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Working out of metaphor…

Over the past four years I have been working with a number of different people and teams using metaphor as a tool to uncover hidden, or unconscious, processes people are deploying to undertake roles and tasks. This is sometimes an unfamiliar and uncomfortable task, but one which is increasing in popularity and gaining academic credence, Alvesson, M. and Spicer, A. (2011) is as good a place as any to start. .

In my last Masters project I explored this theme further and argued that each of us, in different ways are living out of metaphors, and these metaphors have an exceptionally powerful effect on the ways we percieve our roles. In a conversation with Simon Walker the other week we talked about how our emotional memories are so much stronger than our ‘rational’ perceptions. When most of us move into a new role it’s often a metaphor, with an attached emotional memory, that we seek to perform. We discussed how new managers can be tempted to work out of the role of ‘Prefect’ when first given the title of ‘manager’ in an organisation. In essence, what else to they have to go on?

Lakoff and Johnson (1980) would go one step futher than this, suggesting that, when accepted, metaphors have a reinforcing effect on the experienced reality of any individual. With this in mind let’s explore another popular metaphor for organisational leaders that of ‘Commander’ or ‘Captain of the Ship’. In these diffcult times these reinforced metaphors could have catastrophic impact if the nuance of the metaphor is not explored. History has a habit of telling the story of the victor, so our ‘Captain’ and ‘Commander’ metaphors are always victorious in the end, but not all of our ‘onward and upward’ and ‘carry on regardless’ Commanders were victorious.

Perhaps in these challenging times, we need different metaphors?

References:

Alvesson, M. and Spicer, A. (2011). Metaphors We Lead By – Understanding Leadership in the real world, London, Routledge.

Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. in O’brien, J. (ed.) The Production of Reality: Essays and Readings on Social Interaction. 4 ed. Newbury Park, California: Pine Forge Press.