Root Cause LO7976

Julie Beedon (julie@vistabee.win-uk.net)
Thu, 20 Jun 1996 08:54:07

Replying to LO7955 --

Malcolm Jones offered the idea

>As a lurker making my first posting, we also use the 2:6:2 rule - 20% will
>support new initiatives, 60% will watch to see what happens, and 20% will
>oppose. The trick is to put your energy into supporting the positive 20%,
>drawing in the uncommited 60% and ignoring the negative 20% (unless of
>course they have particular power/influence which could hurt you).
>

This is a theory I used for many years - I had heard it expressed
as 20% poineers, 60% settlers and 20% outlaws. I am not sure that
it served me well.

Here is my thinking - of the 60% which are uncommitted a significant
number will share the same issues as the 20% who are negative (even
if they have no influence or power). So in ignoring them I was
missing important data about these issues and the systemic factors
which informed them. Once I decided to *ensure* they were fully
involved in planning and I learnt to listen to their issues and
establish their ideas about what better would look like we were
able to develop much more effective processes and strategies - not
just for this 20% but for the 60% who were uncommitted.

Also there is something about the use of energy - the committed and
negative are putting a lot of energy into the process and balancing
each other out - increasing commitment and enthusiasm pushing from
the commited seemed to have the effect of increasing the negative
actions of the other end. In including and listening to the
negative we leveraged their energy in the other direction and it
was amazing how powerful that was. Which almost has me turn the
theory around - there is more to be said for including the negative
than the commited - but I would not because it needs a balance.

Julie Beedon
VISTA Consulting - for a better future
julie@vistabee.win-uk.net

-- 

Julie Beedon <julie@vistabee.win-uk.net>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>