PURA VIDA 2: VALUES AND PRACTICES: PART 1 of 2

PERSONAL VALUES

Values are what are important to us. What we value. 

Values and practices are a closed loop system. Stated values should be lived. Practices lead to the adoption of values. They go together like horse and cart.

In Blue Road to Atlantis, the old marlin steps in to take the hook in order to save another fish from the fisherman who had earlier caught the love of his life. As he slowly dies, and is pulled ever closer to the boat, his friends are with him. A parasitic remora (or marlin-sucker). And a Jamaican-speaking dolphin. 

With each ever-diminishing circle the old marlin is called to let go of a core life-value. At one point he asks:

“Then tell me dolphin. How do I let go of life, truly let go?” 

“Just like you splash down after a jump, mon”. 

“But there’s no choice in that. Gravity pulls me down”. 

“Den let de sky pull you up”. (Nussbaum, J. 2002)

What are your 10 most important personal values? If you were called upon to discard your values one by one, then which few, or ultimately which one would you hang on to?

There are no right nor wrong answers. Each person develops and make choices about the values that are meaningful to them, and even when shared, we may each have our own very different definitions and behaviours that we relate to each value.
(You may share a love of learning with Leonardo da Vinci. Frantically and anxiously chase after and read every new business book that someone recommends. Attend live and on-line courses. Add to your information knowledge this way. Leonardo roamed the countryside with paper and pen to hand, observed and drew on nature for many of his ideas and inventions, was not that well educated in any formal sense. Yet his mindfulness and curiosity enabled stunning wisdom and innovation. And he loved it!)

And our values may alter as life happens.

During the current coronavirus lock-down we have an opportunity to revisit our personal values. Perhaps reframe some of them, see them in a different light.  As we mature we tend to move from the valuing of the extrinsic: position, possessions, power, (hedonistic) pleasure, perfection – to also straddling the intrinsic: (higher) purpose, people, planet, presence, personhood. 

Values and practices are about the whole person, overlapping the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual. Here are a few to mull over:

Adventure

After the first few days of lock-down, will we feel as if we’re under house arrest, and long for the freedom of wide open spaces, travel to foreign places, adventure and fun. Or will we begin to regain our capacity for simple joys?  As in the sentiments expressed in the Louis Armstrong hit of yesteryear:

“I see trees of green, red roses too, I see ‘em bloom, for me and for you. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue, clouds of white. Bright blessed days, dark sacred nights. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. The colors of a rainbow, so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces of people going by. I see friends shaking hands, sayin’ ‘how do you do’. They’re really sayin’ ‘I love you’. I hear babies cry. I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll never know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world”. (Thiele, B & Weiss, G. 1967)

Will we be able to find adventure in new happenings and experiences, being transported by a book, activating our imagination…?
Pioneering Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, founder of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, believed that adults should be involved in serious play. He practiced what he preached. One day in the grounds outside his home, he was playing in nature, busy constructing in miniature a bridge over a stream. A passer-by looked on in amazement and observed, “Is that not the world famous doctor? It doesn’t look like it”.

Movement/ Exercise 

The centre for physical movement in our brains is the same as for intellectual movement. That’s why it’s a good idea to take a walk to solve a problem. A quick look at human kinetics (from the Greek kinesis = movement) reveals the wonder of chemical, electrical and mechanical movement without which we cannot walk, shiver, swallow, process solids and liquids, blink, talk, track visually, hear, smell, breathe, pump blood, touch, create new neural pathways … or dance, or do yoga …

During lock-down, we can maintain our exercise practice without going outdoors. Perhaps spend 10 minutes each day doing the 5BX (five basic exercises) developed by Dr Bill Orban in the 1950s for Canadian pilots.  

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/feb/01/fitness-tips-royal-canadian-air-force-five-basic-exercises

Mindfulness

Our default setting is all too often MINDLESSNESS. We are frenetically busy, think a lot, get distracted, unfocused, strive, and become impatient with others, and resent what we consider to be chores. Contrary to these ‘normal’ behaviours we can learn to be habitually calm, present, have clarity, and be non-judgmental.  

