Developing Organizational Identity - A Relational Approach ......Developing Organizational Identity...

Developing Organizational Identity -

A Relational Approach to Organisational Development

Martin Thiele, Dr. Michael Korpiun, Anja Stamm

World Conference of Transactional Analysis - Berlin, 27th July 2017

Introduction

From our understanding and experience the success and effectiveness of an

organisation is primarily driven by the way people cooperate, solve issues, reflect, be

creative etc. - or in other words live and express their relations. We will introduce our

relational understanding and approach of organisational development. Based on that

we share an actual real case ex-ample of an identity and organisational development

process within a well-known family-owned company. We invite the participants to

commonly reflect the case, bring in own experience and wrap-up the workshop in a

dialogue about relevance of relations for the development of organisations in the

upcoming years.

The participants will be offered a relational model of organisational development

applying this to an actual case. This shall invite the participants to get into dialogue

about the relevance of relational thinking in general, its application for the work with

and in organisations and concerning their future needs.

31.07.2017 © In Stability GmbH & Co. KG 2

Table of Contents

1. The Key Question to Organisational Development

2. How it is mostly addressed

3. Relational understanding of Organisations and Organisational

Development

4. A practical Example


Table of Contents




Development



The Key Question to Personal and Organisational

Development

I don‘t know who I am

OR

I don‘t know how to be who I am

We don‘t know who we are

(refers to missing Identity)

OR

We don‘t know how to be who we are

(refers to missing Strategy)

© In Stability GmbH & Co. KG 5 31.07.2017

Personal Development Organisational Development

Source: own presentation

The Key Question to Personal and Organisational

Development

We don‘t know who we are

(refers to missing Identity)

vs.

We don‘t know how to be who we are

(refers to missing Strategy)

© In Stability GmbH & Co. KG 6 31.07.2017

Organisational Development

• both, Identity as well as

Strategy are a dynamic

phenomenon

• both, Identity as well as

Strategy are a phenomenon

of being rather than having

(Erich Fromm: „Haben oder

Sein“)


Relational Understanding of Human Beings

1. We ARE related (rather than we HAVE relationships)

2. We are FULL of capacity (rather than we have only limited

resources …)

3. We are PURPOSE-driven and intentional (rather than goal or task-

oriented)


Source: Korpiun, M./Thiele, M. (2016): Organisationen als sinnorientierte Konstitution kollektiver Beziehungsbilder -

Grundlagen eines beziehungsorientierten Organisationsverständnisses. In: Lohkamp, L./Raeck, H. (Hrsg.): Tore und

Brücken zur Welt. Willkommen in bewegten Zeiten, 1. Aufl., p. 194 f.

Table of Contents




Development



The „classical“ organisational understanding


• The understanding of organisations is based upon the underlying idea

and image of human mankind (Concept of Man).

• The focus of classical economic literature is either on an

instrumental (the company has an organisation) or institutional (the

company is an organisation) understanding of organisations.

• Anyway, it is driven by the element of structure.

• Therefore, the development of organisations is understood implicitly

or explicitly primarily as a change of organisational structure.

• So we are still thinking about organisations on tayloristic principles


The „classical“ understanding of organisations


Organisational Structure

Organisational Processes


Current answers: new organisational models …


Source: Samantha Lee (2016): Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.de/zappos-ceo-tony-hsieh-on-

misconception-about-holacracy-2016-2?r=UK&IR=T)

… „hipster“ locations …


Impact hubs

Creative lounges

… „innovative“ office equipment …


Slides

… „ultimate“ methods …


Agile strategy map

(still) structural Answers

(means: people still rely on structures, like locations, equipment,

methods in order to address the organisational challenges they face

rather than addressing the working relations and working on them)

What all these thoughts have in common?


