For our September event, Leadership Group members Pete Canny and Yope Vagenas developed “Prismatic Reflection,” a reflective process for our OD community. This process was designed to guide consultants (internal or external) in examining their practice through three perspectives: their self-perception, their primary clients’ (those who hired them) perspective, and how secondary clients (those they work with) view them.
Pete guided us through the process and I found the experience both insightful and engaging. After individual self-reflection, examining the multiple perspectives of our practice, we were divided into small breakout groups to discuss our insights in more depth. The 30 minutes allowed seemed generous but passed quickly! We then joined together to discuss what we noticed about ourselves in engaging with the process and the value we gained from sharing our thoughts and exploring them with other practitioners.
Reflecting on my own conversations and listening to other groups, I was struck by the activity’s simplicity and the profound insights it generated. This was underscored by several participants who noted they were sharing thoughts they had never said out loud before. As OD practitioners, we often encourage reflection, and it was refreshing to be given the time, space, and a safe environment for our own reflection.
~~ Danielle Jacobson