requirements for the customer’s development, but also about openly discussing
existing taboos, stereotypes and feelings. In a further step the circle can be extended
by one or more employees from “the outside,” who can then also talk frankly. With
this method, potential “fear cultures” can be discovered on the one hand and, on the
other, can be defused through direct communication.
Participant’s initial poster. On a sheet of flip chart paper there is a task description
that asks the participant to list their expectations, but also gives them an opportunity
to introduce themselves: “When I think of my leadership skills, (a) I can...very
well; (b)...is particularly important to me; (c) my stumbling blocks are...; (d) my
leadership motto is...; (e) in this seminar I want to try to...” On the basis of these
questions, each participant creates their own personal poster, which they then
present to the entire group.
Organization setup. This method should be used only by experienced trainers. The
idea is to create a living sculpture that appeals to many senses and illustrates the
hidden motives, effects and relationships. The parties represent themselves (or are
represented by a group member) and learn about how they are perceived by others.
Who is in the center? Who is on the edge? Who is bent over? Who appears to be
dynamic? Who is looking at whom? This exercise shows how a group of people
appears as a whole.
Art exhibition. On the walls of the room there are numerous bulletin boards, labeled
with central questions about the participants’ expectations of and their own
contributions to the success of the workshop. Participants do not receive a glass
of champagne (as they would at an art exhibition), but a pencil. Participants walk,
read, write, add, underline – and thus create an inspiring atmosphere and a great
deal of energy, and in the meanwhile spontaneous conversations develop between
participants who previously hardly knew each other.
Vision work and corporate theater. What will the ideal company look like in 2050?
Participants develop their own ideas, with no limits. In small groups, the leaders
have the task of choosing a single perspective and represent their businesses quite
differently for a change: as a pantomime, song, sketch, drama, thriller, love story or
comedy. Thus, new creative ways of communicating with others in the company
can be discovered and the colleagues can be experienced in a completely different
way. It is also possible to run the theater in several acts: while the first act should be
about “Our cooperation, yesterday and today,” the second should show “Our
cooperation starting from tomorrow.” In the end some numbness and old conflicts
might well dissolve in a laugh.
Nonverbal marketplace. Each participant faces a favorite opponent in the company
and maintains eye contact with them. In a calm voice, the consultant throws in
certain phrases from the outside to sharpen their perceptions: What do I really
perceive about the other? What exactly does the other person do that makes me feel
like I do? What “blind spot” of mine does he or she touch on unconsciously? What
would happen if I told them exactly what is going on inside of me when they do this
or that? What are the synergies between the two of us that could arise for the benefit
of us and our company?
202 4 More Than Just Talking or: The Instruments of Systemic Leadership