171 Engage Teams with a Metaphor Tool

YES! AND… Collaborate. Innovate. Transform – Creative Gorilla #171

How might you engage teams using metaphor?

Team Impetus Model

This week, I ran a workshop for SFCT UK (Solution Focus Consulting and Training). We used the Explore Metaphor tool and this article will help you to use it.

The SFCT workshop was to discuss my Team Impetus Model. This is a model designed to engage teams and shape strategy, using the metaphor of a ski jump.

The ski jump metaphor was conceived after some iteration. The original concept was a traditional model with steps that went up. While “up” is a very ingrained metaphor, with positive meanings, I think it is easier to walk down than up! So I redesigned the model with descending steps.

After discussing the downward step model with an international group of SF users, the idea arose for a metaphor that went down, but not steps; steps are fixed and don’t provide much impetus to move forward. The “ski jump” model was conceived.

The concept is that ski jump has the advantage of taking you down to gather speed and lifting you up to “fly”. The jumper has control over momentum and the flight to ensure a good distance and safe landing. How did the SFCT group view the metaphor?

“Explore Metaphor” Tool

I introduced them to a tool to explore metaphors, developed while writing an article on metaphors. (Click here to go to a page and scroll down to download, “The Power of Metaphors to Transform Teams”)

The Explore Metaphor Tool is based on four questions, laid out in four columns in a table. Here is the table used in the tool and I explain it below.

What characteristics are associated with the metaphor?	Is this “P” or “N”	What does this reveal about the situation?	How can we counter or enhance this?

The group used the tool to relate the ski jumping metaphor to team performance.

How to Complete the Table

This explanation mostly uses examples from one team at the meeting. The sub titles represent the questions.

Characteristics associated with metaphor?

In each row, identify a characteristic associated with the metaphor, e.g. “1. Ski jumping is exhilarating. 2. You feel free. 3. You feel calm.” I hasten to add, these are the words of an Olympic ski jumper, not me!

One team identified these characteristics:

[a] It’s terrifying; feel out of control!

[b] Looks like an individual activity.

[c] You have to get on the slide to jump.

Generate as many characteristics as you can in this divergent exercise.

Is this a Positive or Negative characteristic?

If you highlight each characteristic as positive or negative it encourages you to be more balanced. People often focus on too negative or too positive characteristics. Notice the Olympic jumper was very positive.

what does each characteristic reveals about the situation?

The ski jump metaphor is focused on team performance. So for the characteristics [a], [b], [c] above, the team identified that:

Being in a team can sometimes feel terrifying, especially when things are changing or people feel out of control.
A team is made up of individuals who have to do something to make the team work.
You must make a conscious choice to get on the slide. If you don’t, nothing happens.

How to counter or enhance this?

At this step, you have the opportunity to influence team performance. How will you counter negative and enhance positive characteristics? The team considers that:

[a] When you have done something that terrifies you once, you feel amazing and will do it again.

[b] It could be that individuals are the ski jumper at different times, or that a ski jumper can’t do it without a team behind them; coaches / trainers / logistics etc.). Consequently, one person’s amazing jump is the product of the team.

[c] Be brave and make a change. Take the first step.

After teams had identified the characteristics, they chose just three key characteristics to feedback for discussion. This made efficient use of time.

So

The Explore Metaphor Tool is a useful structure to engage a team in conversation about a situation, using metaphor.

It:

Helps those who find it difficult to work with metaphors
Enables you to test a metaphor to its limits (all metaphors break down). When you identify and explore all the characteristics, you extract what is useful from it and leave the rest behind. A simile is a fruit juicer. You extract the juice, the pulp and the zest and leave the pips and peel behind!

As Gareth Morgan states in his book “Imaginization”, use several metaphors to reveal different aspects of a situation.

Small Action

Use the Tool and different metaphors with your team to discuss performance. How many team metaphors can you think of?

To Close

If you wish to engage a team with the Explore Metaphor Tool, here is a one-hour outline:

Have the group generate and choose different metaphors for a situation.
Choose one metaphor and demonstrate how to use the Tool with one characteristic.
Have teams (three people in each team is ideal) each use the Tool to explore a different metaphor, or have different teams explore one metaphor.
Have them choose their top “x” (small number) characteristics and write them in the Tool format on a flip chart.
Regroup, present the top “x” characteristics from each team (take one at a time from each team) and discuss.
Identify the usable outputs.

May your week be a bed of roses seen through pink tinted glasses. If you would like to discuss how we can transform your team or how to use metaphor, contact us.

John Brooker _I Collaborate, Innovate, Transform.