Evan Renaerts

Field Work

October 14, 2007

This mornings intense sunlight has faded to a cloud washed sky, muted colours; a soft day.

In working with groups there’s an understanding that the group, any intentional gathering of people, creates a field of its own. In addition it is understood that the field has all the wisdom and all of the answers the group might need to address whatever issues they are facing.

One great source of satisfaction in working with groups is to be present when the wisdom, which has been there as a potential reality, emerges and becomes accessible to the members of the group. There is a feeling state and a certain look that appears on peoples faces as they realize that they have, within themselves, the capacity to create the future they want.

For many businesses and organizations addressing issues within the context of the “group” is something to be avoided – it takes too much time, it’s messy, and potentially destructive to the organization, and it is just too difficult to get a large number of people to agree on anything. The problem with circumventing group work is that although you end up with “solutions” and policy and plans you don’t usually have much buy-in.

Many organizations have foundered because they believed they could take the quicker and easier route of addressing core organizational issues through focus groups and small gatherings of executives or by defaulting to the top down command and control structure (the boss is right). In almost every case like this the very dynamic the organization was hoping to avoid will in fact get worse.

The challenge of working with the whole group is that the quickest way forward is to begin by taking time. The one commodity in short supply in almost every institutional and business structure is time for relating and the root of almost all organizational issues is a lack of relationship. The more completely people know and understand each other the more likely they are to see their similarities and underlying shared beliefs.

Our commonality as human beings: struggling to provide safe shelters and raise families, facing illness and loss, cherishing hopes and dreams for self and for loved ones, these are what we share. When people take the time to be together and to really listen and speak honestly and respectfully to one and another there is a coming together, a place where people begin to see that yes we have differences but ultimately we all want the same essential things.

That is the magic moment, when the people who are the group realize their shared values and aspirations. Having reached that level of connectedness the group can then address any issue, no matter how complex or how emotionally charged, and make good decisions.

The real challenge in this time of an ever quickening pace of life and with increased isolation through technology is to have people and organizations give value to spending real time together “just talking.” Another challenge for groups is to go through the phases of politeness and political correctness; through the turbulence when people first start being honest and to trust that on the other side of these phases there is a place of richness and treasure.

I like the image of the field for group consciousness – fields are where we grow the things we need to nourish ourselves.

Evan Renaerts
604 314 0835
evan@evanrenaerts.com