Between saying and doing many a pair of shoes is worn out – Iris Murdoch
Reflexive practice reconnects participants with their practice. It is for leaders at a stage in their careers where they are not looking for general conversations or training. The practice provides a gateway, connecting on-the-job practice with responsible management through bespoke exchanges.
What actually happens in reflexive practice?
Participants unpack and recognise how they are affecting the system – and conversely – how their context impacts them in light of their objectives.
Experiences have been described as being similar to being in conversation with an awareness of more going on.
During practice, participants accompany each other on their journeys, in ways that enable a member to recognise, reassign and perhaps remodel key points in the threads of conversations.
Reflexive practice may include elements from thought leadership, coaching practice and group dynamics.
Slowing down to speed up
Many participants have found that it was worth cultivating the discipline of slowing down, in order to speed up.
So, they are recognising key parts of the person interaction, key parts of the immediate context. For example norms and culture as they play out in their group, department, team or business.
Wider system impacts
The third part of reflexive practice is noticing elements in the wider environment (political, legal and so on) that are adding to the current complexity.
It is in this way, that participants extracts specific data that can create positive shifts in their leadership.
Who is reflexive practice for?
- Individuals and pairs
- Groups and teams
Individual persons and pairs
Individual persons and pairs have used reflexive practice when they;
(1) evolved through their field and arrived in this leadership role as a technical expert accustomed to doing things themselves.
Now their success is measured through the success of others. This often means continuing with aspects of a previous context, and deprioritising other aspects.
(2) got to grips with a big, new role, and now need to find the space for more responsibilities. For example a leadership team with strategic impact, or some new activity.
(3) need space to think through their what they are doing, and space to formulate what they want to do.
(4) are highly focused, ambitious, and sometimes publicly decorated for previous successes. Their new context, however requires add new competences to their portfolio. For example build genuine followership in others, through collaboration. This can be a steep and rewarding challenge.
Groups and teams for reflexive practice
Groups and teams use reflexive practice at various stages of their development. For example we have worked with include
(5) Whole boards and senior teams where individuals who are successful in their own right – are now required to develop as a high functioning team in its own right, with its own personality. Sometimes, the challenges can be sharp when different disciplines and professions are working together in order to progress a common challenge or goal.
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