Caitlin Walker - From Contempt to Curiosity

From Contempt to Curiosity

Creating Conditions for Groups to Collaborate

Using Clean Language and Systemic Modelling

By Caitlin Walker

Copyright 2014 by Caitlin Walker. All rights reserved.

Published by Clean Publishing

14 Anson Grove

Portchester, Fareham

Hampshire, England PO16 8JG

Telephone: +44 23 9221 5355

Cover design by Marian Way

Illustrations by Steve Whitla

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

The paperback version is ISBN: 978-0-9574866-1-4

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Systemic Modelling is a trademark of Training Attention Ltd.

www.trainingattention.co.uk

Also available from Clean Publishing:

Clean Approaches for Coaches

How to Create the Conditions for Change
Using Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling

By Marian Way

ISBN: 978-0-9574866-1-4

Ordering information for print editions

The paperback versions of both these books are available for sale at www.cleanlearning.co.uk

Special prices are available for quantity purchases. Please call +44 23 9221 5355

To

David John Grove
1950 - 2008

Whatu ngarongaro te tangata, toit te whenua.

People will perish, but the land is permanent.

Acknowledgements

Id like to begin by acknowledging the writing of Kurt Vonnegut Junior. Reading his books in my teenage years inspired me to take my childish concerns about the world and want to do something about them. Similarly, the lyrics, music and concerts of Billy Bragg demonstrated to me the possibility of changing narratives, in the moment, through stories, songs and action.

The teachings of David Grove, and his processes of Clean Language, Clean Space and Emergent Knowledge are the foundation that the work in this book is built on. I miss him still and hope he would be proud that I finally put pen to paper.

Ill be eternally grateful to Penny Tompkins and James Lawley for introducing me to David, for their dedication to modelling his work and making it available to so many and for their skill as teachers. They took me under their wing and patiently guided me along my path; Id like to thank them for their vision and compassion.

Id like to acknowledge my fellow learners, clients, colleagues and playmates, those whose names appear in these stories as well as those Ive yet to write about.

For the mammoth task of getting the stories out of my head and onto paper, Id like to acknowledge: Rachel Dunscombe for putting together TEDx Merseyside and helping me to see how useful these stories were for other people; Richard Stacey, Lesley Symons, Tamsin Hartley, Emily Walker, Sue Sharp and Sarah Smith for listening to the stories, asking beginners mind questions and helping me to transcribe and collate them; and Marian Way for inspiring me to feel capable of overcoming my dyslexic fears and helping me turn those precious stories into a written and readable book. Id like also like to thank Steve Whitla for producing the illustrations that help to bring the words to life.

Finally, Id like to thank my family for their support, good humour and love which sustain everything.

Foreword

All too often a breakthrough concept is presented as a miraculous apparition without history or complications, the story of its development shrouded in myth. The resulting sanitised version often feels too good to be true.

Systemic Modelling is such a breakthrough concept in human interaction. Fortunately, in this case, Caitlin Walker takes us through the evolution of her work from its source in the Clean Language of David Grove to the formalisation of Systemic Modelling and her work in business and educational settings. We are given a real insight into the experiences that have informed her ideas, models and principles, along with a good grounding in what has and hasnt worked.

I know from my own experience that this work is important and enduring; Caitlins early work in business, which she explores in Chapter 3, also marks the beginning of my own journey with Clean Language. I was working for that Knowledge Management focussed Software Company as they made use of Clean Language in meetings and to develop metaphors for internal and external communication. The flatty-sidey metaphor she helped me to develop, around one of our products, underpinned the later founding of my company.

Clean questions are now a crucial part of our sales approach, and the healthy collaborative environment, which results from using Clean Language, metaphor and Systemic Modelling internally, has allowed us to thrive even as our industry has been changing significantly.

Clean Language ensures respectful, meaningful communication using only a handful of well-specified questions. Anyone can do it, regardless of aptitude and background, and this creates an attitude of genuine and respectful curiosity that delivers results across a wide array of business situations. We use it to help us work at our best as individuals, as well as to ensure strong, focused teamwork. When working with customers it helps us quickly understand situations and deploy our products and expertise in a respectful but powerful way.

Software companies frequently fracture into different camps, often driven by very different personalities: people who like programming all day versus sales people who enjoy talking to people all day. Systemic Modelling levels the playing field, by giving everyone a strong and confident voice, regardless of the topic, as well as helping those voices to be expressed in a way thats collaborative rather than confrontational. The resulting cross-departmental collaboration delivers measurable business impact on a regular basis on everything from sales situations, to customer support, to internal processes. It really is hard to over-emphasise the benefits of such a simple tool in empowering everyone to contribute, confidently putting their views forward.

Over the years Ive come to realise that this is all part of a much wider, and much-needed trend towards a more human, respectful work environment. Teams are composed of people, and the relationships between people are a key aspect of both organisational effectiveness and individual wellbeing.

An unexpected benefit from this journey has been that the tools are just as effective in our personal lives. It really has helped us be better as parents and partners.

Systemic Modelling has the ability to gently, albeit firmly, transform the health of any organisation and this book is an invaluable tool for business leaders, educators and for parents who want to make the most of the people they work, learn and live with.

Simon Coles

CEO and Co-Founder, Amphora Research Systems Ltd.

13th February 2014

Prologue

This book is all about attention. It explores how the quality of the attention we pay to ourselves, to the stories we hear, to the people we meet and to the world at large, profoundly affects the things we are able to think and therefore the things we are able to do.

This is my story about developing Systemic Modelling, a process for improving the quality of attention we give to the relationships we make and the communities we build together.

It centres around a questioning technique called Clean Language, developed by psychotherapist David Grove and shows, through a series of stories, how this simple, powerful approach can enhance business processes, team work, classrooms, partnerships and communication.