In Systemic Perspective Coaching and learning

The systemic perspective in coaching and learning

"The greatest promise of the systemic approach is the unification of knowledge across all specialties, for the same archetypes recur in biology, psychology, family therapy, economics, social sciences, ecology and business administration?.

Mark Paich

In any coaching and learning the systems approach is more necessary than ever because the complexity overwhelms us:

- We are able to create more information than anyone can absorb. - It is encouraging interdependence is very difficult to manage. The current economic and financial crisis is a clear example. - It is very difficult to follow the speed of change that we are promoting. - This escalation of complexity is unprecedented in our history.

Complexity can be of two types: the dynamics and detail, with many varieties.

In the dynamic complexity may be the cause and effect are not close in time or space. In this case the obvious interventions do not produce the expected results.

The methodology of coaching systems perspective is designed to understand the dynamic complexity.

Its tools help us identify the underlying structures and patterns that are hidden by the daily activity and incessant bustle that characterizes the organization as the new realities. We demonstrate that, often, conventional solutions fail and perform valid actions. It is very educational Kiefer Charles expression with its metaphor of the switch:

"When this switch is activated unconsciously, you are forever in systemic thinker. The reality is automatically linear systemically well, although there are many problems for which linear perspective is entirely appropriate. The unconscious reveals some proposals and solutions that are impossible to see linearly. The solutions that were outside of our feasible set part of the same. It becomes systemic way of thinking, almost as if, not just a methodology to solve problems?

The complexity of detail makes all the rational explanations incomplete. Human systems are complex. We can not understand. There is enough experience that we have "cognitive limitations?. Our conscious mind can only address a small number of variables each time.

The complexity of detail resolved in the unconscious. This is what we call the inner game of coaching.

When the conscious shifts the burden of a task to the unconscious, this takes over and becomes automatic and natural. This frees the conscious mind to focus on the dynamic complexity. The unconscious experience program: Cultures program the unconscious. Beliefs are as well. Language, communication, has very powerful and, at the same time subtle. But how do we teach the unconscious to structure the information? Normally desist. However, this changes when we started to dominate the systems perspective. The unconscious is subtly re-educated to structure the data in circles instead of straight lines. It occurs as we learn a foreign language. The unconscious mind deals with much more detail than our conscious mind. Not limited by the amount of feedback processes that can be examined. So you can integrate the dynamic complexity and detail.

The testing and training are essential to the inner game between the conscious and the unconscious.

Conceptual learning is not enough. Similarly it is not enough for learning a language or operating a computer.

The focus of learning, coaching systemic perspective, covers three levels:

- Contents theoretical understanding of discipline, tools, guiding principles, standards and principles. - Research: dialogues, practices, nanoexperiencias and prototypes. - Essences: the state of being of those who reach a large domain of each discipline.

The theoretical contents of the disciplines are important for those who want to learn and even more for the coach, for the professional. For anyone, are the basis for understanding the disciplines and their own experimentation. For the coach, provide support to continuously improve the practice of the disciplines and also to explain it to others.

Mastery of any discipline requires an effort to understand the content and experience it.

It is a great mistake to think that when you have understood the rationale and certain principles already learned the discipline. It's a trap widespread confuse intellectual understanding and learning. Learning always involves new understanding and new behavior. Involves thinking and doing, both elements are indispensable.

Almost always, the hard part is knowing but not doing the behavior.

In the experiment the practitioners of a discipline focus time and energy. It requires a conscious and constant effort.

Experimentation gradually becomes automatic discipline.

We checked after a dialogue: we recognize our assumptions. After a nanoexperiencia or a coaching session, confirmed the objectives or identify feedback processes spontaneously.

At the level of essences should not focus our conscious attention to learn. In the same way that we make no effort to love or experience peace or joy.

The essence of the disciplines is a state of being, a way of being.

I genuinely get to experience people and teams that have a high level of mastery of the discipline. A coach with a high mastery of systems thinking tools identifies and develops naturally systemic. At this level the disciplines begin to converge. A common sensibility uniting them.

The sensitivity of being apprentices in an interdependent world.

Joan Palomeras

www.coachinglab.org

joan@coachinglab.org