Table of Contents


2. What it may need instead

3. Relational understanding of organisations and organisational

development

4. A concrete example


Approaches to a revised Concept of Man

31/07/2017 © In Stability GmbH & Co. KG 17

Psychology Philosphy

Neurobiological Motivational System

(Bauer 2013)

“In order to motivate people sustainably, as the given data irrefutably shows, we have

to provide them with the opportunity to cooperate and form relationships. This has far-

reaching consequences for the working environment, for leadership behaviour of

supervisors and managers, for the medical system, and for pedagogy. Successful

relationships are the unconscious goal of all human endeavour because they are

accompanied by a release of endorphins (happiness hormones) such as dopamine,

oxytocin and opioids. There is no lasting motivation without relationships.” (p. 63)


Source: Bauer, J. (2013), p. 63

Psychology: Subjectivity as Intersubjectivity

(Stern 2004)

„In short, our mental live is cocreated. This continuous corrective dialogue with other

minds is what I am calling the intersubjective matrix.

The idea of one-person psychology or of purely intrapsychic phenomena are no linger

tenable in this light. Current thinking in psychoanalysis has moved a great distance in

the recent past from a one-person to a two-person psychology (Renik, 1993). I am

suggesting here that we move even further. We used to think of intersubjectivity as a

sort of epiphenomenon that arises occasionally when two separate and independent

minds interact. Now we view intersubjective matrix (…) as the overriding crucible in

which interacting minds take their current form.

Two minds create intersubjectivity. But equally, intersubjectivity shapes the two minds.

The center of gravity has shifted from the intrapsychic to the intersubjective.“


Source: Stern, D. N. (2004): The Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life, 1st Ed. (2004), pp. 77-78, New

York: W. W. Norton & Company

Philosophical Concepts of our relation to the world

(Martin Buber)

“I become through you.“

or

“All true living is encounter.“


Source: Buber, M. (2014): Ich und Du. 14th Ed. (2014), p. 18.

Relational vs. Interactional Concept of Man

Relational Understanding

Interactional Understanding

Humans are related beings. Humans have relationships.

Our relatedness makes us human. We are humans and are living in

relationships.

We can not not be in relations. Humans are able to exist without

relationships.

Relations as constant and

immediate expression of life.

Relationship as mutual experience of

stimulus and response (S-R-Model).



Table of Contents




Development



Relational understanding of organisations

We understand organisations as a purpose oriented

– purpose oriented = meaningful (instead of target oriented)




Brücken zur Welt. Willkommen in bewegten Zeiten, 1. Aufl., S. 195 f.


We understand organisations as a purpose oriented constitution


– constitution = substantiation in a manifest structure





The dimension of purpose in organisations

• Targets are derived from the purpose of the Organisationen

– Purpose = overall meaning, why an organisation exists

– Target = perspective alignment, what an organisation wants to

achieve





The dimension of purpose in organisations

• Targets are derived from the purpose of the organisation

– Purpose = overall meaning, why an organisation exists

– Target = perspective alignment, what an organisation wants to

achieve

• In practice this is visible, how far organisations are capable, to

convey the own identity and the clarity of purpose (e.g. through

values, mission, vision, objectives etc.) to their employees in a way

that it has an impact on their attitudes, thinking, feeling and acting.






We understand organisations as a purpose oriented constitution of

collective



– collective = through overlay of individual perspectives






We understand organisations as a purpose oriented constitution of

collective relational images



– collective = through overlay of individual perspectives

– Relational images = relational mental constructs (including

affective, cognitive and intentional aspects)





The integration of collective relational images




Brücken zur Welt. Willkommen in bewegten Zeiten, 1. Aufl., S. 193

Difference in looking at organisations

Characteristic Institutional & functional

understanding of organisations

Relational


Structure

Structure and processes as core

elements to ensure split of tasks and

respective coordination.

Structure as an expression of

relationships that develops based on

inner relational images (Sell: structure

as „coagulated relation“).

Membership

Formal affiliation to an organisation

(e.g. by working contract, formal

membership)

Expression of inner belonging and

identification with the organisation or at

least parts of it.

Target

Orientation

Orientation at economic measures of the

organisation and its respective

stakeholders.

Most possible overlap between collective

organisational targets and individual

needs of the people working in that

organisation.



The development of organisations

The sense of organisational development: The development of the relational

capabilities of its members to collectively cooperate in a meaningful

manner.