A young girl approaches her father and asks, “Is it true that when we are asleep, we can wake up?” Her father assures her, “Of course it is true”. “Then”, says the girl, “it must also be true that when we are awake we can wake up more”. 

Being mindful is calmly observing, being aware, accepting non-judgmentally. We can wash dishes, mindful of the warmth of the water, the opportunity to do a task for others, be grateful for our faculties. After her left-brain stroke it took 3 years for neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor to be able to stack dishes after washing them – a “left brain” logical, mathematical task. (Bolte Taylor, J)

As we have evolved as humans we have developed what English psychologist Paul Gilbert refers to as “new brain-mind troubles”. We have the capacity to look ahead, anticipate, become anxious, worry. We can look back, regret, reflect on and relive mistakes Forget the present moment that we only live once – whether in lock-down or not. And forget the antidotes to these ‘troubles’; mindfulness and compassion. (Gilbert, P. 2010)

In Part 2 (Newsletter 3 in this Pura Vida series) we will think about social connection in a ‘socially distanced’ world (including the values and practices of trust and respect), and also think about the highest of all values, love (and compassion).

REFERENCES

Bolte Taylor, Jill (2009) My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey Penguin 

Gilbert, Paul (2010) The Compassionate Mind: a new approach to life’s challenges Constable, London  

Nussbaum, Jay (2002) Blue Road to Atlantis Bantam Books  

Thiele, Bob & Weiss, George, David (1967) What a Wonderful World

Pura Vida: Read Right

Costa Rica has owned the phrase “pura vida” and use it often. It may be translated as “pure life” – enjoying simple pleasures, companionship, calm and leisurely times. This series is being written for those in lock-down mode during the coronavirus crisis

 

“When you read a great book, you don’t escape from life, you plunge deeper into it” - English author Julian Patrick Barnes

Why leisure reading?

We have evolved from reptilian to mammalian to higher order brain/ minds which include the ability to use language, symbols, metaphor – and to read. But readers of printed leisure books have almost become an endangered species with the advent of the digital world and television. And in any case, why read for pleasure or for learning? What is the answer to Zorba the Greeks exasperated outburst to Basil 'You don’t know! Well, all those damned books you read - what good are they? Why do you read them?' (Kazantzakis, N. 1961)

Any answers?

How about, ‘Because you’ll live longer!’  

I kid you not. Dr Chris Drew points to research findings that retired people who read books between 1 and 3½ hours a week are 17% less likely to die in the coming 12 years than those who don’t read. And those that read more than 3½ hours every week improve their probability rate to 23%, irrespective of social and economic status, gender, state of mind, ethnicity, education, marital status … If nothing else, this gives you more time to read!

(At the time the research was conducted, there was no coronavirus threat) 

There are of course a number of physical, emotional, cognitive, social conversational and spiritual benefits.  “Reading spiritual texts can lower blood pressure and bring about an immense sense of calm …” (Winter-Hebert, l (2016)

Neil Gaiman has some compelling evidence for reading: “Once in New York, I listened to a talk about the building of private prisons - a huge growth industry in America. The prison industry needs to plan its future growth — how many cells are they going to need? How many prisoners are there going to be, fifteen years from now? And they found they could predict it very easily, using a pretty simple algorithm, based about asking what percentage of ten- and eleven-year-olds couldn’t read. And certainly couldn’t read for pleasure”. (Gaiman, N. 2016)

What should you read?

Firstly, I have no judgement on what you read nor the comprehension level of what you read – comic book to literary classic, prose and poetry. All have value - and generally simple trumps complicated (that’s why the ‘fog index’ was designed - to measure readability).

I am cynical about a lot of self-help and business-advice books on the market. My inbuilt bias tells me that a lot of what is available is vanity-publishing written by arrogant, somewhat narcissistic authors, ‘This is what I did and it made me rich. I have the answer to achieving success. You too can do this by following my easy 7-step recipe’.   They find a ready, gullible market. In the business world I come across many who anxiously read what they feel they must so as not to be left behind. This becomes a treadmill in our information-overload world. 

So my opinion is that it’s good to escape from too much self-help and business reading, and to read simply for enjoyment. (Not that they are inherently bad to read!  Rumi: “You will learn by reading … But ... you will understand with LOVE.”

I have found that in fiction there is much, often-unexpected, wisdom. Here we find both the benevolent and malevolent. Novels provide incidental learning.  Lynette and I are both avid readers of detective novels. Ed McBain’s 87th Precinct mysteries are great for studying probing questioning techniques. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch investigations offer real insight into burnout, coping mechanisms and relationships. David Gutersen’s Snow Falling on Cedars offers a clear look at the nature of prejudice. Pat Conroy's The Prince of Tides teaches us a lot about assertive communication. Karen Connelly's Touch the Dragon illustrates the complexities of different cultures really well. Gordon Steven's Kennedy's Ghost provides a fascinating glimpse of a client-consultant relationship, Trina Paulus’ Hope for the Flowers speaks volumes about competitive and uncollaborative workplaces, Suzanne Glass's The Interpreter illustrates the challenges of attentive listening, and Jim Crace's Quarantine is a wonderful exploration of relationships and values at a number of different levels. One can't but be impressed by the job competence of Kathy Reichs's Dr Temperence Brennan, the forensic anthropologist in Death Du Jour. Gary Paulsen's Winterdance speaks to and explains driving passions and experiential learning, The Reader by Bernhard Schlink offers insight into the masks that we wear, reconciliation and atonement, Geoff Dyer's great book about jazz, But Beautiful, paints a brilliant picture of the downside of total, addictive focus, high creativity and radical transformation on the involved individuals …

Here is one of a number of sources you will find on line: https://www.bookbub.com/ebook-deals/free-kindle-books

(If you are lucky enough to belong to the New York public library you can access and download 300, 000 free ebooks!)

What happens when you read?

Books transport us to different worlds. The whole person is affected, most obviously cognitively and emotionally.  David Hutchens: “This emotional experience also has the effect of lifting the audience out of the present and putting them in a different shared experience that Graham Williams describes as “narrative transport.” This is a powerful effect, and at its best it bears similarity to a trance or hypnotic state. Graham says he recalls watching the movie The Elephant Man in a theater and being unexpectedly seized with sobs that he could not control. “At some level I had entered the story,” he says. “Perhaps I identified with Joseph Merrick’s ugly duckling situation. I certainly experienced overwhelming empathy with him, and anger at what society can do to individuals”. (Hutchens, D. 2015)

Narrative helps us touch the essence of ‘self’, glimpse the meaning of meaning, have a look at being rather than at doing. (Especially when we are contrained by lockdown). As we read we are exposed to the gamut of human tragedy and ecstasy, and an associated multiplicity of thoughts and emotions, wisdom from the ancients to the modern – which give us the opportunity to build knowledge and have insight.

Neil Gaiman explains how book reading promotes being other-oriented and empathic: “When you watch TV or see a film, you are looking at things happening to other people. Prose fiction is something you build up from twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks, and you, and you alone, using your imagination, create a world, and people it and look out through other eyes. You get to feel things, visit places and worlds you would never otherwise know. You learn that everyone else out there is a me, as well. You’re being someone else, and when you return to your own world, you’re going to be slightly changed". 

"Empathy is a tool for building people into groups, for allowing us to function as more than self-obsessed individuals”. (Gaiman, N. 2016) 

This sentiment, and its importance during these testing times, is highlighted by Patricia Manney.  In her seminal work, the former Chair of the World Transhumanist Association Board of Directors argues that storytelling is the key to empathy creation, more so as the Fourth Industrial Revolution proceeds. The increasing importance of empathy directly correlates with the rate of transhuman technological acceleration. And when empathy is absent, conflict occurs (Walls are erected). “Its lack can be found all around us, be it in our wars, crime, inequality, anti-social behavior …. And the myopic behavior of the ‘me generation’”. (Manney, PJ. 2008). 

