the neutral zone

This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking article addressed to our mediation community, written by Dr. Bob Derycke, a past CMC board member and long-time supporter from Blount County. Please address all responses to Bob at rderycke@bellsouth.net

Some Thoughts on CMC's Future

One of the core aspects of THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE is that of Mental Models. They could be called "basic ideas." Each discipline uses similar terms, but they all denote a mental process comparable to the operating system in a computer. When we give commands to the computer we may not be aware of the operations that carry out our commands, but we can certainly be aware of the results, of what shows up on the monitor. The same goes for what is going in an organization, for its operation, on a day-to-day basis. .

Not knowing any better I used to call this phenomenon years ago "Expectations," based on the saying that "what you expect is what you get." In educational circles the equivalent is the Pygmalion Effect.^{^[1]} But whatever the terms, they all point to something that seems a universal constant: that most of our decisions are made on a subliminal level. We may not be aware that we are making decisions, but the results clearly point to the presence of the law of cause and effect.

The mind has been compared to an iceberg, with a conscious, a subconscious and an unconscious part. The tip of the iceberg represents the conscious, the area where water and air meet is the equivalent of the sub-conscious level, and what is below the water line represents the unconscious. Freud has been credited with popularizing this idea, but like the rest of us he forgot to bear in mind that his attempts to describe the workings of the unconscious were as much inspired by chthonic (i.e. subterranean) motivations as anyone else's.

When I took this aspect of human thought to the business world I met with very satisfying success. I had done enough self-analysis before venturing forth to know that part of these mental models is the command to resist awareness of these subterranean machinations, and to parry any suggestion to the contrary with the standard self-defense mechanisms: indignation, turning red, sarcasm, and the most effective of them all: ignoring the evidence.

The fifth discipline itself is characterized as "systems thinking," a collective effort to solve problems and make organizational life more satisfying for everyone. The rewards for solving these problems never redound to the individual, only to the group. The first discipline is "personal mastery," That is achieved by training and follow-up (e.g. debriefing); the second is cultivating awareness of "mental models" (vide supra); while the third is "shared vision," and the fourth "team learning." "The impact on managers' understanding," says Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline," of mental models is profound-most report they see for the first time in their life that all we ever have are assumptions, never "truths." (p.185)

Given this aspect of organizational travail, it may be opportune to consider the many (mostly) hidden assets available to CMC. First and foremost is its people: staff, various boards, volunteers, and others. Then there is the community at large, on the whole presently blissfully unaware of the contributions by the CMC to the public weal. There is the economy which is running at near-top speed. Next are the thousands of people who have the time, the leisure, and the experience to promote harmony and public safety by volunteering. We have countless churches, all devoted to promote the spiritual welfare of the community. Finally there are the media, ever ready to inform the community of what is newsworthy.

The reason these "assets" have not yet been brought to fruition is the role of those mental models that prevent these assets from being cultivated and that keep them separate from one another. The time may have come for us to take a closer look at the mental models operating in CMC, and to replace those that are no longer useful with more effective ones. In my experience people respond readily to the idea of mental models when they are invited to make a list of their individual discontents. Alas! they usually are reluctant to verbalize the very objections that vitiate attempts to implement the organization's vision, yet it is precisely the grievances they prefer not to voice that point to the "hidden agenda's" in dire need to see the light of day. These hidden agenda’s point to what needs to be remedied. The fact that they are loath to disclose their gripes, their criticisms, points to an atmosphere that encourages them to hide from one another other important information needed to make the vision a reality.

It is a truism that most everyone, when given a chance, is always ready to deplore or complain but it is equally true that few are willing to do something about their grievances. Yet complaining indicates some kind of vision, an idea of how things "ought to be." The unwillingness to bring about the vision is undergirded by an affirmation, a mental model, (e.g.. "you can't fight city hall") that in turn is based on the visionary's self-perception as powerless (i.e. "what can I do? It is out of my hands!"). That is why the first order of priority must be the "digging up" of the hidden mental model that compels complainers to see themselves as powerless to do something about whatever they are unhappy about. Others-a minority to be sure-wrestle with the problem but, forced to witness the complainers' passivity in the face of a situation crying for redress can only shove them aside while they rush to straighten out "the mess."

The unfairness of a minority carrying the burden while a majority is wringing its hands creates a morale problem that severely aggravates an already deplorable situation. The problem-solvers of this world have one vision, while the passive bystanders have another. You could call it a world view: one sees a world that is calling for help, another sees a world that is what it is and we better accept "reality." This results in one contingent carrying a heavier load than others in the organization This imbalance calls for a shift in "paradigms" so that all players see everyone in the organization as intrinsically essential to the vision, not because of what they can do, but because of who they are.

Since mediators are as much prone to "deplore" or "complain" as the rest of the population, they will become truly effective only when they not only bring their dissatisfactions to the table but are willing to subject themselves to mediation to establish common ground among all participants.

To be continued...

----Bob Derycke

^{^[1]} The Pygmalion Effect was a series of experiments done to determine the role of expectations on the students' performance. Time and again it was found that there was indeed a strong correlation between each student's performance and the teacher's expectation.