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...

What is the one thing that your organisation (company, team, service) must do in order to survive and thrive? Is that what you are actually doing?   Most people working in an organisation, or leading it, will be familiar with the feeling of having to do too much with too little resources. Phrases such as ‘having to keep all the balls in the air’ and ‘I need to keep all the plates spinning’ suggest a person juggling multiple tasks, responsibilities, or commitments simultaneously. This is stressful for the individual or team and often not very effective as it is hard to determine which of the ‘plates’ is the priority and therefore deserves greater time or resources. Prioritization is crucial to effective planning and clarity on which tasks are likely to produce most gains is important for job satisfaction.   When we are in the middle of a whirl of competing demands, or facing deadlines and targets, it can feel impossible to determine what is most important. Most likely w...

Creativity is central to organizational success Creativity is crucial in responding to change, innovation, growth, re-structuring and challenges in the market or operating environment. Creativity in these situations is needed to enable new thoughts, connections and ideas to arise, and to avoid getting stuck in old and unhelpful patterns of working.  Think of the sports team that has a set way of playing that has worked for them but who can’t adapt to other teams improving or using new techniques. A once successful team will steadily, or even rapidly, become second best. Doing the same thing over and over - when it has been shown to be ineffective or even damaging - is a sign of something unhealthy going on in the team, organization or business. To unstick  and move to a new, healthy and productive position requires curiosity, creativity and the generation of new ways of working and connecting with the client, customer or audience.  The problem is that these processes – ch...