Core Elements

The trimtab factor: As teams trying to accomplish great things, we operate under immense pressure. We can channel that pressure to great effect if we focus on the few key factors that have genuine leverage over the natural direction of the system. (Buckminster Fuller called these factors “trimtabs,” after the small flange on the rudder of a large ship that, moving in a counterintuitive direction, actually governs the steering of the whole.)

The "container": We can’t change human behavior by command, resolve, or even good intentions. But we can create a holding environment for the collective identity of a group of people, with an acoustic quality that makes people more aware of their thinking, their conversations, their interrelationships, and their potential for better action.

Shared responsibility: Our group holds the conversation form together, but everyone is responsible individually for whatever they feel is needed and relevant.

Differentiation: We allow our differences to be present – not moving immediately to agreement or debate, but developing the skill for bridging across the diversity of our opinions, assumptions, backgrounds and ideas.

Growth through crisis: As we address difficult issues, the crises that break out are essential parts of our development. We learn from them and build with them.

Predictive intuition: If we develop the capacity to perceive structures and forces beneath the surface, we will know why people and organizations change. We will learn to predict what will happen around us, to discern why interventions are working (or are not working), and to discern what to do next.

Dialogue: We can learn to reflect together, even in the heat of high-stakes moments, on the hidden rhythms, meanings, traps, voices, and forces of our interactions.