参考:【Amazon.co.jp: 行動探求――個人・チーム・組織の変容をもたらすリーダーシップ : ビル トルバート, 小田 理一郎, 中小路 佳代子: Japanese Books】
What is Action Inquiry?
GPT-4's respoonse:Action Inquiry is an approach aimed at gaining profound insights into one's actions, thoughts, and emotions. Specifically, it involves observing one's reactions to actions and situations, and analyzing them to derive new insights and understanding for more effective decision-making and behavior.
Action Inquiry is utilized as a tool to promote individual growth and organizational transformation. On a personal level, by obtaining a deep understanding of one's actions and reactions, one can engage in more conscious and effective behavior. At the organizational level, it allows for the observation of the behavior and culture of teams or the entire organization, and based on that, suggests improvements.
My Interpretation of "Action Inquiry":
It's akin to the growth I've naturally pursued for years through Test-Driven Development.
It also resembles the way this blog is crafted.
Tests are conducted based on my value judgments. For debugging, I clarify my thoughts and emotions through introspection. This is reminiscent of programming in C language where you perform zero-padding with bzero() and return a boolean value with a function named something like is_feel(). I capture sensations through metacognition.
Reference:【Test-driven development - Wikipedia】 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test-driven_development
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Regarding the Three Main Objectives of Action Inquiry:
1 Subjective Action Inquiry: Fostering Sincerity
Sincerity is not limited to maintaining consistent behavior patterns or adhering to the same principles consistently. I concur with the view that sincerity also involves "noticing" the gap between expectations and outcomes. It points to the challenging path of always being able to "recognize" which direction to take and to "decide" upon it. It necessitates overcoming the psychological vulnerability of evading responsibility through established patterns.
Related Articles:【About Ways to Increase Psychological Safety: Discussion & Guide】
2 Inter-subjective Action Inquiry: Critical and Constructive
Being open and co-creating. I wholeheartedly agree with both. In fact, I often inform teams, other than those that embody these principles, that I cannot achieve the performance equivalent to past results as expected. This issue has been increasingly concerning for me. The reason being, there's a growing number of individuals who appear to be open and wish to co-create on the surface. However, if this desire remains merely at the level of "wanting," it leads to a severe double bind. Even if stakeholders in front of me consciously want to be open, they might be primarily focused on preserving their persona or avoiding "shame anxiety." This psychologically defensive motive, which could be described as "not wanting to get hurt," lurks unnoticed. It becomes challenging to anticipate their reactions or expectations. I often find myself perplexed about which direction to take in terms of consideration. Logical arguments don't get through to stakeholders in this state. Regardless of the choice made, they become upset, and their worldview unfolds as if I am the cause of their displeasure.
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3 Objective Action Inquiry: Sustainability
Harmonizing with the environment through appropriate structures and continuous transformation.
Placing emphasis on the power of mutual transformation over unilateral exertion of authority. This is based on the value that the dangers of blind obedience, passive-aggressiveness, and dependency on others are far more hazardous. I concur with this perspective.
In my approach to programming, I believe that my workflow closely resembles Test-Driven Development. This is because it involves evaluating results (through unit and integration tests) and making continuous adjustments. When I encounter incorrect actions (verified bugs), I correct them and then make further modifications (refactoring).
Feedback Loops: Systems Theory
- 1st Loop: Behavior
- 2nd Loop: Strategy, Structure, Objectives
- 3rd Loop: Attention, Intention, Vision
Emphasis is placed on experiencing interactions in the four areas of attention, strategy, action, and results, and on accepting them. This doesn't resonate much with me. I can't effectively utilize it as it stands.
Forcing this framework onto my experiences, the "right consciousness towards oneself" in the 3rd loop might point to a higher developmental stage where one objectifies oneself. In this context, the 1st loop might represent a material-worldly perspective, while the 2nd loop could be interpreted as the rules of the organization.
However, since the mental aspects are not explicitly outlined, Wilber's pronouns or Nonaka's SECI classification seem more intuitive to me. First, it's the judgments and outcomes in my personal mental world, followed by the judgments and outcomes in our shared mental realm, and lastly, the judgments and outcomes in the objective world of "it". This loop represents a shared imagery of inner and outer things, mental and physical entities.
