Dr Nick Waggett

Why are individuals or teams sometimes unable to communicate effectively with each other and often seem to be pulling in opposite directions? It might be that they have a different organisation-in-the-mind . The use of drawings to elicit the organisation-in-the-mind (OIM) of individuals and teams is one of my favourite consultancy techniques. I recommend it as an approach to manifesting what people think and feel about the institution they are part of. As with other visual methods , drawing is a way in which the hidden and ‘beneath the surface’ can be made visible and thought about. This is helpful in organisations that are struggling, but also in successful teams who need to innovate and adapt. By making the OIM visible, it is possible to gain an understanding of the dilemmas, challenges and conflicts that can arise due to differences in the internal working model each person has of their organisation, team, service or company.     What each person experiences as b...

How can we support frontline staff to better manage the anxiety associated with difficult or complex tasks, and therefore provide effective and compassionate services? The concept of concentric circles of containment is one way of visualizing how this can be achieved. First introduced by Claudia McLoughlin, the model shows how anxieties and stressors originating from the nature of the work can be held and thought about at each level of the organization. All types of work can be the source of both satisfaction and frustration. Work can be stressful because of the inherent nature of the task or because it is badly organised. Or both! One of the functions of leaders is to help staff to manage the anxieties associated with their work, whether this is in high-pressure commercial settings or frontline public services. If the task itself involves working for customers or clients who have complex needs, or whose ways of relating to others are perhaps chaotic and disturbing, then there is ...