presentation © may 2007 maffick ltd. metaphor for trainers

Presentation © May 2007 Maffick Ltd.

Metaphor for

Trainers


Where We’re Going Today…• What is Metaphor?• Why It’s Difficult to

Identify• Some Tools• Some Basic Metaphors• More Tools• Next Steps


The Cannon and The Penguin

A Love Story…


What is Metaphor?


What Metaphor Does


Reframing Exercise

• The bad news is…

• The good news is…and so…


Consistency Is Key…


How Can We Use Metaphor with Our Clients?


Metaphor

Why They Are Difficult to Identify


Centre Ring- creating Centre Ring- creating empowering possibilitiesempowering possibilities

Increased Empathy/UnderstandingIncreased Empathy/UnderstandingDon’t Take It PersonallyDon’t Take It PersonallyStay FocusedStay FocusedDon’t Get Hooked by “Stuff”Don’t Get Hooked by “Stuff”Be Strategic -- Take Others’ WorldsBe Strategic -- Take Others’ Worlds

into Accountinto AccountEase Their ConditionEase Their ConditionPartnershipPartnership Barry Oshry

Note: Slide taken from Alex Smith’s TDN presentation


Hype Versus Reality

• Espoused versus Lived

• Out of the mouths of …PR consultants

• Noise versus Dominant


Espoused versus Lived

“Peace of mind for the future” is their strap line.

“A Scottish funeral home has come under fire for using the ashes of cremated bodies to

grit the pavement in icy conditions. Staff at Co-op Funeralcare in Dunfermline say that the ashes were also used to increase the traction on the wheelchair-access ramp.”

-The Week, 12 May 2007 page 14


Happiness is a Dentist Office

From normal to extraordinary…using a ‘lived’ metaphor.

www.solutionspress.com.au

http://www.solutionspress.com.au/


Things to Notice

• Language• Structure• Flow• Emphasis• Celebrations• Customer Care• Employee Care• How they operate…


Language Example

• NHS – We are patients

• NHS – We are clients


Example: Disney

• Business is a Theatrical Performance• Employees are “Cast Members”• Cast Members audition for new roles• At the park, they are on stage• Visitors are guests, not customers• Jobs are performances; uniforms are costumes

Source: “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath, pg 60


Business is a GardenWhat sort of language do you use to describe:

1. Your market?

2. Your customers?

3. Your employees?

4. Companies that provide similar services?

5. What influences your strategy/approach to market?


A Safe Place for Our Tools


Self Examination

What sort of language do you use to describe:

• Your market?• Your customers?• Your employees?• Companies that provide

similar services?• What influences your

strategy/approach to market?


Famous Animal Metaphors

“I’m sometimes a fox, sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government is knowing when to be one or the other.” Napoleon Bonaparte, quoted in The Times.

-The Week, 12 May 2007, page 21


Animal, Plant, Mode of Transport

1. If your organisation was a/an….., it would be a …..2.Because…


Some Basic Metaphors


Business is a Garden


War and Machines

War…What is it Good For?

Lean, Mean Machine


Business is Sport


Business is Love


It’s ALIVE


Business is a Marriage

• Marriage

• Small Family

• Large Family

• Extended Family

• Institution


Some More Tools


Finding Value Exercise

• Person 1 “Proposition…”

• Person 2 “Yes, what I like about your idea is…”

• Person 2 “And (new proposition)…”


Pick a Metaphor

War Sports

Love Gardening


Metaphor Exercise - 1Guiding metaphors:• War• Competitive Sport• Love• Gardening/Agricultural

Each business function covered by a group member:

• Operations• Personnel• Information• Finance• Marketing• Planning

Generate as many metaphorically guided expressions aboutYour business/function as you can. Exercise © Prof. Kevin Kingsland


Metaphor Exercise - 2Consider the effect of your

metaphor in the following sectors:

• Entertainment• Computer Manufacturing• Food retailing• Financial Services• Private Hospital Group

Choose the most appropriate sector and produce:

• A mission statement• A values statement• Communication Style• Ethos/Way of Interacting• Core Competence

Observe the emergence of culture and strategy that takesPlace during this exercise. Exercise © Prof. Kevin Kingsland


Metaphor Exercise - 3

Your business team is going to merge with another.

Your task is to:

• Negotiate a common language

• Identify the major issues and tasks involved in the change process

Exercise © Prof. Kevin Kingsland


•To Create a Setting in Which All To Create a Setting in Which All

Members of the System Can Become Members of the System Can Become

Clearer About How the System Is Clearer About How the System Is

Experienced from Many Different Experienced from Many Different

Vantage PointsVantage Points

TOOT (Time Out Of Time)

Barry Oshry

Note: Slide taken from Alex Smith’s TDN presentation


How Maffick Uses Metaphor with Our Clients


Maffick and MetaphorsCulture Web

Paradigm

Organisation

Power

SymbolsStories

Routines &Rituals

Controls

Gerry JohnsonKevan Scholes


Find Out More & Do More…

Website: Website: www.maffick.com Email: Email: [email protected]

http://www.maffick.com/

mailto:[email protected]


Where We Went Today…• What is Metaphor?• Why It’s Difficult to

Identify• Some Tools• Some Basic Metaphors• More Tools• Next Steps


Next Steps…

• One take-away from this session – something you can use at work…


Questions


Good Books

• “Metaphors We Live By” by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson

• “Images of Organization” by Gareth Morgan


Where has this been done?

• Numerous consultancies

• Government

• Psychotherapy/Hypnotherapy…

presentation © may 2007 maffick ltd. metaphor for trainers

Documents

similar services

gardenwhat sort of language

business function

new propositionpick

new rolesat

famous animal metaphorsim

ashes of cremated bodies

loveits alivebusiness