Organizational development (as a steered and constructively designed

process) is …

… the conscious

… continuously progressing

… alignment process of the collective inner relational images

… in a dialog format

… and an effective and efficient manner …

in order to develop the relational capabilities of its members.


create

room for

relations

Characteristics of an organisations relational

understanding and the implications for the development

Characteristic Relational


Relevance for the development

of organisations

Structure

Organization as a constituted expressions of

relationships that bases on individual mental

images (Sell: structure as coagulated

relations)

Dynamization of inner mental pictures, that

leads to new ways of developing relationships

and corresponding structures

Relational

images

Organization as a concurrent expression of

individuality and relation on the level of

„I - you“, „I - they“ and „we - them“

Initialization of change is on all levels of

relationship perspectives possible and relevant

Awareness

Organization as relational construct that is

partly conscious as well as partly

unconscious.

Working with the conscious and also

unconscious or subconscious parts.

Social character

Organization as a formation of individual

relational images to a shared collective

relational image

Exchange in form of dialogues instead of

discursive formats (e.g. discussions)

Cohesion and

Constitution

Organization as an overlap of individual and

collective experience of purpose and

meaning

Strengthening the dimension of purpose, e.g. by

facilitating a dialog format in developing the

vision, mission etc.


Source: Korpiun/Thiele 2016


Closeness

& Trust

cooperative

acting

Self reflection

& Feedback

Dispute &

Conflict

Demarcation &

setting boundaries

Dealing with

contradictions

Exemplary interventions of Relational Organisational

Development

Provide room for dialogue

Provide orientation

Spend time with each other

Cooperate on tasks

Reveal contradictions

Take conscious decisions

Exchange on relevance level of action

Define and transfer purpose

Appreciate positive development

Make small steps and successes visible

Inform about the process Need oriented interventions

Differentiated assessment of change

Focus energy on the constructive people

Strengthening self reflection & feedback

Voluntariness

Table of Contents




Development



A practical Example

During our workshop on the World Conference of Transactional Analysis (TAWC) in Berlin

(27th July 2017), we have been presenting a practical example of Relational

Organisational Development.

It has been agreed with the participants to keep the contents of this example

confidential. Therefore, this presentation does not contain any more background on

the case.

We intend to continue publishing about our relational work. So please keep in touch or

visit our website gain. Thank You!


Sources


Bauer, J. (2013): Prinzip Menschlichkeit. Warum wir von Natur aus kooperieren. 4.

Aufl.; München: Wilhelm Heyne Verlag

Buber, M. (2014): Ich und Du, 14. Aufl. (2014), Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus

Korpiun, M./Thiele, M. (2016): Organisationen als sinnorientierte Konstitution

kollektiver Beziehungsbilder - Grundlagen eines beziehungsorientierten

Organisationsverständnisses. In: Lohkamp, L./Raeck, H. (Hrsg.): Tore und Brücken zur

Welt. Willkommen in bewegten Zeiten, 1. Aufl.

Stern, D. N. (2004): The Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life, 1st Ed.

(2004), pp. 77-78, New York: W. W. Norton & Company. Deutsch: Der

Gegenwartsmoment. Veränderungsprozesse in Psychoanalyse, Psychotherapie und

Alltag, 4th Ed. (2004), Frankfurt am Main: Brandes & Apsel

Martin Thiele

Managing Partner

In Stability GmbH & Co. KG

Wiener Str. 12

D-30519 Hannover

Germany

T +49 511 16 59 26 20

F +49 511 16 59 26 21

M +49 162 10 38 886

[email protected]

Dr. Michael Korpiun

Managing Partner

In Stability GmbH & Co. KG

Wiener Str. 12

D-30519 Hannover

Germany

T +49 511 16 59 26 40

F +49 511 16 59 26 41

M +49 170 45 56 77 7

[email protected]

Contact

31.07.2017 37 © In Stability GmbH & Co. KG

mailto:[email protected]






Developing Organizational Identity - A Relational Approach ......Developing Organizational Identity...

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