Four Groups Blog

More from “The Hidden Power of Social Networks” by Cross and Parker, this time on Energy and Energisers.

When we have a choice, which is more often than we might think, we seek out energisers. As a result, these people often have a disproportionate effect on what a group learns. On the other end of the scale, the expertise of de-energisers often goes untapped no matter how relevant it might be… In light of the substantial performance and learning implications of energising relationships, we engaged in qualitative research to understand how energy is created in interactions with others… Two themes emerged. First, energising interactions are clearly influenced by people’s behaviour, but they are also influenced by certain characteristics of the individuals and the relationships between them. For example, two people – one trusted and one not trusted – can exhibit the same behaviours in a conversation but with different results…

This extract makes me think of some of the diagrams our website. This diagram from the homepage shows how the energy flows between the group. Kate & Jim and Paulo & Susannah really do well here, whilst Ulrike & Jim could almost be seen as de-energisers.

I also can’t help being reminded of a note from Joyce Wvcoff when she wrote about Butterfly Moments.

Do you ever think about moments that change your life? I’ve started calling them Butterfly Moments, from the chaos theory metaphor that states that when a butterfly flaps its wings in Chile, it causes a tornado in Chicago. In the same fashion, some small, seemingly meaningless moments change the entire trajectory of our lives.

How often do these apparently random connections and flows of energy start something in motion?

Keywords: Energy, Energisers, Relationships, Butterfly Moments