The Integrative Process

One of my good colleagues had an office space I’ll never forget. Inside the room were towers of books and papers covering the floor like stalagmites in a cave. Just to sit down I had to move books and papers from his couch to make space. It had always been like this in Mitch’s office - a scene seemingly of chaos and disorder. But, as I had grown to realize, that was merely an impression. In a typical wide-ranging conversation with Mitch, a topic would come up that would remind me of something. I’d say, “You know that reminds me of something you wrote a few years ago. Let’s see, what was that . . .?” Mitch would say, “Oh, I know what you’re talking about.” Then, he would get up and go over to one of those paper towers and move his hand down about a foot or so, and gently pull out a paper in which that exact topic had been addressed.

That office was an outward reflection of Mitch’s mind and way of thinking. A first impression was that Mitch’s thinking was disordered and scattered. But, as I came to know him, that was a very superficial impression. His thinking was extraordinarily broad and deep, like those towers in his office. We easily could get absorbed in almost any topic. Yet, ultimately, there would emerge a structure and logic, rich in insights.

Mitch’s way of thinking was a pure instance of a particular decision-making style: the Integrative style. When one’s mind moves into the Integrative style, one thinks both broadly and deeply. Peripheral vision opens wide. Information from highly varied sources and on seemingly many topics becomes relevant. Linkages are perceived and disparate topics are viewed as connected.

To an outside observer, the Integrative way of thinking can seem chaotic, disorganized, and impractical. In the wrong situation, that’s exactly what it is. These situations tend to be ones in which routines are strict and deadlines tight. The integrative thinker can easily get lost in a project and stop watching the clock. They tend to be less action-oriented, and instead get absorbed in the expanse of their process. Further, in situations in which leadership is expected to produce clear and strategic action plans the integrative thinker may falter. They hold multiple objectives in mind, and can have trouble prioritizing which objective needs immediate attention. To make matters even muddier, instead of communicating concise information when needed, he or she may “lose the audience” by pulling in information and ideas only he or she can yet see as relevant.

But in the right situation, the Integrative style of thinking can yield highly creative and richly nuanced insights and decisions that yield unique and far-reaching outcomes. Here’s a success story involving an executive, “Hank,” with a prominently Integrative decision style. Hank was the Chief Executive of a large semi-independent division of a huge corporation. The industry of which Hank’s division was a part had recently been shaken by a very serious accident that had made world-wide news. Hank recognized that the accident was largely a result of faulty teamwork and an overly rigid chain of command.

Hank was determined to avoid costly and dangerous mishaps in his division. He saw teamwork and open channels of communication as essential – and that was a key reason for bringing my consulting firm into his organization. Hank’s style of thinking - especially, his day-to-day working style – was very Integrative, and he wanted his team to make use of that same style, too.

We trained Hank and his team in the Integrative Team Style – a process that departed significantly from typical norms of corporate meetings. We utilized this process selectively: firstly, to address “big problems” that potentially would have many, far-reaching consequences. Secondly, the Integrative process was reserved for unique problems for which there were no clear routines and guidelines for handling. Thirdly, the problems were such that they could not be solved by any one person. Instead, the knowledge and capabilities required to handle them were widely distributed among numerous parties.

The Integrative Team Process proceeds like this: all members of the team are expected to contribute information and ideas, not just a few and, especially, not just the leader. Team members are expected to practice active listening to show that they heard, understood and appreciated their colleagues' thoughts and contributions. In addition, team members are expected to take turns, recording ideas and potential solutions for the team, for example, on a white board. Lastly, no one solution or decision would be reached until the foregoing process points had been implemented.

It took a good deal of time and effort to train and develop the Integrative process in Hank’s team. In part, this was due to the rather sharp shift away from the notion that there’s one right way to run a meeting. In particular, this required dispensing with the hierarchical structure of team meetings in which the senior members were expected to provide most of the input and influence in generating solutions and making final decisions.

During Hank’s tenure as the CEO, there were no accidents or mishaps in the organization. The safety record for the division dramatically improved and stood out in an industry that had been so often rocked with accidents - some of them real disasters. I should add that the Integrative Process did not stay just within Hank and his team. The team members, one by one, introduced it to their own teams, where it similarly cascaded down throughout the entire division.

Yet as I mentioned, the Integrative style is not always well understood by outside observers. This was apparent as ever to me when Hank’s team was visited by a couple of executives from headquarters. During the meeting, the team moved into the Integrative Process. The two visitors sat and listened in silence. Then, after the meeting, the visitors were heard to remark, “What was that all about? What’s wrong with them? Don’t they know how to run a meeting?” These outside observers were befuddled by the apparent lack of organization and the departure from a top-down decision-making process.

Yet the benefits of knowing how and when to use the Integrative style can be quite profound. Some years later, I was invited to a reunion party for people who worked in the division during Hank’s tenure. One by one, a number of people at the reunion approached me with comments about how useful they had found the Integrative process in their work - and beyond! In fact, one of them said to me, “You know, that work not only helped greatly in my work on the job, but in my entire life, even away from the job.”

As with all of my coaching work; the ultimate goal is not to have a client develop the “best” decision-making style – in fact, it’s a moot point; there is no best style. There are only styles which more or less meet the needs of the situation. When we develop the awareness of our thinking habits, we also develop our ability to be adaptable in our styles – to which the benefits are boundless.