Research has shown that “... exposure to fictional text is strongly related to social ability and empathy, though non-fiction doesn't appear to have the same effect”. (Vitelli, R. 2015)

The written word has enabled readers to imagine, and identify and feel – to see through the character’s eyes, empathise. “Storytelling is both the seductive siren and the safe haven that encourages the connection with the feared ‘other’” – across countries, cultures, and vastly different experiences.  Manney cites Pulitzer prize winner, Jane Smiley’s case that novel reading “creates a generally empathetic personality in the (habitual) reader”, and “is integral to the liberalization of different cultures”.  Smiley traced historical links between important novels and resulting societal change and evolution. (Smiley, J. 2005) 

Should our immersion in the use of information and communications technology reduce our novel-reading time, this carries the danger, broadly speaking, of simultaneously reducing our capacity to empathize. To the contrary, the way that social media is used – if this points us towards an even more invasive transhuman technological world, narcissistic communication and behaviour is set to grow. Manning, cites Woodard: “There is a belief among some academics and storytellers that the non-visual story has a deeper psychological impact than the visual story, since the non-visual relies on each mind using its personal experience to build its imagination, making it a more intimate, relatable ‘vision’ with a greater impact on one’s empathy”. (Woodard, J. 2002)  

(This should not diminish in our minds the power of imagery to touch us deeply at the emotional level. Nor does it obviate the potentially positive use of technology to encourage the development of empathy. And to the extent that empathy is a values-based phenomenon, as long as our values remain intact, empathetic responses should remain a part of our ‘DNA’).

Manning also shares Paul Saffo’s important questions: “… Will we have empathy for those who we are not connected to by our Wi-Fi? Can we feel as much for the hi-tech have-nots if we don’t hear their stories?”  (Saffo, P.2005)

Serious stuff.  We should never underestimate the fun that reading can bring. A favourite booklet I return to often for a belly-laugh session is Roald Dahl’s The Vicar of Nibbleswicke, a story of a vicar with back-to-front dyslexia. And friend Ralph Windle, who passed away last year, regaled me with his Bertie Ramsbottom poems, using humour to convey very important insights. (At Oxford, Ralph read the greats (classics, philosophy, history); was one time CEO of Nabisco, UK). His The Poetry of Business Life should be mandatory reading for all business leaders. (Windle, R. 1994) 

Reading stimulates the imagination. Einstein believed that imagination was more important than knowledge. And Tarnas says that “The human imagination is itself part of the world’s intrinsic truth; without it the world is in some sense incomplete”.  (Tarnas, R. 1991) He goes on. “The relatively new development in man’s thinking of that dynamic mental capacity known as imagination, allows us to see hidden truth in myths and archetypal meaning, and make conscious our place in the universe, indeed broaden our concept of reality".

So reading allows us to go wide, deep and high. To experience revelation beyond our own limited school of life. (It is a fine line between imagination and ‘reality’).

The heroine of The Man from Beijing, when experiencing high blood pressure problems, is advised, “look after your roses and come back when you are healthy again”. She replies: “I don’t grow roses”. Her adviser continues: “that’s what my grandmother used to say. She thought you should concentrate on growing your imaginary roses”. (Mankell, H. 2010)

My friend Brother Richard Maidwell, who has as a purpose in life to write icons, taught me about 'reading' icons – and icon gazing. Icons, as is the case with other works of art, can act as sources of personal insight, grace, enlightenment and merit. How we can move beyond analysis, interpretation and appreciation to the practice of icon gazing – and let them ‘speak to us’, and find personal meaning and a sense of purpose and direction through these mind- informing images.  On this question of reading imagery, another friend, Jan Taal, who is an Amsterdam psychologist and founder of Imaginatie, writes, “Imagery is (at) the very core of human existence. It is the central arena of our being where identity and reality are formed. There are three levels of mastery in imagery. At the first level we get to know our images and start to realize how they influence our existence. At the second we learn how to navigate and cope with our images, resulting in development and transformation of ourselves. This is the level of therapeutic work and personal growth. Ultimately in the third level we may realize to be (or become) the very source of All of it, the mysterious Greater (or Higher) Self”.  (Taal, J. 2020)

What about difficulties that inhibit our reading aspirations?

