Terry se wiel

(Verwerk vir Leiersgroepe deur Frederick Marais)

Robert Terry se teorie, Authentic Leadership: Courage in Action (Jossey-Bass 1993), help ons om insig te bekom in die gebruik en misbruik van mag in die hantering van konflik.  Eers ‘n paar algemene opmerkings oor Terry se teorie.

Terry se teorie bestaan basies daaruit om die aksie of dinamika in ‘n sisteem te ontleed. Terry identifiseer 6 vorme van aksie in ‘n sisteem wat ter sprake kom wanneer die sisteem blootgestel word aan transformasie: (sien hieronder ‘n meer uitgebreide verduidelikking van elk van die aksies)

• Mag-         Die is die energie van ‘n aksie

• Missie-    Die fokus of “waarheen” van ons aksies

•  Bestaansdoel of bedoeling-Die “hoekom” wat ons aksies motiveeer
  

•  Konkrete bestaan (excictence)-Die konkrete realiteit van waaruit ons aksies voortspruit.
  

•  Bronne-     Die konkrete bronne waarmee die aksie realiseer. Alles wat  konkreet gemeet kan word val onder hierdie kategorie.

• Strukture-     Die die organisasie kanale- di planne, strukture ens waardeur die aksie gekanaliseer word.

 

 

 

Volgens Terry is hierdie 6 aksies in ‘n spesifieke interaksie met mekaar. Hulle vorm saam ‘n wiel wat die momentum van die gekulmineerde energie van die 6 aksies voorstel. Die interaksie tussen die 6 aksies is belangrik en in ‘n baie spesifieke orde. Elke aksie is afhanklik van die volgende aksie om suksesvol te realiseer(sien weer sy skematiese voorstelling). Terry se wiel verbind daarom elke komponent met die volgende komponent deur middel van ‘n pyl:

• Mag(energie) realiseer konstruktief wanneer missie- of fokus in plek is.   Wanneer daar in die sisteem ‘n magskonflik is, word dit nie reggestel deur op die konflik te fokus nie maar deur die fokus te verskuif na die missie.

• Missie(fokus)  kan net realiseer indien bestaansdoel(hoekom) duidelik is en gesag het in die sisteem. Die logika is dat ‘n organisasie met fokus-missie, maar sonder ‘n duidelike bestaansdoel of “hoekom”, nie werklik oor die energie sal beskik om die missie te realiseer wanneer daar teespeod kom nie.

• Bestaansdoel(hoekom) kan net realiseer indien dit konnekteer met die konkrete bestaan van die organisasie. Die konkrete bestaan van ‘n organisasie is die realiteit van waaruit alle aksies ontstaan. As die bestaansdoel of bedoeling van die organisasie nie grond vat in die werklike konkrete bestaan daarvan nie, is daar geen aksie nie maar net idees.

• Konkrete bestaan is net moontlik indien daar (meetbare) bronne is om dit te laat bestaan. Mense, tyd, geld en infrastruktuur.  Dit dien geen doel om oor die bestaan van ‘n organisasie te praat indien daar nie bronne is nie.

• Bronne sonder stukture kan geen energie kanaliseer nie.  Strukture is dit waardeur bronne gekanaliseer word om in diens van die bestaansdoel en bedoeling te funksioneer.

• Strukture kan nie sonder energie aksie tot gevolg hê nie. Water kan nie in ‘n kanaal loop indien daar nie gravitasie is nie.

As ons Terry se wiel toepas op magsverskille of konflik beteken dit dat wanneer daar konflik is, die probleem nie in die konflik is nie, maar in die onduidelikheid van die missie of fokus van die organisasie.  Konflik in sigself is nie sleg nie, dit dui op energie, maar is onproduktief- energie word vermors, omdat daar nie fokus is nie. Ons spandeer daarom in die vennootskap baie tyd om oor missie- Gemeenteroeping en Visie vir Beliggaming te praat omdat dit ons help om fokus te ontwikkel.

Dit is kontras ons praktyk in die kerk om strukture te gebruik om die konflik te hanteer.  Wanneer ons strukture gebruik benut ons die kerkorde, bestaande planne en prosedures. Dit egter, plaas druk op ons hulpbronne, wat druk plaas op die voorbestaan van die kerk ens.   

Om te doen:

Gaan terug na die 4 vrae en hersien jou antwoorde in die lig van Terry se wiel.  Sou jy anders opgetree het? Wat kan ‘n moontlike strategie wees met Terry se wiel in gedagte?
 

Authentic Leadership: Courage in Action Robert Terry: The Action Wheel

 

Robert Terry in Authentic Leadership: Courage in Action (Jossey-Bass 1993), speaks of six generic features of action.  We use these generic features to both analyze and provide possible steps forward for leadership in organizations with whom we work.  Briefly, here are those six generic features of action, in Terry’s words:

• Meaning

a significance term, justifying that for which human action moves
Meaning is the why of action- the for which we act. The particular values, reasons, and rationalizations that justify a particular action constitute its meaning. However, any general list of values is simply a resource; a value or a reason must be specific to an action in order to possess meaning. Meaning, evaluates, recommends, justifies, and makes sense of life. Meaning is the context of action, just as existence is the setting of action. Meaning  is the primary concern of the ethical leadership theorists. Spirituality is a subset of meaning yet transcends meaning. Triggered by some limit of possibility-death, birth, suffering, spirituality inhabits the intersection of meaning and existence. It raises the ultimate challenge of life, asking individuals to engage life without ultimate answers.

• Mission

a direction term, identifying that toward which human action moves
Any aspect of an action that refers to its direction-its toward which-constitutes mission. All such terms as purpose, expectations, aim, vision, goal, intention, objective and desire point toward an action’s mission. Although many authors distinguish between these terms, at the generic level, all the terms indicate the toward which of action.

• Power

an energy term, signifying that by which human action moves
Power is the actual expenditure of energy. In contrast, a potential for energy is a resource, just as, in the material realm, coal in the ground is a resource, coal when it is brunt is power. Power is the decision, commitment, passion, and volition that energizes mission. It can be intense or relaxed, strong or weak, unfulfilled expectation. Power is the primary concern of the political leadership theorist.

• Structure

An organizing term, denoting that through which human action moves
Structure is the through which of action-the plans, institutional arrangements, maps, forms, and processes that order and funnel power toward mission accomplishment. With out structure, energized mission has nowhere to go. Positional/functional theorists focus on structural concerns.

• Resources

a material term, connoting that with which human action moves
Anything that is useful, measurable, and needed to accomplish the mission meets the criteria for a resource.  Resources are the with which of action, and without them, action languishes.  Team leadership theorists are focused on the resource feature of action.

• Existence

a limiting and possibility term, outlining that from
which human action moves
Existence is the ground and the setting of action. It is the from which of action, and it both limits and makes possible any action.  Resources are one product of existence, but existence is also the ecological and historical setting of action. Without existence, an action is disconnected from its part particularity, or uniqueness, and its past.  Existence is the aspect of action that personal leadership theorists attend to.