A Model of Models

Model building may sound dauntingly abstract. Where does one begin? How does one sort through the plethora of models that have bombarded the marketplace of ideas on leadership. To think about what to look for as you unearth and organize your model, it is useful to have an organizing set of theories (or requirements) that I call a meta-model. The meta-model, (or “model of models”) is a framework that defines the aspects of a fully formed and robust model. Within it we can organize and interrelate the pieces of our models. Any social meta-model needs to propose three kinds of theories: theories of the thing, of change, and of practice.

A Theory of the Thing

       A theory of the thing describes the entity on which your model focuses:

§  What is it? For example, Reading the Room presents a systems-oriented theory and examines the skill of leadership.

§  What are the underpinnings of that skill? Reading the Room singles out communicative skill, beginning with communication in face-to-face relations.

§  What assumptions does the thing (in this case, leadership) depend on? One assumption is that leadership often entails leading high-performing teams; such teams identify a second thing in SD’s model.

§  What skills are required of a high-performing team? In a high-performing team, each member acquires communicative competency, an understanding of the structure of successful and unsuccessful communication and how they contribute to each.

A Theory of Change

     The theory of change describes how to bring about change for that thing on which your model focuses. It describes the nature of change and how change happens within or for that entity.

§  What are the prerequisites of change (in our case, the changing of a person to become a better leader, or a team to function with maximal effectiveness)?

§  How does change happen? What brings it about?

§  How does context—time, place and person—affect change?

§  Does change occur the same way in an intimate human system versus a larger, more impersonal one?

For the thing called leadership:

§  If leadership’s goal is optimal personal and team performance, what is the baseline (in our model, low-stakes behavioral propensities) and what is the standard (for us, communicative competency in both low and high stakes) at the other end?

§  Through what stages do leaders and their teams evolve?

A Theory of Practice

          

     A theory of practice fully articulates the conceptual underpinnings of what the practitioner does on the ground, based on his understanding of the thing and its theory of change.  [Note: Your theory of practice should not be confused with your practice model. The latter is what the practitioner does in the room. It is circularly derived from interaction with our meta-model’s three component parts.]

§  What is the conceptual language system behind the practice (in our case, structural dynamics) model?

§  How do the methods, techniques and tools used in your practice model reconcile with your theory of practice?

§  What is the theoretical rationale behind a practice model designed to occur in distinct stages (three, in our case)?

§  Is the theory behind the practice consistent with the goals of the practice?