It has been documented that our ability to concentrate on a single task, has declined in the internet age. Attention spans seem to be on the wane. The strong temptation for writers is to write pithy, attention-grabbing pieces. I think though that the advent of the coronavirus, forced time at home, the inadvisability of visiting public libraries now (and perhaps also public bookstores) may encourage the reading habit again. A trend to longer articles. Meaty books. So, why not the formation of on line book club circles? (Old habits die hard and personally I love and prefer the feel, look, smell and mystique of a ‘real’ book, but in these times on line makes more sense, using Zoom meetings for our book circles) 

But there are no real difficulties other than self-discipline, perseverance. The idea is to enjoy, whether you read one page or many pages at a time. 

A re-emergence of a reading population will be good for us in many ways. And probably lead to more reflection and reflective writing, deeper conversations, widening of personal horizons, and sheer leisure pleasure. 

References

Drew, Chris, PhD (2020) 45 Facts on The Importance of Reading Books The Helpful Professor

https://helpfulprofessor.com/importance-of-reading-books/ citing Bavishi, Avni; Slade, Martin D and Levy, Becca R A chapter a day: Association of book reading with longevity Elsevier Social Science and Medicine Vol. 164, September 2016, pages 44-48

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953616303689?via%3Dihub

Gaiman, Neil (2016) Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming – an essay in The View from the Cheap Seats Deckle Edge 

Hutchens, David (2015) Circle of the 9 Muses John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Kazantzakis, Nikos (1961) Zorba the Greek Faber & Faber Ltd., London

Mankell,Henning (2010) The Man from Beijing Harvill Secker, London

Manning, Patricia J (2008) Empathy in the Time of Technology: How Storytelling is the Key to Empathy Journal of Evolution and Technology, Volume 19, Issue 1, September 2008 (Published by the Institute of Ethics and Emerging Technologies

Saffo, P (2005) Farewell information, it’s the media age    http://www.saffo.com/essays.essay_farewellinfo.pdf

Smiley, J (2005) Thirteen ways of looking at the novel Random House, NY

Taal, Jan (2017) The 3 Levels of Imagery European Institute for Psychosynthesis Psychotherapy 18th January, 2017 

https://psychosynthesis.net/10774-2/  and   http://www.imaginatie.nl/pdf_docs/Imagery.pdf

Tarnas,Richard (1991) Passion of the Western Mind  Pimlico

Vitelli, Romeo PhD (2015) Being a book lover Psychology Today

https://www.psychologytoday.com/za/blog/media-spotlight/201504/being-book-lover

Williams, Graham (2000) Centre-ing Customer Satisfaction: the guide to breakthrough performance through internalising a customer satisfaction culture and practices Centre-ing Services

Windle, Ralph (1994) The Poetry of Business Life Berrett-Koehler, USA 

Winter-Hebert, Lana (2016) 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day Capcana 18th August, 2016  .

http://capcana.com/news/10-benefits-of-reading-why-you-should-read-every-day/

Woodard, J (2002) Storytelling: past-present-future

http:www.storyteller.net/articles/7

Navigating the Coronavirus Threat For Leadership = Vaccination against Chaos

Wanderer above a Sea of Fog - Caspar David Friedrich (1818) In the Public Domain

by Steve Banhegyi & Graham Williams

“Essentially, the Un-Known is part of our human condition and is an existential given” – Siebrecht van Hooren

Mind-Set

Friederich’s painting speaks volumes about the leader’s existential loneliness and the challenges and risks that lie ahead, which become magnified by the advent of a huge unexpected happening that threatens to totally disrupt the  business paradigm – happenings like the coronavirus.

In the 3 months since the first reported case, there have been libraries of published articles and posts about the nature and potential impact of the virus, which has been declared to be a pandemic by the World Health Organisation

We have now entered a possible reality in which every aspect of our lives, our relationships, our work, our definition of self, our sense of security,  plus a whole lot more, is up for questioning.  No-one really knows what’s going on because “what’s going on” is greater than the human nervous system can readily engage. So we’ve traditionally picked up news of what is going on from traditional news media as ‘authorities’ who provide the stories that help make sense of the world.

Part of this great paradigm change which we’re all experiencing is that there are many new sources of information arising, new paradigms being created in all sectors, while old paradigms crash. And paradigms have far reaching effects:

Questions you should be asking

·         Are we acting quickly and intelligently?

