Are your patterns on purpose? The Four A's of Fractal Management
Do you ever think about the things we seem to do over and over again, alone and with others?
In vinyasa yoga we often repeat a sequence of postures in between other parts of a practice, using the familiar flow to warm up muscles or to release ourselves from thinking about something we just did and get ready for the next challenge. There is familiarity in the patterned movement, muscle memory, and when you have been practicing for a while… comfort. It’s a pattern we repeat consciously, knowing that it has positive effects.
When we take the idea off the mat and think about patterns in life and in work, it is important to ask ourselves if the things we do over and over again serve a purpose. We all have certain daily rituals that we do almost without thinking, day in, and day out. We shower, brush our teeth, feed the dog… At the office, maybe we plan the week out every Monday morning or just get a cup of coffee and chat with colleagues before settling in. These repeated acts ground us in time and space, readying us to begin the tasks at hand. This can be a very good thing.
I am fascinated by the patterns in the social side of human interaction, exploring them with a view toward improving how organizations function. Not only are there patterns in the technical processes we consciously repeat, but the ways groups of people operate from a social perspective are rife with scalable, repeating patterns as well. When we ask people what kinds of things they see occurring over and over on both large and small scales, they end up talking about topics of great importance to them. A careful analysis can help identify the principles that sustain a particular group over the long haul (Wakefield, 2012). Looking for fractal patterns in the stories told by groups of interconnected people is both interesting and useful for better understanding adaptability at a systems level.
In an organizational setting, these patterns can become repeatable processes. Deming’s Total Quality Management and its spin-offs entreat us to document work processes, eliminate wasteful steps, and engage in continuous cycles of process improvement: Plan Do Check Act. There are myriad ways to engage in cycles of process improvement through consulting models and action research (James, 2011; James, Milenkiewicz, & Bucknam, 2008). Whether it’s planning conferences, doing aerospace systems integration, or cleaning the house, nearly every task has some elements that are repeatable and can be improved upon. For example, my colleague, Mark Bittle, describes the sales cycle in terms of repeatable processes, providing examples from his days in the mortgage industry. Process improvement is nothing new and has kept consultants and managers alike employed for many decades.
But what about patterns we aren’t aware of, some of which may not be constructive? For example, in my youth I was overly apologetic, expressing empathy in excess. To me it was a matter of being a nice person. I would say, “I’m sorry,” to express understanding of another person’s frustration although I did not cause it and had no dog in their particular fight. As a result, some people thought I was accepting blame. Yikes! I remain empathetic, although now I am careful to avoid any perception that I am taking ownership of someone else’s problem. “I am sorry to hear that, ” or better yet, “That sounds tough” gets the job done a little better. My point is that in the face of big problems and small, I had an apology pattern. Right or wrong, that was my reaction to negative circumstances. Although it was grounded in good intentions, it did not help me to be taken seriously as a professional. Once I became aware of it, I tried to forge new habits, even though it still sneaks out from time to time. (Yep! Genuine human being here!)
Now, think about your own interactions with others. Do you have an unconscious pattern like this? If so, what can you do to replace it with a better habit? Having asked those rather awkward questions, I will suggest some tools for tackling the uncomfortable answers they may elicit. I give you the four A’s of fractal management.
Awareness: To improve our patterns or those of our organizations, we first have to be aware that there are most likely self-similar, scalable patterns of behavior occurring right under our noses. (See posts under the keyword “relational introspection” for more on how to become more aware.)
Attunement: Get used to spotting patterns. What kinds of things happen seasonally in your business? What kinds of things do you see in terms of behaviors, especially those things that appear in individual and group settings? Identify patterns in your work so you can decide if they deserve to be part of documented processes, need to change, don’t matter, or simply bear watching.
Assessment: When you notice a behavior pattern, whether in an individual, a marketplace, or group dynamics, try and ask yourself these questions. Is this pattern good for business? Is it sustainable? What if it happens on a larger scale or at an unexpected time and place? What does it look like in concert with the other patterns I am seeing?
Action: When we see patterns of behavior clearly, whether in ourselves or in our organizations, we may wish to react in several different ways. Maybe you notice a pattern, but it is of little consequence. You may decide not to react. On the other hand, you may witness something disturbing that requires some action on your part to prevent its recurrence, perhaps letting go of an employee who has been dishonest or promoting someone who exhibits positive leadership traits consistently. You may try replacing a negative behavior pattern with a more helpful one. You may choose to help add fuel to the fire of an emergent trend in the marketplace by blogging or advertising your products. Options will vary according to the situation.
The point is that, even though we don’t always have control over the patterns we see, we are not completely helpless (Boje & Wakefield, 2011). Of course, like any good improvement process, these steps are iterative. After the action step, it is important to return to awareness, noticing any changes and continuing to assess the situation as we walk through the steps again.
So how about you? Are there patterns in your work and life that you want to change? What processes do you want to preserve? Are your patterns on purpose?
Copyright, Gly Solutions, LLC 2014
Boje, D., & Wakefield, T. (2011). Storytelling in Systemicity and Emergence: A Third Order Cybernetic. In D. Boje, B. Burnes & J. Hassard (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Organizational Change.
James, E. A. (2011). Action Research for Business, Nonprofit, and Public
Administration: A Tool for Complex Times.
James, E. A., Milenkiewicz, M., & Bucknam, A. (2008). Participatory action research for educational leadership. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Wakefield, T. H. (2012). An ontology of storytelling systemicity: Management, fractals and the Waldo Canyon fire. (Doctorate of Management Doctoral dissertation), Colorado Technical University, Colorado Springs, CO.
