With this as a platform, we help organisations through change processes – whether the changes are initiated by the organisation or have been necessitated by a shift in conditions in which the organisation operates.
What we do
Establish new practices We often say that if one is to achieve something new, one has to do new things – therefore our focus is on helping people and groups of people to work together in new ways – we call that establishing new practices. We believe people can create wonders and exceed ambitious targets, but they can also blow the perfect plan by just not seeing the point. Words without action have no value- Leadership is not what you are – it is what you do. It is all behavior. It’s hard to change behavior, and in order to do so one has to understand the meaning of where the organisation is heading (its strategic goals), why it is going there (why the strategy is important) and how I as a leader need to behave in order to reach the strategic goals. Leadership has a great impact on the ability of the organization to be transformed From ambitions to results Whether we are talking about strategy development, strategy implementation, organisational development, leadership development or team development – the starting point is the ambition to achieve something. Our focus will always be to help people in organsiations to realise the organisation’s ambitions and create results.
How we do it
From word to action We begin with the challenges an organisation has and the ambitions it has for the future. We connect the organisation’s strategic goals to the capabilities (the practices) that are needed to achieve concrete goals while also living up to stated values. In this way we not only help an organsiation achieve its goals, we also anchor, or strengthen the organisation’s values and strategy – thus the organisation’s own words are turned to action. Two-way focus: Business and people When meeting the customer we work withtheir concerns and organisational challenges, parallel to their development agenda. We do this by alternating our focus between the issues at hand and giving professional input and training. In this way we ensure that progress is made on the organisational challenges, while also establishing new and more effective ways of working. Co-creation and competence transfer Our processes are tailored to each customer, with the starting point being the customer’s needs and ambitions. We develop all project deliveries together with ourcustomers, to secure both transfer of competence and clear relevance – we call this co-creation. We have long and deep experience in creating rewarding and engaging developmental processes. The techniques that are chosen are tested and anchored in both research and practical application. We utilise learning methods that are adjusted to competence levels and learning needs, and support the development process by contributing to the desired changes in behavior and practice.
Four moves towards new practice
Acknowledgment – meeting people where they are: We believe that everyone goes to work to do their best – we start where people are, and begin with what is important to them. Challenge: We are used to challengingaccepted “dominant logic” by asking questions that exploremore than one “truth”, and several possibilities, not to mention several solutions to a problem. Reflect and commit: We create the conditions for people to talk together in a fruitful way on the important and right things related to their work and the challenges they have. Through this we create a common understanding and commitment to what will be achieved together. Train – from recognition to practical action: New practice is created not through recognition of need alone. We create the conditions for safe and good learning arenas with exercises based on the challenges people meet on the job. Experiences gained from these exercises are linked directly to application, and especially for groups the focus is on how they intend to work together to achieve their ambitions and create value for the organisation.
What we believe in – our theoretical framework
TPG work from the theory that we, together and through words and dialogue create our situation. Here is a simple example: If you and I agree that the “glass is half empty”, then we together have created the reality that something is lacking. As a result we might complain about the lack and focus on our problems. On the other side, if you and I agree that the “glass if half full” then we will likely have a more positive outlook: we would see the potential of growing it, and go about enthusiastically finding ways of getting the other half filled. Our approaches to finding solutions will be different, and likely the “half full” approach will identify more potential and thus bear more fruit. This is a fascinating concept which allows us to work differently with the interfaces between people, teams, units and organisations. We can work to dismantle constructions that hold people back and limit options, and we can consciously work with people and teams to construct realities that work better for them, drive them forward, release potential, and add value.
Some TPG approaches based on social constructionism would be:
- Narrative perspectives
- Dialogue
- Appreciative inquiry
- Dominant Logic Identification and Jumping the Curve
- Trialogue interviewing
- Powerful Questions
- Foresight
In short, Dominant Logic is a mental framework, or map, of how the world works. In an organisational setting, these are the underlying maps that contain old recipes for success, truths about market behavior, customers, what works and so forth. These are passed on from generation to generation in an organisation. The concept of Dominant Logic sheds light on why organisations often find it so difficult to change or act when facing pressing external threats or closing windows of opportunity. Based on our research and experience TPG has a proven track record in challenging the Dominant Logic and moving organisations on to the next step of creating,releasing the hidden potential in new opportunities.
TPG approaches working specifically with Dominant Logic are:
- Dominant Logic identification
- Jumping the curve
When our customers seek assistancethey describe problems – or what they want to achieve – from a certain position. Sometimes challenges are described from a linear perspective based on mechanistic thinking: “The leader is the problem – he has the wrong personality”, “middle management lack strategic skills and capabilities”, “employees resist change”. Possible interventions from this perspective would be to remove the leader, train middle management in strategic thinking, or offer them an MBA course and inform the employees even better. Challenge dominate thinking Linear thinking is our everyday language and has dominated western society since the industrial revolution, leadingto huge developments in science and engineering. It is also predominant in leadership and organisational thinking. However approaching complex organisational challenges by a linear, mechanistic approach often creates inferior results. Challenges – and how they are interrelated – are not seen in their whole. And thus problem solving, change and development are hampered. An alternative viewpoint Systemic thinking offers an alternative viewpoint – not a better viewpoint. Systemic thinking takes a stance that problems or challenges arise in relations between people and that patterns of communication constitute human systems. This means that low performance one place in the organisation most possibly is connected with something else somewhere else in the organization and is not a result of psychological phenomena such as fixed personality traits. When we look for and observe the connectedness and the interrelated nature of challenges, we search for meaning. We try to understand the contexts and understandings from which people make sense, create meaning and act. We see that organisations unfold a multitude of perspectives and that people benefit from listening to each other. And we observe how change can occur when the contexts from which people act are a part of the intervention. Leadership – a relational process From a systemic approach leadership is not a solo performance. Improving leadership, whether one leader or a group of leaders, involves more than just developing individual leadership or new skills. It involves the context in which the leader is to perform. Leadership is a relational process involving leader, followers and the leader’s manager – at least. When people in organisations “resist” or do not understand or act according to a new strategy, systemic thinking reminds us to bring together organisational levels, people and “voices” to listen to each other and search for the “connectedness” – together.
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