Good enough, imperfect, or situated leadership

Can practising and knowing be exhibited, not as separate entities, but as a single, multi-dimensional, entwined activity? We think they can. In this paper, we want to explore the possibility of there being for us, as living beings, many more immediate and unreflective bodily ways of being related to our surroundings than the ways that have become conspicuous to us in our more cognitive reflections – ways of orienting ourselves to the others and othernesses around us that can become directly known to us within the unfolding dynamics of both our, and their, bodily movements in the course of our engaged intra-actions with them. As an example, we want to explore how, within the context of an existing organization, a certain dialogical style of intra-acting – involving informal forms of talk, responsive listening, and the noticing of subtle aspects of people’s expressions – can result in a group of consultants developing (and sustaining) their own autonomous ways of working, while displaying at the same time a certain ‘house style’. What is new in approaching organizational learning and leadership in this fashion is that we begin to attend to those forms of judgment needed to assess a best way of “going on” (Wittgenstein, 1953) in uniquely new circumstances – a learning that can be likened to what a ‘good enough’ (but not an idealized, perfect) mother (Winnicott, 1988) can achieve in providing the occasions or circumstances within which her infant develops his or her understanding of a first (rather than a second) language.

Being employed in Attractor is not about being good enough theoretically but about daring to let go of perfection and to be present. I practice this in relation to all new employees. I give people a kind of a paradoxical message: You can become much better, but at the same time you are good enough – otherwise you would not be here!’” (Brand1, a senior manager in Attractor).

“The leadership process is like a river. Contained by its bed (the culture), it can be said to be flowing in one direction, yet, upon close examination, parts of it flow sideways, in circles, or even backwards relative to the overall direction. It is constantly changing in speed and strength, and even reshapes its own container” (Barker, 1997, p.352).