birds

Are the Birds Steering The Flock, Or Is The Flock Steering The Birds?

Murmuration is a spectacular natural phenomenon. Flocks of birds move through the air as if in a giant, flowing, swirling and synchronised organism.

There is no single ‘leader’ bird, yet every bird can influence the group's direction and speed such that they move as one.

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We like to think of organisations as rational groups and teams of people guided by strategy and executing processes to achieve objectives.

In reality, organisations are ‘living’ systems composed of individual humans who observe, interact with, and influence one another, often producing irrational group dynamics yet still achieving objectives.

In every group or organisation, collective and invisible forces steer it to manifest dependence on authority, splitting into camps, remaining silent, fighting, fleeing, or freezing.

Group dynamics are fascinating because once you can name those forces or spot those patterns, you can work on or with it, rather than being worked by it.

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There’s also a personal reason why I keep returning to study with groups. They are a mirror, one that’s held up to me to reveal what I can’t see alone, how I relate to authority, disagreement and disappointment in a group environment.

This time, I noticed something new. I realised I often slip into the role of a rescuer, willing to compromise my own position to enable the group to complete a task.

Maybe because it feels ’noble’ in the moment, but it’s not a sound pattern to repeat for my well-being, especially when it’s not what the group has asked of me.

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Noticing our own patterns can be uncomfortable but liberating. Once we can name them, we gain the choice of how to address them rather that be murmurated by it.

That’s the kind of work I support. Helping leaders, groups, teams and organisations recognise their own patterns that are steering them, so that they can function better together.

If any of this feels familiar to you in your environment, message me for a chat!