The Blind Men and the Elephant is an old parable (popularized by John G Saxe’s poem as read in the YouTube video above), and like all great wisdom and insight, stands the test of time. It’s perhaps even more relevant in today’s overly complex world than it was when it was originally told. The basic premise is that 6 blind men each have a hold of a different part of the elephant. One thinks he is holding a snake (the trunk of an elephant) another a tree trunk (leg), etc. Though each of them might be partly right, they are all wrong about what they are holding.
For me, it’s one of those powerful analogies that I call on whenever I work with teams and organizations who may have become “entrenched” or “siloed” in particular viewpoints and, therefore, aren’t really working well together. It’s also something I have to remind myself to call upon whenever I have become entrenched as well!
It’s a simple concept. Why is it so difficult to apply? A few reasons occur to me:
- We are problem solving beings who want quick solutions.
- Our identities are wrapped up in being right.
- We are too busy to take the time to fully explore a particular challenge.
- If we consider other perspectives, we fear we will need to compromise or give up something.
- We are future oriented and have a difficult time paying attention to present realities.
- GU – goo – what’s that you ask? It’s Growing Up goo … and it refers to the types of defense mechanisms we develop in childhood based on messages we get from our families, schools, etc
- Others?
Whatever the case, it’s true that this basic inability to “consider the whole elephant” is at the heart of most miscommunication and a silo mentality. Weisbord and Janoff in Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There! (one of THE best books on leading meetings I’ve ever seen) suggest that exploring the whole elephant (or “getting the whole system in the room”) is necessary in order that people experience that they:
- live on the same planet, subject to the laws of nature
- share the same psychological and physical needs
Only when they have experienced this, can people move on to resolve differences and tackle problems.
How can you do this in your organization? Here are a few things to consider based on some of Weisbord and Janoff’s ideas:
- Be willing to take the time to understand the issue/challenge BEFORE jumping to a solution or an action plan. This bit of patience is perhaps the hardest first step of all.
- Get the whole system in the room. If you want to silo bust, you need to bring people from each silo into the room together!
- Do regular roundtables or check-ins on topics as part of your meetings. Encourage all perspectives are heard by surfacing different perspectives yourself.
- Draw a mindmap of challenges with all stakeholders in the room before you try to resolve an issue.
- If your team is having trouble speaking freely, have each person brainstorm their challenges or perspectives, one idea per post it note. Post these notes on the wall, talk about them and then theme and name them. Then, discuss specific solutions.
- Engage in teambuilding activities that help you see each other as people. When teams (and people across teams) start to drift apart, they often start to see each other as “positions” and the “enemy” and not people. Do things together that force you to have conversations that are not about work (like cooking together, bowling, golfing, etc)
Do you have any other strategies for exploring the whole elephant? I would love to hear them!
This blog is based on the 8 of Diamonds, The Blind Men and the Elephant, taken from our Teamwork Explorer. Written by Tammy.
