Theory U: Downloading
I’m a visual learning type of guy.
As my RCIA facilitator used says, “what good is a gift if you never use it?” It is my goal to internalize Theory U and put it into practice. This will very likely, then, be the first in a seven-part series reflecting on and (hopefully!) cementing these concepts into my memory.
The first step in the U process is Downloading. Or rather, to stop downloading… and it isn’t really the first step—it’s more of a “step zero.” Until we stop downloading, we can’t do the U.
Downloading consists of adopting past patterns unthinkingly. Rather like an automatic update, these patterns are downloaded and installed into our brains, where they immediately take effect. As Dr. Cutler warned at the CMS/Carolina Summit 2.0, unless we intentionally create an institutional culture, it will grow up around us. That is, it will be downloaded.
Dr. Scharmer compares operating from a state of downloading to being locked in a cell: despite our best efforts, things seem to keep going wrong. As a result, we double down on what we know, and the situation worsens alarmingly. Empires have fallen this way. In effect, we are downloading viruses that infect “the members of the organization with learning disabilities.” These disabilities include:
Not recognizing what you see. “Despite evidence to the contrary the [citizens] have a strong faith.” Also known as the “I got this,” or “Don’t bother me with the facts” phenomenon, it is common with politicians, administrators, and other people in authority… and with myself, certainly. I think any time, as teachers, that we blame the students for not understanding something we’ve taught, we’re downloading. I think this also contributes to the comparative infrequency of peer evaluation in the department. After all, we know what we’re doing, right? I have 98.6 degrees from Fahrenheit University in this subject.
Not saying what you think. People who know me might be tempted to give me a pass on this one, as I tend to shoot off my mouth all the time. However, I mostly preach to the choir. It’s safer. Thus, I think of this as the “This isn’t the time” or “I don’t want to get into this now” phenomenon. Saying what I think to the people to whom it applies is, well, confrontational. It just seems so stressful, and what if I’m actually the one who’s wrong? Inconceivable, of course… but, just in case. I think this also shows up in the fear of the messiness that comes with being in relationships. I often go overboard, I think, in trying to keep a professional distance from my students. If I present myself as someone they can confide in, after all, they might actually do it.
Not doing what you say. “Yeah… I’ll get to that project. Eventually.” “Almost done… I think I’ll call it a day.” “I wanted to do X this semester, but it just didn’t work out.” To my shame, I’m something of an expert in this area.
Not seeing what you’ve done. I’m having a hard time coming up with examples… No, this is the parenting phenomenon: how did my son get to be so stubborn? He was trained by the best. Why don’t my students respect deadlines? Because I keep giving extensions. We are so often our own worst enemies, and the cultures we built are the ones that irritate us the most.
While it seems a little glib, perhaps, to say simply, “ You need to stop that,” I found taking an inventory of each quadrant to be a very useful exercise. Even without going much further into Theory U, a number of new guideposts have sprouted from the ground, as it were. We can’t begin any spiritual exercises until we acknowledge that we have done wrong, after all.