Loops and Spirals In Your Teams

Repetition without added insight is not valuable while seeing the same thing with fresh eyes is very valuable. Image by Liz and Mollie

Inevitably in programs that I am delivering, we will revisit topics that have previously been a part of the conversation. Most often when this happens, I will explicitly call out that I am expecting it. The best way that I have found to raise it is by referencing the image on this page from the very clever Liz and Mollie.

I will simply say something like..."It might feel like we are going in loops, the intent is that we are going in an upward spiral".

What we don't want is for every time that a topic is discussed in our teams it to be simply a repetition of the same problem viewed in the same way. Ideally, each time we revisit a topic, we will have slightly more insight, made a few more connections and learned more about how our team is operating. In other words, we want progress.

This is not an easy thing to achieve for a few reasons, but it is a very useful skill to develop in our teams. Here are a few tips that I have picked up along the way that you can apply in your teams:

1. Have an explicit conversation about loops and spirals

   Knowing that this can happen is a very helpful frame. You can use this language or another one that resonates with your team - it doesn't really matter. What matters is that you are clear that repetition without added insight is not valuable while seeing the same thing with fresh eyes is very valuable.

2. Ask the question

   It's not always easy to know if you are in a loop or a spiral - especially in the middle of it. Develop a version of a question that draws attention to the process. My favoured one is "are we going in loops or is this a spiral?". Not particularly imaginative, but that's OK. The best questions are often the simplest.

3. Value different perspectives

   I think the genius of Liz and Mollie's image is that you are looking at the same thing from a different perspective. From one angle it appears to be going in circles and from another you are making progress. It's a matter of perspective. Without getting too "meta" (in a non-Zuckerberg kind of way), the ability to adopt and observe different perspectives is a super skill within great teams. Any opportunity to develop that capability is a valuable one.

The complexity of our teams' challenges are rarely fixed with a simple one off intervention. That means that it is very likely that we will experience multiple versions of the same or similar problems. When we are attentive, these can become learning opportunities rather than roadblocks. The best way to ensure progress is to acknowledge that our thinking and perception needs to shift in order to stop us going around in circles.

Here are a few questions to consider in your teams this week:

1. What is a topic or conversation that recurs in your teams?

2. Are you experiencing this as loops, spirals or a combination of these?

3. How can you make these discussions more progressive and less repetitive?