·         Are we keeping every function, department and level of the organisation?

·         Are we Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, planning and implement our own best practice?

·         Are we Following a well-informed, rational response?

       Are we handing people aspects in a way that assures our success? 

       Are we acting quickly when necessary? 

       How are we keeping our employees engaged in our company at this time?

       Are we practicing sound, deliberate reflection and contemplation, which begets right action?

Developing a rational response framework

Clem Sunter uses the fox metaphor to describe “a person who keeps ahead of the game by being open-minded and objective as the evidence one way or the other flows in”. (Sunter, C. 2020)

In the first instance decide your level of organisational response, as determined by  informed perceptions of the threat. Whatever you decide in terms of plans and actions, add to that your contingency plans for the next level (or longer term strategy and plans). Apart from the task of preparing action plans, the process is beneficial for awakening imagination, developing an open mind, reducing anxiety, formulating a memory of the future, and improving decision-making capacity (When the unexpected does happen, our scenario work as alerted us to such possibilities).  One of Ringland’s key conclusions from her work with scenarios (future possibilities) is that

“...in a time of uncertainty, it unfreezes intellect, allowing intelligent people a framework within which it’s not only ‘OK, but even mandatory, to admit that they do not know what the future will bring, but nevertheless to plan. The role of vivid image, story-line, timelines, of anecdotal events in scenario are an important part of the method”. (Ringland, G. 1998)

De Geus: “The results of... research [conducted by David Ingvar, the head of the neurobiology department of Lund (Sweden), published in 1985, show that the human brain is constantly attempting to make sense of the future. Every moment of our lives, we instinctively create action plans and programs for the future - anticipating the moment at hand, the next minutes, the emerging hours, the following days, the ongoing weeks, the anticipated years to come - in one part of our mind. This brain activity takes place throughout the daytime, independent of what else we are doing, it occurs in even more concentrated form at night, during sleep ... These plans are sequentially organised as a series of potential actions ... We have, in other words, a ‘memory of the future”. (de Geus, A. 1997)

(We have included the ‘Threat is over’ situation to make the point that reverting to either business as it was or to a permanent new way of working will require strategic leadership. This is much like a space craft re-entry after a mission into previously unexplored areas.  Re-adjustment finesse is of vital importance). 

For each of the above scenarios, you can now decide what outcome you are aiming at and how you want to get there:

Strategic Response to Corona Threat

Whatever block on the decision-framework you decide to tackle first, we suggest that you take account of:

·         Stalled economy, governments lack of ability or willingness to take tough turnaround decisions, and the impact of shortage in key resources such as power, food, water and communications

·         Legislative, political, societal, technological and marketplace constraints and developments need consideration for business scenario planning

·         On any such journey there will be things to retain, add or let go of as you proceed. These will be not only people, process and technology factors but potentially your existing business model. You may also have to let go of current weaknesses – for example trepidation about currently low levels of staff engagement shouldn’t be allowed to capture you in the cautious/ wait and see space. Rather plans to increase engagement can become an integral aspect of the move to more remote/ virtual operating.

Such scenario thinking will surface the need to think anew about every aspect of your business chain (drone deliveries; stronger and more frequent board - leaders – managers communications and risk management alerts; on-line hiring, coaching and communication practices using platforms such as Zoom, Vsee, Skype, Webex in addition to email; different large gatherings and briefings using platforms such as Webcast, podcasts, virtual poster messages; collaborating with external stakeholders and competitors on matters of joint benefit; how to establish timely, honest and transparent communications to allay rumours about staff cuts, salary policies, and other people matters

A Sanskrit word arambahshura, meaning “a hero at the beginning” captures the notion of just doing it, getting moving, allowing initiatives to take root and to take on a life of their own. Necessary to open up the chances of thriving, not merely surviving.

