Referencing Daniel Kahne man’s book Thinking Fast and Slow, our brains operate in either System 1 (automatic, subconscious, fast) or System 2 (deliberate, conscious, slow) modes. Learning to drive for the first time would be purely System 2, and our daily commute to work would become System 1 over time.
Individual System 1s
As individuals, we operate on System 1 more than 90% of the time. It’s subconscious, effortless and our brain and practices are optimized for the environment we operate in. These are the shortcuts that help us save time, conserve energy, and reduce burden, so we can focus our mental capacity on truly new situations we encounter that require learning and problem-solving.
As a group of people that are individually optimized and operating on System 1 – we are not performing to our potential. Our own preferences, lenses, biases in how we value, think and communicate ironically get in the way of us working together. This is how misunderstanding or conflicts start, getting in the way of our collaboration
Team System 2
Instead of continuing to work in the team automatically and accepting the friction and lost opportunities, we need to unplug ourselves from our Matrixes and work ON the team itself. That means a series of System 2 efforts:
- assessing our default preferences and filters,
- linking the understanding to our everday behaviours and dynamics,
- building a language to describe the system from the outside,
- creating norms and practices that allow us to continuously improve how we work together
No High Performance teams started performing at their peak. Even with the most capable, complementary talent, we have to work on “how we work”. Patterns on how we organize ourselves, how we communicate for full understanding, how we think differently and collectively at the same time, how we carry each other.
Collective System 1
With explicit understanding and practices, the team can perform at a new level – System 1 as a team. What does that look like?
- We have routines and rituals for problem-solving for resolving differences
- We know who to ask for help and support
- We communicate clearly and transparently
- We understand each other – not just the content but also intent
- We are aware of when we are “off” and get ourselves back on the right track
System 121 is the opposite of the path of least resistance. Each team is different (just like we all are) and it evolves over time with new members, leaders, or circumstances. Expect to be uncomfortable as you go through the process (like building muscles at the start) but unlocking the team’s full creative, collaborative self is totally worth it and a fun process in itself.