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However, as Mintzberg illustrates with the "blind men and an elephant" analogy in his book "Strategy Safari", while it's essential to clarify the "structure", "hierarchy", and "procedure", differences in perspective can lead to entirely different impressions. It's vital to actually implement and compare it with personal experiences.
Born in a remote fishing village in Japan, I sometimes feel that the structural, scientific, and materialistic worldview of Western philosophy represents an entirely different world. For instance, the first loop embodies "my usual worldview" and feels so natural that it's unstoppable. The second loop represents the "field", the "air", and the space "between" humans (represented by the kanji "人間の間"). Communication, empathy, and emotional contagion occur spontaneously. For someone like me with blurred boundaries, this too is unstoppable. The third loop pertains to phenomena in a world separate from the tangible heart, one that can be seen, touched, or counted. I tend to view it in terms of the heart, matter, and relationships. With each added perspective, such as consciousness, knowledge, or skill, new realizations are born in a spiral. Though they might be described sequentially on paper, their occurrence is almost simultaneous, flowing like various elements in music.
Four experiential domains:
- External events
- Behavioral performance
- Action logic
- Attention to intention
In my case, I approach it more as an analysis of my internal self and my external environment. I find Wilber's categorization, which divides into mind and matter, consciousness and sensory perception, more relatable.
Four components of speaking:
- Framework
- Assertion
- Explanation
- Inquiry
For me, since debate forms the foundation of logical communication, I generally agree with the categorization into theme, assertion, reasons, questions, and rebuttals. On the other hand, emotional communication involves elements like emotional contagion, boundary recognition, and the level of development (including value judgments and unresolved issues), making the components alone insufficient.
Interpreting along this framework:
The nature of the interpersonal relationship would likely form the theme or framework.
Assertions might encompass elements like fostering emotional contagion and loosening boundaries.
Explanations could involve defenses and biases.
Inquiry might include elements of acceptance.
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My Speaking Style: Navigating Anxiety and Reassurance
Speaking is not just about relaying information. It can also serve as a medium to express psychological facets, such as emotions. For instance, my communication methods vary and are automatically tailored to the individual I'm addressing. This approach can even shift mid-conversation.
Regarding communication, I've found books in the fields of psychoanalysis and developmental psychology to be enlightening. Thinkers such as Freud, Jung, and Rogers have been particularly influential. What I mean is that understanding the structure of the mental world is more beneficial than focusing solely on the content of the conversation.
Here, I'll provide examples centered on the interplay between anxiety and feelings of reassurance.
- Speaking with a Receptive Heart: Listening to Others with Empathy to Offer Reassurance.
- For those who find solace in harmony, affirming shared values can give comfort.
- For followers who seek safety in aligning with authority, presenting knowledge as the "right answer" is effective.
- For those intrigued by their own anxieties, offering insightful remarks can lead to self-awareness. Sometimes, this might be accompanied by sharpness, akin to a test sentence that exposes vulnerabilities.
- For those apprehensive about future outcomes, outlining the journey to the goal, including plans and prospects, can be reassuring.
- Proposing potential choices that seem to meet the needs of those who are concerned about their satisfaction or motivation with the process.
Awareness Training：
I believe that by practicing daily introspection, simply feeling my own reactions, everything necessary for the development of consciousness can be understood naturally. This includes both the correct answers and the ways to find them.
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Action Logic:
Transition of My Developmental Stages in Internal and External Environments, Reflecting the Developmental
Conclusion:
I had an alchemist-like experience through 8 years of introspection and dream analysis.
Inside of me, several selves coexist. Broadly, the progression and hierarchy of these selves mirror the stages presented in the "Seven Leadership Action-Logics". Furthermore, the influence exerted by each of these internal selves aligns with the proportions shown in that framework. In a way, it feels as if they synchronize with societal trends. Although it might be an illusion, it certainly feels like I adeptly switch between these selves depending on the situation and role I'm in.
Reference:【[PDF] Timely and Transforming Leadership Inquiry and Action: Toward Triple-loop Awareness | Semantic Scholar】 https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Timely-and-Transforming-Leadership-Inquiry-and-Starr-Torbert/9e770c9dbf926fb0eb29afa884598414300a8792#extracted
Transition:
Related Articles:【Tracing My Journey: Reflections Through the Lens of Ego Development Theory (EDT)】
