OD POV
The Personal Point of View (POV, for short) is the lens through which each OD practitioner views the world. It is meant to help us understand where our biases and blind spots may be, such that we can step back and approach each situation with an open mind and awareness of where we tend to gravitate.
People are expected to successfully work within groups in the workplace now, more than ever. Workplace values around collaboration and teamwork are becoming increasingly common, with some companies going as far as describing their culture as “team-first.” But can a person really put a team’s needs ahead of their own? Situationally, yes. However, I believe that overall people live in a constant game of tug of war: making conscious and unconscious choices between putting their own individual needs or the group’s needs first in any given situation.
Neuroscience tells us that the brain naturally looks out for itself (and its body) first. It also tells us that people like to be part of a group. So in an increasingly “team-first” world, people must prioritize collaboration versus getting what they need - whether they know it or not. Both needs are almost always present in the workplace. This tug of war is expressed differently in different situations:
When the pendulum swings in the way of personal needs, employees can be viewed as uncollaborative or “only looking out for themselves.” For example, one may hoard ideas or even take credit for the work of others, in an attempt to prove their competence or worth. However, we know that they likely feel threatened in one way or another. Ultimately they are just trying to protect themselves.
On the other hand, when the pendulum swings back toward the group needs, on the extreme end we see people over index around group harmony. This can equally stall progress. For example, when one is unwilling express a dissenting opinion in exchange for keeping peace in the group, an opportunity for improvement or innovation can be missed.
In a real life tug of war, when one side dominates the other, someone ends up in the mud. At work, this manifests as conflict, disengagement or stagnation within groups.
If the tug of war were balanced in the example above, members of this group would be able to solicit ideas, give feedback, respectfully dissent - and then make the choice that’s ultimately best for the group, while still respecting individual contributions. When both sides are expressed in healthy proportions, and the whole system is strong.
So the quest for OD practitioners is: To help organizations help their people balance these seemingly conflicting priorities.
I believe that the first thing practitioners must do is help their clients recognize that this tension exists between protecting the personal and the collective. Only then can we begin the work of helping them create a safe space for individuals to also recognize this, and then be able to assess when and how to best take care of both themselves and the collective. Balance of these priorities underpins a group’s ability to communicate, make decisions and collaborate effectively; and so individual development in this area must be prioritized as part of the foundation for a successful team.
Supporting Theories and Resources
SCARF Model (David Rock): How to collaborate with and influence others more effectively; Social domains that produce reward vs. threat responses, and therefore drive our behaviors unconsciously: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness.
Paradoxes of Group Life (Kenwyn Smith): As members in a group, individuals must balance their individual identity with that of the group - and each one of those impacts the other; there are hidden dynamics within every group and with care we can invite groups into paradox to push them past the status quo.
Psychological Safety (William Kahn, Amy Edmunson): Being able to be oneself and take risks without the fear of negative consequences, which “allows for moderate risk-taking, speaking your mind, creativity, and sticking your neck out without fear of having it cut off” (HBR).
Hierarchy of Needs (Abraham Maslow): How people are motivated through five levels of human need; Within each level there are specific needs that need to be met in order for someone to feel fulfilled, and theoretically a person must feel fulfillment in one level before they can be motivated to move to the next: physiological needs, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization.