[Dialogue] Question about the social process triangles . . .

Mon Nov 5 11:10:33 PST 2012

I've done a ROUGH adaptation as a worksheet for a meeting where we need a
baseline agreement on the state of the Presbyterian Church USA as the
participants see it. We'll go on with a modified Town Meeting format on
vision, challenges, action steps.

Bill Schlesinger

Project Vida

3607 Rivera Avenue

El Paso, TX 79905

(915) 533-7057 x 207

(915) 503-1014 FAX

pvida at whc.net

www.projectvidaelpaso.org

  _____  

From: dialogue-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net
[mailto:dialogue-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Ellie Stock
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 11:36 AM
To: dialogue at lists.wedgeblade.net
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Question about the social process triangles . . .

Gene,

By Food Banks are you referring to local food security/food soveignty/seed
banks/local organic farms and gardens?

Ellie

elliestock at aol.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: Gene Marshall <jgmarshall at cableone.net>
To: Wayne Nelson <wnelson at ica-associates.ca>
Cc: Jean Watts <jeanwatts at cox.net>; Colleague Dialogue
<dialogue at wedgeblade.net>; Jan Sanders <janetasanders at hotmail.com>; Herman
Greene <hfgreene at mindspring.com>; Bill & Nan Grow <billgrow at verizon.net>;
James Wheeler <jimandjo at sbcglobal.net>; Leonard Hockley <LenH at efn.org>;
vinodkamalaparekh <vinodkamalaparekh at gmail.com>; Larry Philbrook
<icalarry at ms69.hinet.net>; Larry Ward <Larry at thelotusinstitute.org>; Nelson
Stover <stovern at bellsouth.net>; Larry Loeppke <larrydloeppke at mchsi.com>;
Marianne and Clancey Mann <cmann at umuc.edu>; James Addington
<InaRja at comcast.net>; steve har <stevehar11201 at gmail.com>; Bob Fishel
<thefishels at earthlink.net>; david <david at mirrorcommunication.com>; Terry
Bergdall <bergdall at gmail.com>
Sent: Mon, Nov 5, 2012 10:57 am
Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Question about the social process triangles . . .

Dear Wayne, et. all., 

I wonder if the social process triangles are more important for our own
thinking as teachers than they are as explicit content for most of our
various courses.

What interested me most right now about these triangles is how they can help
revolutionary leadership be more comprehensive in their thinking.  The whole
progressive movement needs more unity and inclusivity.  I have recently been
brainstorming whistle points over against my latest version of the social
process triangles.  I will attach it to show what I mean,

Gene

On Nov 4, 2012, at 8:59 PM, Wayne Nelson wrote:

I ask similar questions. I think we could make a lot more use of it in our
consulting work. There are a couple of very simple reasons for low level
use. They may not be universally valid, but they are operating images.  

One is that wrapping people's heads around yet another mental model in a 2
day event is a bit much if you are not going to use it throughout the event.
The other reason is, I think, simply time.  To use them in any real depth
takes time - more than most clients will commit. 

A more substantial reason we aren't using them, I suppose, is what people
ask us to do with their groups. We are not often asked for results that
really require a social process analysis. Requests tend to lead us to use
the Workshop Method; so we are more inclined to gestalt without interposing
a screen. A very well targeted focus question provides a screen of its own
and helps people find meaningful patterns.  

We do teach the Social Processes in our Organizational Transformation
course.  In the same course, we also use the version developed by Priscilla
Wilson, Joel Wright et.al. They are expressed in clear, non-academic
terminology that people in organizations grasp immediately. I think they are
brilliant.  We teach the course 2- 3 times a year. 

Perhaps our most dramatic use of the social processes was in a major
consultation about Distance Education in Alberta.  We used the triangles to
cluster concerns, trends and directions related to distance education. That
work identified areas of major attention. Those areas were used as the
foundation for a large scale strategic scenario building process. I think
that could be one it's most powerful uses.

One of the random thoughts that has passed my mind recently is that there is
more activity to be seen in the dynamical interactions than in the processes
themselves.  It is, I believe, the dynamical relations that show the nature
of the imbalances most clearly.  We can easily see the major imbalances as
we described them. It is in the way these processes relate to each other
that twists them out of shape.  I think an analysis of the relationships
would reveal the depth and texture of our social function and dysfunction in
ways we may not be seeing it.  It's brilliance is in it's ability to take us
out of our familiar social narratives - the tapes we play in our heads.

\\/

- - - - - - - - - - Wayne Nelson
wnelson at ica-associates.ca
O - 416-691-2316
M - 647-229-6910

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