The declaration of the end of the Covid public health crisis should precipitate relief. Yet. the winddown of the virus and the a hyper-awareness of what is actually ending or beginning, is more unsettling than comforting.
Conversations with clients have centered around how do we acknowledge the positive and negative impact of what we have experienced during the pandemic for both understanding past patterns of actions and engaging with current and new patterns for change. I realized that I continue to reference the Complexity Space Framework’s navigation process, which adds value during any organizational activity that is focused on adaptive assessment, prioritization, action and learning.
I encourage clients to use the Navigation Process to help frame a team’s stance before ending one project and embarking on a new project. This phase of inquiry and reelection can surface information and emerging behaviors that silently influence past and future outcomes in the organization.
As a quick practice, ask a project team to use the Navigation Process as review of the first half of the year.
- Have each member of the team answer the questions for themselves individually.
- Discuss the questions as a group from the overall team’s perspective.
- Keep track of the overall outcomes of the discussion.
- Repeat during after the next quarter the year.
I contend that the practice of reflection and action is the real power of developing a stance, especially if lingering uncertainty about what’s next is impacting the team.