The Power of Assuming Good Intentions
- I find that many organizational issues arise from good intentions. How is that possible? The crux of the problem is that people don't take the time to understand each other. When something appears to be a problem, we often quickly assume the worst instead of assuming good intentions and taking the time to inquire about them. A poignant illustration of this still stands out for me 20 years later. I was facilitating a team building session for a group of administrative assistants experiencing issues working with each other. My co-facilitator and I met with the admin team and, among other data, found that all the assistants opened their managers' mail (again, this was 20 years ago when mail carts still made daily rounds!). However, one assistant, Elizabeth, worked for a manager who opened his own mail. Elizabeth felt her manager did not trust her like the other managers trusted their assistants. Later in the day we met with the managers and in the course of the meetings we heard Elizabeth's manager, Ben, report that Elizabeth doubled as the office receptionist and his assistant. Ben said he wanted to support her double assignment so he took on administrative tasks he was comfortable doing himself - like opening his own mail! We brought Elizabeth and Ben back together at the end of the day so each could share their own versions of the truth with each other. The emotion was unbelievable when they both realized they each had each other's best interest at heart all along. This one brief but open and honest conversation reversed many, many months of eroding relationships not only between Elizabeth and Ben but between Elizabeth and the other assistants. Organization development is rooted in values of participation and empowerment. When confronted with an organizational issue, create a safe space and enough time for people to tell their own versions of the truth and hear each others' good intentions. My bet is after doing that, hard feelings will dissipate and a solution to the real problem will be close at hand.
Marisa Sanchez
What is the meaning of Organization Development (OD)? Why do it? Who does it benefit and how?Organization development is a broad field that draws from a number of disciplines and can be applied to any organized (or disorganized!) group of people. Based in human behavior theories and values, the goal is to build and sustain effective organizations by leveraging the knowledge and experience within the organization. This newsletter serves as a vehicle to inspire you to use organizationdevelopment in your own work.