TransforMAP: Further Reading
Read TransforMAP: User Guide first!
Hints & Tips
Only ask open questions - an open question is one that does not contain any element of the answer (it's easier to ask open questions if you keep them short).
Ask questions around all nine domains even if answers are not forthcoming.
If the conversation is in one domain, keep it there until it seems to be exhausted and then ask if it is OK to move on to another topic and ask a question about a different domain.
If you are making notes on a Map, use three different coloured pens, one colour each for head, heart and feet statements.
Try not to interrupt or stop the conversation – instead use your tone of voice and gesture to communicate understanding, concern and support.
Avoid asking "why…" questions - although these seem like open questions, they can be heard as judgemental and lead to a defensive reaction.
Don't judge or challenge what is said, and avoid the temptation to offer advice.
Listen for the typical tone of each voice:
Voice 1 speaks in absolutes and with negativity, often about others as 'them'
Voice 2 is open, exploratory and more about 'me' than others
Voice 3 is focussed, specific and looks to enrol others as 'us'
Build on themes that have emerged in one voice to explore the next voice, and pay attention to body language - this can give us clues that more than one voice is present in the person).
When playing back what you have heard, play back in first person rather than with "you" statements.
Play back in sequence, through the three domains (head, heart and feet) in each of the three voices.
Key Learning Points
We all have all three voices, all are at play within us but sometimes one dominates
There are no bad voices, all three can help us if we listen to them and use them constructively
Change takes time, we all go at different speeds but we can make the journey easier by listening to the voices
It's easier to join people in the voice that dominates for them than it is to convince them to join you where you are
TransforMAP In Action
THE BUSINESS PROBLEM
A communications team was being asked to relocate from London to Reading, as part of a cost cutting exercise by their organisation. In addition to the relocation, the team would take on responsibility for supporting teams across Europe rather than providing dedicated support to the teams based in the south-east of England.
There was a large amount of resistance to this move, mainly due to the fact that many team members would either have to take on a longer commute than they currently had, or would have to move house.
APPROACH
Voice 1 was dominating all conversations within the team, and there was a need to bring the other voices into play. TransforMAP was seen as a powerful tool for confronting worst fears, exploring different opportunities, and helping the team commit to new directions.
WORKFLOW
The team took part in a session to explore the proposed relocation, using TransforMAP. The conversation was facilitated by an external coach, who established ground rules for the session and began by giving an overview of TransforMAP – explaining what each of the domains within the voices meant. The group were asked to share their feelings, thoughts and actions about the changes, and the facilitator captured key points on a large map on the wall. The conversation began in Voice 1, but moved back and forward between all three voices during the course of the session; at the end the facilitator played back what he had heard by putting himself in their shoes, and asked whether the story made sense and was an accurate reflection of what the group was experiencing.
THE PROCESS
The following is a summary of the output from the session.
Voice 1: Endings
Angst:
Feelings of sadness, anger and frustration
A ‘bad feeling in the pit of my stomach’
Sleepless nights
Worst Fears:
I won’t get on with people at the new office
The additional travelling will mean that I won’t perform well
I’ll have to regain reputation
If I have to move, my children will hate school, and my partner will be unhappy
Resistance:
I’ll worry about this later
I’m too busy to check the new place out
The family will enjoy the change when they get there, we just need to get on with it
Voice 2: Reinvention
Possibility:
Meeting new people
Moving out of the city creates opportunities to take up a new hobby or sport
Exciting and different work
Changes in other teams might lead to opportunities for travel
Release:
Existing work relationships
Existing social network
Exploration:
Visit new location and check out the area
Search the web and check out housing and schooling
Voice 3: Commitment
Passion:
Embrace new job with confidence
Enthusiasm for new house, location and social circle
Intention:
Establish clear objectives in new job
Clean handover in old job
Family perceive benefit in move
Discipline:
Visit within a month
Get family there within 2 months
Put transition plan together
CONCLUSION
By exploring the situation using TransforMAP, team members were able to share their fears and concerns. Through this exploration they were able to let go of certain things and buy into new possibilities. Finally, the majority of the team was able to commit to the relocation and has since settled in its new office space. Some team members made the decision to gain alternative employment in another department.
As a result of exploring the situation using TransforMAP, some people realised that they could live where they had done previously and put up with a longer commute, whilst others took advantage of lower house prices in the new office location. In short, the conversation enabled context to be set and people to get their feelings out in the open; the majority were able to embrace a move that they previously objected strongly to.
