60. The power of VISIBLE signs and steps in coaching and organisational change
Offering something new for others to respond to is a key Solution Focused mode of change.
Last time I wrote about the importance of conversations about signs of progress as well as (and perhaps instead of) small steps and actions. This time I’d like to build on that and reflect on the key role of visible signs and steps in building progress.
“Put the money on the screen”
There’s an old saying in the Hollywood movie industry: “Put the money on the screen”. There are stories about movie producers who organise $5m for a film, and then spend about $600k on the actual movie; the rest goes in fees and private planes. In the end, nobody who is paying money to see the finished product cares how good the bottled water was on set, whether there were two grips or three, or that the producer used a helicopter to visit the location. They want to see great performances, convincing sets, effective music, amazing effects. For some low-budget movies it’s not unusual for the production team to back themselves by not taking a fee but instead opting for a percentage of the profit – giving more money to put on screen. (OK, there are risks with this strategy, but if it pays off it does so big time 😊.)
Put your effort into what the audience can see and experience, not what it can’t. That’s the message from the movies, and it applies as well to SF change with coaching, organisational development (OD) – and indeed any kind of situation including therapy.
The Interactional View
As I’ve said here before, Solutions Focus (SF) comes from the interactional view tradition created by the Mental Research Institute (MRI), Palo Alto in the 1950s and 1960s. Rather than seek ‘internal’ insight into what’s going wrong, the focus is on finding something – maybe anything – to do right now which can unlock the situation, open up new possibilities and start or amplify more useful behaviours and responses.
SF has taken this idea forward (as I outlined last time) with a focus on tiny signs that the client, and those around them, would notice that things are improving in the direction they seek. The conversation about small signs, which is usually preceded by talk about best hopes, better futures and instances of elements already happening, might be followed by another conversation about small next steps to be taken quickly to get things moving and build on change. Or it might not. Let’s think about the power of signs.
The power of visible change
My mother-in-law Joy passed away just before Christmas 2023 at the age of 96. She had lived in a care home in the Scottish coastal town of Cullen for nearly four years and was well looked after. The home, however, found itself in financial difficulties and was taken over by the Parklands Care Group earlier in 2023. My wife Jenny and I had noticed that the external condition of the building had been deteriorating over the years. We were pleasantly surprised when very soon after the takeover the outside was repainted, the signage spruced up and everything looked neater and looked-after.
The new owners clearly know the power of visible change. Even though the quality of the actual care is not, in all honesty, a function of the paintwork, it was a visible sign that things were improving, that action was being taken, and that a new phase had begun. I am sure there were internal changes as well, but viewed from the outside (which is where all the relatives and friends of the residents arrived), it was a key sign that something was different.
Signs – and steps
A ‘sign’, according to the dictionary, is at the highest level
an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else:
There are more specific uses of the word ‘sign’, such as the board outside a pub or shop indicating what services it provides, or as a verb to add one’s name to indicate agreement with a document. Some writers have drawn distinctions between the sign and the signified, urging them not to be confused. When Alfred Korzybski wrote in his 1920 class Science And Sanity that ‘a map is not the territory’ he was making this point; a menu signifies that there is food to be had, but to eat the menu (mistaking it for food) would not be to use it well. A sign is an indication that we are on track for something, not that we have completely reached it yet. It’s an encouragement to act when we see it, at the appropriate time and place. It would be another kind of misunderstanding to see a menu, walk on for half an hour and then try to order from the menu in a different restaurant!
Interactional, not ‘psychological’
One key quality of a sign is that it is noticeable. This scarcely seems worth commenting on, it such an obvious point. The pub sign that’s completely obscured by tree branches is no use to the casual passer-by (though the local will, of course, blithely continue to use the pub as normal, not needing the sign to tell them it’s there). So, the question ‘what would you notice when [X] is happening?’ is an invitation to describe signs of X. These might be anywhere, internal (eg I’ll start to feel excited) or external (eg I’d begin to walk faster with a spring in my step). While these are all useful in building an SF conversation, we are particularly interested in signs that are visible to others.
Why? Because when we start to act even slightly differently, it gives the other people involved something to respond to differently – thus building change rather than blocking it. These responses are largely unconscious – they are just how we act. Much of our lives are created by responding to other things, including other people. When I am driving and see a STOP sign, I slow down and stop. When I see a friend coming towards me in the street, I will wave and say Hi. When I see a tempting gelato shop on a hot day, I might find myself going in and ordering a pistachio and chocolate waffle cone (this actually happened to me the other day, a very satisfactory interaction 😊). This way of inter-acting is utterly normal, we are scarcely aware of it.
And yet… there is a rumour out there that ‘deep-seated’ (for which I suggest we read persistent) problems require some sort of ‘psychological’ change. This, it is said, is not ‘merely’ behavioural, it requires a lengthy, internal and painful wrangling with oneself. What are my emotions? How do I feel about X or Y? What childhood traumas led inexorably to my difficulties? Such questions are hard, they feel difficult, the answers uncertain and the consequences often confusing… Part of the Interactional View outlook is that all of this makes little or no difference until it emerges into interactions with others as – yes – visible signs. People don’t respond to your inner turmoil as such, they can only respond to what they can notice about it (which may of course be that you aren’t happy, seem distracted or whatever – but they can only see what they can see, not what you are feeling per se).
