The Thin Book of Naming Elephants

Recommended Reading

from NEA Staff

Ever start work in an organization, looked around you and wondered why in the world it has the culture or barriers it has? Ever suggested a change in the way a local operates only to be told "We don't do things that way"? Ever feel that you might be stepping into something left by an elephant? The authors of "Naming Elephants" combine history, organizational development theories, and appreciative inquiry to give us some options for surfacing the elephants that can impede change in a system. They direct us to the inconsistencies in our thinking and in our organization systems that stand in our way.

One of the biggest barriers to institutional improvement is the unspoken, unsurfaced assumption that guides our thoughts. For the authors, "The longer the assumptions are in effect, and the more success the group has, the harder it is for the group to see any new information that contradicts its beliefs." The group (or organization) becomes hamstrung by assumptions it isn't aware it has. And there may be a gap — a big grey, angry elephant — between what it says it believes and what it actually does. Without an examination of the elephants — institutional assumptions — the organization cannot open itself to new opportunities or improve its performance.

The book has examples of questions to ask, potential strategies to explore, and elephants to name. It can be used, in conjunction with The Abilene Paradox, as a training vehicle for examining institutional assumptions and values, holding constructive dialogue, and facilitating the change process.