk further to organizations about these ideas.
Sarah Lewis, with colleague Cathy McDermott has been selected to present one of the BPS affiliate workshops, which has also attracted wider interest.
Recent projects have included teambuilding for part of a health trust feeling dis-empowered during times of uncertainty and change; presentations on organizational theory and organizational change for educational psychologists; designing and delivering workforce development workshops with the Learning Skills Council; and delivering development centres for senior managers in association with others.
If you would like assistance with any current or future project, please email info@jemstoneconsultancy.co.uk