Mapping ‘Efficient’ on the ChangeGrid™

Are you or your organization efficient?  What does that mean in a sub-optimized work force being driven to produce maximum output?  How effective is it to be efficient?

In a recent webinar sponsored by the Tension Management Institute,  the idea of being ‘EFFICIENT’ was discussed with respect to its use in the DiSC profiling system and its appropriate placement on the ChangeGrid™. The widely used DiSC model (Dominance, influence, Steadiness, Compliance) emerged in the late 60’s through the work of Psychologist, John Geier as a behavioral profiling system based on the 1928 book Emotions of Normal People by an early champion of feminism and creator of the comic book superhero, Wonder Woman: Psychologist,  William Moulton Marston.  The ChangeGrid is the 1980’s brainchild of latter day genius, T. Falcon Napier,  founder of the Tension Management Institute, classical harpist, author of The MasterStream Method®, and creator of the ChangeWorks! System® for personal and professional development and change management.

For Marston, efficiency is about achieving one’s goals without conflict or aggression through compliance with antagonizing forces, like a reed bending before the wind or waves and then, through internal tensions, returning to upright once the outer pressure abates. In the ChangeGrid, being efficient is paired with being just and straightforward. Together, these adjectives are located at coordinate 8,7, as shown below.

ChangeGrid Location (8,7): Efficient, Just, Straightforward

Coordinate (8,7) indicates a moderate level (8 out of 12) of self-perceived ability (skills, knowledge, resources, talent) to achieve a slightly more moderate level (7 out of 12) of self-perceived challenge or difficulty regarding a specific, measurable, and time-bound objective or goal. In other words, this Grid location aligns with having sufficient ability to accomplish the objective with some reserve to deal with external variables and still get the job done as required without the need of additional support.

The combination of adjectives for this Grid location (efficient, just, straigtforward) are very suggestive of Marston’s concept of efficiency. From a somewhat Zen perspective, consider a reed that bends under the pressure of wind or wave yet returns to stand straight when the external force is removed. When not under external pressure, turgidity (internal tension) supports an upright form aimed at the sun. This internal pressure is not so great that the reed is uprooted or broken in the face of external forces but rather bends to accommodate or comply with the external force.  This bending or giving way to stand again is the compliance aspect suggested by Marston. The reed does not fight its antagonist but gives way until it passes and then returns to its natural form. We see the same giving way response in some of the martial arts.

However, Marston also argues that compliance carried too far is weakness. As such, the reed that remains bent over long may become diminished relative to the challenge of standing and is no longer empowered to do so when the external forces are exhausted. This is the case of executive burnout and a serious warning to businesses that rely on a sub-optimized workforce for maximum output.

For those who are interested, additional study of the ChangeGrid will demonstrate that surrounding coordinates are indicative or adaptations through adding or discovering latent abilities (skills, knowledge, resouces, talents) as well as reducing the perceived nature of the challenge.  While a discussion of these is beyond the scope of this article, it is encouraged for human development professionals in general. Such study will certainly expand the repertoire of understanding for anyone involved with using the DiSC . To learn more about this fascinating new field of study, see the Tension Management Institute website and contact me when you are ready to take the next step at Daniel Latch dot com.