So here’s the thing. Why not skip over the painful inner analysis and start to go straight for the noticeable signs of progress? That’s what’s going to make an interactional difference. That’s what’s going to let those around you know that something’s starting to happen.
In organisational change and OD – the train starts to move
So far this piece has mostly been about what might be thought of ‘individual’ (but is actually interactional) change. But how does this idea work in wider organisational change settings? Rather well, it turns out.
We’ve all heard organisations announcing their next big change programme. It’s all going to be very exciting, very inclusive, very transformational. A working party has been set up and the Board are right behind it. What’s the usual response to this? Sage nodding from the old hands who have seen it all before. “Nothing came of it last time, same again this time I reckon” is the call (in private – these people aren’t idiots and know better than to voice such sentiments in formal management discussions). Lots of meetings happen, surveys are carried out, plans are made… and then… there’s a change of CEO, new sets of regulations arrive from outside, the financial results are a disaster, there’s a downturn in the market or whatever. And in the face of these new challenges, a new change programme is clearly required. So that’s what happens – and the old change programme is quietly forgotten, like a green suit purchased with enthusiasm in the sale, never worn and consigned to the back of the wardrobe or the charity shop.
My metaphor for this situation is a train waiting to leave a station. It’s sitting there, destination on the board, getting ready to move. There is a lot of activity – passengers strolling up, refreshments being loaded, fuel put in, wheels tapped and carriages shunted into position. But the train is not actually going anywhere – at least not yet. And it doesn’t. And while it doesn’t it’s quite safe to stroll along the platform, nip off to buy a magazine, admire the statue of the railway builder outside and generally swan about. No urgency.
Here's the point. Small VISIBLE signs of change are like the train whistle blowing, the green flag being waved and the whole thing starting to move. This is in the olden days before automatic door locks, so it’s still quite feasible to jump on board. Indeed, the passengers who have already embarked are there by the still-open doors, urging you to join the on the journey and holding out welcoming arms to assist you. The train is, finally, leaving. Now it’s decision time! Do I want to get on or not? This moment won’t last long – it’s time to move.
When we are doing team development or organisational change, nothing speaks louder than actual visible signs that things are moving. Like the train creeping forward, it lets people know that this is for real, things are happening, and they are being offered a chance to join in. So, in SF practice when we talk about tiny signs of progress, this is not simply a stretching of the world and a preparation for what’s next; much of it can translate pretty easily into what IS next, making more impact than all the working parties and surveys. And, importantly, you don’ have to have everyone on board the train as it starts to move – working with the ‘green people’, those who are keen for change, is a great way to get started. If you wait for everyone to be on board the train before it even starts to move, it’ll never happen. (I will very likely write more about ‘working with the green people’ in a future piece.)
And now as a bonus, here is my favourite ‘train pulling out of the station’ visual gag from the movie Top Secret! starring Val Kilmer. Watch closely!
Conclusions
We’ve seen the importance of visible signs of change – in coaching, in therapy, in team development and in OD. SF practice is a wonderful way to get to these visible signs quickly, energizingly and pragmatically. This emphasis on visible signs gives an extra edge of focus to those who are coaching, facilitating, hosting, consulting or leading change.
And… there’s a reason why we focus on tiny signs. My friends at BRIEF posted a thought this week from the late reflecting teams pioneer Tom Andersen. He warned:
If people are exposed to the usual they tend to stay the same. If they meet something unusual, this unusual might induce a change. If the new they meet is very (too) unusual, they close up.
There are good reasons for working with tiny signs and small steps! See you next time.
Dates and Mates
You probably already know that the new, fully revised third edition of The Solutions Focus book is now out in the UK, in print and Kindle formats. US publication is currently scheduled for September 2024, you can pre-order at http://thesolutionsfocus.com.
NEW: The wonderful SF case book Solutions Focus Working: 80 real-life lessons for successful organisational change is newly out in Kindle. "Filled with the wisdom of profound simplicity. I highly recommend this insightful and practical book." - Stephen MR Covey, author of "The Speed of Trust.
We are counting down to the Host Leadership Gathering in Sofia, Bulgaria on 3-4 June 2024. Some places are still available - come and join me for an exploration of post-heroic leadership, big ideas meeting practical challenges.
And finally for this time, my debut Edinburgh Fringe show is now on sale! I’ll be doing A History Of Jazz In Four Saxophones on Wed 14 and Tue 20 August 2024, 5pm at the Scottish Arts Club, Rutland Square, play jazz from different eras and styles on the same kind of vintage saxophones that the original stars used! I think it’s a world first. Here I am in the publicity photo with the aforesdaid four saxophones.
Great work as always Mark!