Some practical actions for your organisation

These actions may be carried out in parallel with your other scenario, strategy, and action planning initiatives:

•      Plug into the global knowledge base of up-to-date tips and advice being offered by Capacity and HR.com, which includes a chatbot:

https://www.hr.com/en/about_us/coronavirus-covid-19-and-the-workplace

and 

www.hr.com/coronavirus

·         Learn from those who may have “been there, done that” – for example, remote contact centre agents, and apply their learning and use them where relevant as ambassadors to other parts of the organisation

·         Set up an in-house help line to dispense advise and answer questions on matters such as self-care, medical education, action to take in the event of quarantining

·         Consider what pertinent values (and accompanying behaviour indicators) might apply in a more dispersed/ distributed/ remote organisation (creativity, compassion, mindfulness, growth mind-set …)

·         Establish the basis of a knowledge and story sharing facility, allowing remote workers to share experiences, concerns, solutions, ideas on an ongoing basis

Engaging Work-At-Home Employees

CultureScan offers a comprehensive survey and process for preparing for and conducting a transition to virtual/ remote workplaces. The assessment is designed for senior management, leadership and all staff that are required to work from home. It covers  the  changes necessary to adopt to  a more remote/ virtual work operation should cater for the whole person,  taking account of factors such as:

·         Physical. Coping with shared, confined space as more family members spend more time at home; setting boundaries and rules for private and shared spaces, getting used to more restricted movement and travel, home and office layout design and usage (space between people), shifting into more high-tech and less high-touch (more clicks and fewer bricks – for example online shopping), providing equipment for working and learning connectivity, exercise       

   

·         Intellectual. Provision of home schooling, on-line training

·         Emotional. New relationship challenges at home, trusting and respecting remote work colleagues, being equipped with techniques to sooth anxiety, bring about calm (music, meditation), feel supported and having access to help, adopting ‘agency-based’ rather than ‘rules – based’ working conditions, self-discipline

·         Social. Altering the balance of work. social and family living; coping with a new social distancing arising out of moving into a remote home bubble

·       ‘Spiritual’. Continuing to find meaning, having moments of gratitude, reflecting

And in this respect, the building of hardiness (both organisational and personal) to change becomes a critical component of the change effort.  

“Resilience is everything because it is the foundation of piloting through rough terrain in life, of gaining all possible power and knowledge from adversity”. (Trederwolff, J. 2016)

Resilience and agility go hand in hand. (Thus your thinking about the possibly beneficial reversal of certain “agile” characteristics and dynamics that currently apply, such as shifting to quality over speed, altering the planning and doing ratio, adopting a wider diversity of views by ensuring that certain decisions are made by both project groups and the wider organisation.

If you wish to do a quick, free organisational and personal readiness assessment (as a precursor to an organisation-wide or representative sample involving more staff) , please go to 
https://culturescan.biz/work-from-home/
and follow the instructions.

This free survey consists of:
1 & 2. Demographic questions
3. A section for not only leaders but all who will now be faced with remote working
4. A long section covering leadership considerations of the pros & cons of remote operations
5. A section that addresses new skills required by the organisation, for L&D to initiate
6 &7. Open-ended inquiry regarding mainly employee suggestions and concerns
8. An invitation to contact us should you wish to carry the survey into your organisation and                  involve others, or all employees  


  

REFERENCES

De Geus, Arie The Living Company Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 1997

Ringland, Gill Scenario Planning: Managing for the Future John Wiley & Sons, UK

1998

Sunter, Clem (2020) The coronavirus scenarios and the need to create a shared destiny News24  3 March, 2020

Paradigms https://storytelling.co.za/paradigms-and-change/

https://www.news24.com/Columnists/ClemSunter/clem-sunter-the-coronavirus-scenarios-and-the-need-to-create-a-shared-destiny-20200303

Trederwolff, Jude How Improvisation Grows Resilience — and resilience is everything October 2016

https://medium.com/@judetrederwolff/resilience-through-improvisation-aedf51812f3#.b1m8gh3eg

A longer version of this article, to be published by Human Capital Review, is available

Contact: centserv@iafrica.com

Managing Organisations During the COVID-19 Vortex has been released by Knowledge Resources and is now available for purchase in e-book format: https://bit.ly/2R2zdV4

It helps leaders find the guidance, knowledge and will to persevere through this time, and offers them guidelines for navigating their organisation through the Coronavirus crisis - from managing day-to-day practicalities, to scenario planning and sense-making.

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