Use of Self

 

Working in human systems is full of landmines and individual triggers. It makes serving in any professional helping role much more than just mastering the technical aspects of “help”. For many years some groups (OD consultants, coaches, therapists and others) have worked with, and tried to include in their development, the concept of “use of self” or, as some have referred to it, “self as instrument”. However it has never been particularly clear or structured and different mentors and teachers have emphasized different aspects of what it means.

Over the years I have struggled with my own better use of self, taught many students and trained some other consultants, always refining my own conceptualization, scope, breadth and depth around this concept. Recntly, it has become a higher priority in some of my teaching and it seems much too important to not become better developed, shared and included in producing better human system practitioners.

So to begin, the intent has always been to become more masterful in carrying out the helping roles we take on. While this obviously includes significant work on knowledge and skills, the real challenge lies more in our psychological make-up, interpersonal dynamics and ability to bridge theory and practice. Therefore, I now believe the topic can be organized and discussed through 3 inter-related lenses: What we are able to see, understand and do.

“Know thy self” is an important component because we need to be aware of real strengths and weaknesses in order to use them appropriately in help. We also need to be self-aware so that we can distinguish when isues and dynamics are part of the client/system or part of us.

We also work to hone our perceptive and non-defensive selves in order to be able to take in what is occurring “out there” with little distortion or blockage and be able to see the wide array of variables at play in any situation. This is part of using ourselves to “see”.

We also need to “understand” or make sense of what’s around us or what our client is embedded within. This can involve building our psychological, sociological, economic and organizational theory and conceptual frameworks to make connections or discern causality. Minimally, it helps to be able to dsitinguish various realities at different human system levels (individual, interpersonal, group, organization, community, etc.).

Finally, we need to be able to determine and execute appropriate action. This is the “do” part. Some actions take certain skills. Some take certain courage. Some we are not aware of. And some actions come roaring out with little thought or choice. They are our habits, unconscious behaviors, defensive routines and instinctual responses. Part of development is to gain enough consciousness and reflexive space to re-gain an array of behavioral options, choicefulness and enough self-efficacy to act with confidence.

Obviously each of these lenses holds different clarity, strength or cloudiness for each of us. Thus the need to continually hone one’s awareness, knowledge and skills, while practicing in real systems with real feedback. We can never know all and the pursuit is the path to growth.

More later…

David Jamieson

Dr. Jamieson is President of the Jamieson Consulting Group, Inc., an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Science in Organization Development Programs at Pepperdine University and American University/NTL and a Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Benedictine’s Ph. D. in OD Program. He has over 38 years of experience consulting to organizations on leadership, change, strategy, design and human resource issues. He is a Past National President of the American Society for Training and Development (1984) and Past Chair of the Management Consultation Division and Practice Theme Committee of the Academy of Management. Dave is co-author of Managing Workforce 2000: Gaining the Diversity Advantage (Jossey-Bass, 1991) and co-author of The Facilitator’s Fieldbook, 2nd Edition (AMACOM, 2006). He serves as Editor of Practicing OD, an OD Netwok on-line journal; Editor, Reflections on Experience Section of the Journal of Management Inquiry and on the Editorial Boards for the Journal of Organization Change Management and The Organization Development Practitioner. Contact information: david.jamieson@pepperdine.edu; 2355 Westwood Blvd., Ste 420, LA, CA. 90064; (310)-397-8502.