Nature of Heart

Metaphors create a network of concepts that can help generate knowlege about the future by using existing knowledge.

According to a "Mental Model Development Process," proposed by Hill and Levenhagen (1995), the use of metaphors is a logical transition between intuitive pre-verbal information and formal models. Therefore, metaphors are useful in developing a new, or existing, vision (or mental model) and communicating it to stakeholders, such as employees, investors, and potential customers.

Once again, metaphor first, mental model second. Metaphors capture and convey large amounts of information, which may contain inherent contradictions, and create emotional responses that are useful in motivating individuals, teams, and organizations.

In a 1984 study, Warren Bennis identified four things successful leaders had in common. One of these was the ability to "manage meaning" by giving concrete meaning to new ideas. He concluded that effective leaders must use metaphors (as mental images) to make their vision clear to others. Another author agreed that "Successful executives seem to make effective use of the power of metaphors in rendering abstract and vague ideas more tangible" (Sackman, 1989).

Metaphor can communicate meaning when the right words aren't available—and may not even exist. Since we usually want to resolve ambiguities and paradox—even at the risk of oversimplification—alternate metaphors or multiple metaphors can be used to hold the creative tension while a more expansive, complex vision evolves. For example, to understand the idea of organizational "complexity," it may be helpful to understand how the terms "strange attractor," "bounded by instability," "complex adaptive systems," and "dissipative structures" could apply to organizations.

Because a metaphor holds two concepts in one (or a few) words, we can think of the similarity of these concepts while discerning the degree of imbalance, contradiction, or inconsistency in their association.

Examining the similarities, differences, and contraindications of metaphor also causes us to examine our own perceptions and beliefs. This becomes the basis for new meaning (some might call it double-loop learning) and helps overcome self-defeating defenses.

As groups and organizations construct their own reality, this influences the form of their social order and structure. It creates new scenarios of future actions and can suggest a course of action without determining the actual behavior.

So how does this apply to organizational life? Caught in the paradox of wanting to be in a comfortable, stable environment and having to change to survive, workers benefit by being able to think and talk about their organization's symbol systems in a non-threatening way. A powerful way to explore symbol systems is by combining the use of metaphors and dialogue. Inherent in their use is the capacity to establish shared images and a sense of how things fit together, thus providing a framework for thinking together in a coherent and productive way.

Nature has a universal appeal. Using natural phenomena as metaphors for organizational life can provide workers a way to explore ideas and concepts in a non-threatening way, and help stimulate the creativity and innovation that organizations depend on for survival.
Invisible Currents—Nature's Lessons for the Mind and Heart furnishes a format for exploring organizational issues in the context of chaos and complexity theory, without dwelling on the theory. Taken as a whole, the book is a metaphor for organizational vitality and cycle of life. By relating the complexities of nature to their own organizations, individuals can reflect on, and better deal with, the almost uncontainable anxiety caused by rapid change. This self-reflection can occur at any level—executive, supervisory, work team, peer.

Exploring the unacknowledged "shadow side" of an organization in a way that encourages self-reflection and organizational learning supports the creativity and innovation of individuals, groups, and the entire organization. A sharing of mind and consciousness facilitates an organization's ability to arrive at a "synergy of meaning"—a collective meaning beyond that held by all its individuals. This, in turn, creates the space for individuals to reframe their thinking in ways that open doorways to personal and organizational renewal.

This process could be likened to "looking for Waldo." In a Waldo picture, the elusive character is invisible only until he is found for the first time. After that, it is easy to see Waldo—probably easier to see him than not. The way of looking at the picture is transformed.  

 

Invitation: We'd like to hear from you. Feel free to offer your comments. Also, check out the Nature of Heart blog.