Reflecting & Connecting

In Phase II, Ideation, we begin to think about stakeholders and boundaries. In Boundary Spanning Leadership, Ernst and Chrobot-Mason talk about six boundary-spanning practices that are key to working in a multi-stakeholder collaborative environment. Each practice has multiple tactics. We will be focusing on the second two practices: Reflecting (creates understanding of boundaries to foster respect) and Connecting (suspends boundaries to build trust). The tactics for Reflecting are: 1) create opportunities for groups to listen and learn from one another; 2) ask powerful questions to uncover deep differences; 3) let commonalities emerge from differences; 4) counteract the tendency for groups to want to "make them like us"; and 5) slow groups down to speed them up. Connecting is about suspending boundaries to build trust. Its tactics include: 1) meeting in a neutral zone; 2) creating attractor space; 3) utilizing communication technologies to link people together; 4) building leadership networks; and 5) mixing it up outside the office.

image from amazon.com