Scenario: Pulling Rank(2024)
Tags: Action Learning, ActionLearning Coach, Team Coach, WIAL, WIAL Action Learning, WIAL Talk
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Tags: Action Learning, ActionLearning Coach, Team Coach, WIAL, WIAL Action Learning, WIAL Talk
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Thu DO
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Hello team, I’ve observe that A asks B “Do you want to stay employed”. What is the impact of this on team? How our team want to handle it?
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Dominika Pupkowska-Bral
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At the beginning of each ACTION LEARNING meeting that I lead, I always tell the participants that in the AL group everyone is equally important in working on the problem and I ask them directly “What would you say if the organizational hierarchy in which you work on a daily basis didn’t matter at these meetings? From my experience, it is people in higher positions who always agree in these situations. Moreover when introducing the group to ACTION LEARNING, I say that no one judges anyone at these meetings, and that this is the only way to create spectacular solutions. Such an introduction to the meeting gives us clear and transparent rules of cooperation.
Despite such an introduction, if during the process the question from management was asked “Do you want to remain employed?” I would definitely stop the group to look at the situation. I would ask, “What happened now? How does this relate to the rules we agreed upon in the preliminary contract? How does this affect the group’s work? How does this affect the atmosphere?” And finally, when examining this situation with the group, I would ask the group; “What can we agree on to continue working in a good atmosphere and focus on the problem?”
I am convinced that when a group opens up about the negative impact it has on teamwork, a higher-ranking team member will change his behavior and maybe even apologize. This would certainly be a big step towards improving the culture of this organization.
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Anna Wójcik
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Oh, this is a difficult situation that cannot be ignored and must be intervened. I hope that such things will not happen. In difficult situations, the best model is what, so what, wkhat now? – I would use this to ask how it affects and how we want to solve it
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THINAKARAN SUPPIAH
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As a coach, my intervention will be as below:
Coach: Team, what’s happening?
** Participant response**
Coach: How will the Action Learning team be affected if we don’t treat everyone with respect regardless of our position?
** Participant response**
Coach: Back in our organisation, how will this situation hinder our progress towards the organisation goal?
** Participant response**
Coach: How do we prevent this from happening again?
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Karol Szarata
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I have had a simmilar situaton. When this situation occurred, the senior director asked a team member, “Do you even want to work here? Because I can fire you.” I immediately paused the session and said, “Let’s take a moment to reflect on what just happened and how we want to move forward constructively.”
During a break, I privately spoke with the director, suggesting a softer, more constructive way to express their concerns. When we reconvened, I asked the group, “How can we address challenges like this while maintaining trust and collaboration?”
This approach de-escalated the tension and turned the moment into a learning opportunity, allowing the team to refocus on respectful communication.
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Miranda Walichowski
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As an action learning coach, my approach to handling this situation would begin with helping the team establish norms of engagement from the outset. If the issue of power differentials doesn’t naturally arise, I would suggest discussing it to ensure a constructive and equitable environment for Action Learning.
When a situation like this arises, where a higher-ranking participant pulls rank, I would guide the group through a reflective process. First, I would ask them to describe what they observed, encouraging them to articulate the situation in their own words. Then, I would prompt the team to consider the impact of the comment, fostering awareness of how such dynamics affect the group.
Next, I would ask the team what they would like to do about the situation in the present moment, empowering them to take action. I would also encourage them to reflect on how this situation might enable the group to operate differently moving forward, if at all. If they respond with ideas, I would explore with them what implementing those changes could mean for future teaming engagements.
As an Action Learning coach, my goal is always to drive towards sustainability, ensuring that the team develops lasting skills and practices that enhance their collaboration and effectiveness.
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