2008 Reflections

So it’s come to the end of the year…and here are a few reflections on what has been a very interesting journey of using art-based processes as a vehicle for dialogue and transformation in some South African organisations…

One project that stands out in particular was during September when Start was involved in taking one of the divisions of Investec Johannesburg on a creative team-building journey. The team was experiencing a number of challenges from a structural perspective, new leadership/reporting lines and the common silo mentality that plagues so many teams today. This was a unique experience for us in the sense that Start worked very closely with internal OD specialists to co-design the team-building. The ability as an external consultant to co-create and co-facilitate with the client has such powerful and immense benefits. I have always advocated and believed that as the external consultant one does everything to immerse oneself in the context and culture of an organisation so that the process one offers is customised and relevant. However while the benefits of an external and objective ‘third-eye’ that is not a party to the system are obvious, there will always be a barrier to understanding the finer nuances and the subtle dynamics that one cannot be aware of when one is not ‘in’ the system. Working with these specialists and the leaders of the team enabled a process that got to the core of issues and was able to probe and challenge participants to engage in deeper levels of conversation. The team building was designed in such a way that participants were taken on a journey from left-brained logic and analytical discussion (around strategic and structural team issues) to immersion in right brained creative outlets that explored visually the issues at hand and beautifully balanced the energy throughout the day. Having OD specialists who had been working intimately with the team on an ongoing basis allowed the conversation, reflection and application of learning from the art processes to be applied at a much deeper level. The team was able to have fun, release stress, do something unique and at the same time have meaningful and significant discussions.

At Anthony Richards and Associates, we worked with the highly committed and stressed management team. It always amazes me how immersed I become in my own offering that it is only when participants recognise and acknowledge even the smallest details I am reminded of why I choose to use art as a vehicle for transformation. It was directly after this management session that two participants came to chat and described their own personal shifts during the session. These participants shared:
· How the art activities levelled the ‘playing fields’ across the team – ‘no one is an artist’ she said ‘so we were all able to go into the activities the same…it changed the dynamics and lowered the barriers that are normally there’
· How the art allowed her to share parts of herself that she would never normally share with ‘people at work’ – I got up there and spoke about things that were personal…‘it built my confidence – I feel like a reborn leader’
· How the activities reconnected them with their ‘happy, creative colourful sides’… ‘I forgot that person was there’
While we received great feedback on the benefits for the team what struck me were the personal shifts shared. The art making and implicit transformational nature of creativity works on so many levels and can never be underestimated.

On a lighter note – the event we held for Ford and Touchline media touched me in the way that at least 60% of guests were initially afraid to make even a small mark – remarking ‘I’ll just mess it up’; ‘I’m not creative’; ‘I cant do this’. After a little encouragement and a realisation of the focus on process rather than product, it was these guests who after making their first mark got so involved and immersed in the collective canvas they spent ages creating. The power of making a mark which we so seldom get to do in a free, safe space is enlivening, awakening and enriching.

We cant wait for the journey of 2009 to share and discover the magic of how art can shift at a personal, team and organisational level!