Learing for the Future Module 2
In preparing for Module 2, please:
Read the following articles and prepare your questions and comments about them:
Watch Ladder of Inference video (5 mins 23 seconds)
Review Ladder of inference – advocacy and inquiry and observe yourself in conversations – do you tend to repeat certain patterns? Are these helpful / a hindrance in achieving your intent? Where in the ladder does this happen? What works / needs to change?
Additional (optional) reading around the topics covered in Module 2 include:
1. The impact of culture in organisations
In his book “Organisational Culture and Leadership”, Edgar Schein analyses and illustrates the abstract concept of culture and shows its importance to the management of organisational change. This shows how culture has become a popular concept leading to a wide variety of research and implementation by various organizations and includes some practical concepts for how to deal with international differences.
2. Influencing
As senior leaders in social work, social care, health and related organisations, you are working within a highly political and politicised environment. You may find yourself wondering "how can I effectively influence" - especially as you may need to deal with a diverse range of stakeholders within your own organisation, with public service partners, the Scottish Government, the Third Sector and the local community. You may find the following resources useful in thinking further about your influencing approach:
If you found the new awareness from the ladder of inference enlightening, then you might want to explore a bit more around this and around your strategies for improving communication. In working on our "wicked" and "adaptive" challenges, many of the difficulties we face relate back to our inner dialogue and how we then balance our advocacy and dialogue in our outer dialogue with others. Here are some suggested resources to help you explore more about this: