by Israel Galindo

A colleague invited some of us to a discussion on the phenomenon of BFST orthodoxy. This is the tendency we’ve seen among some “Bowenians” to guard the orthodoxy of the theory. At times it manifests itself as:

* A focus on the exclusively “correct” use of terms, concepts, and vocabulary
* The creation of a list of verbotem words, phrases, or references
* A dismissal of certain concepts that are considered “outside” the original theory’s schema
* The identification of “camps” (e.g., Bowen vs. Friedman) and the self-identification with the original conceptualizer with an accompanying dismissal of those not deemed disciples of direct succession.
* The manifestation of the affects of hubris and exclusivity.

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At a recent conference on congregational leadership I was again struck by how the level of energy (anxiety?) in the room increased when the topic focused on change. This is natural, of course, since one of the critical functions of the leader in any system is bring about positive change on several levels. In fact, it is likely that the new leader in any system will enter with a mandate to make changes in the system–notwithstanding that any attempts of consequence to do so on the part of the leader will likely meet with resistence if not outright sabotage.

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I’ve been developing a presentation on practical leadership tactics from a systems perspectives. I’m calling it “Systems Ju-jitsu.” You can read a series of blog entries on the topic on the Perspectives on Congregational Leadership blog.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard from Rick, who always asks interesting “systems questions.” Today he asked: “I was just wondering what steps people can take to not be guided by the emotional programming they have acquired from their family of
origin. How does one learn to separate oneself from this programming?”

That’s a tall order, but then, it describes well the work of differentiation, doesn’t it?

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A new series titled “Systems Ju-jitsu” begins today at the Perspectives on Congregational Leadership blog: http://perspectivesig.blogspot.com/2010/05/systems-ju-jitsu-part-1.html

More on why change comes hard at the Perspectives on Congregational Leadership blog. Here’s an excerpt:

One phenomena of the power of homeostasis is that whenever a leader attempts to bring about change he or she will most certainly encounter sabotage. While we can find some comfort in the notion that reactivity is unimaginative, and therefore predictable, sabotage has a thousand faces. The fun thing about sabotage (if one can be non-reactive about it), is that while we can expect it, we will always be surprised at the forms it takes.

You can read the rest of the story here.

Some thoughts on the necessity of interpreting emotional triangles within the context of the emotional field at the Perspectives on Congregational Leadership blog.

A question from one of my students in the systems theory class results in a new insight for leaders from the Dog Whisperer.

Brian Gumm offers a well-written review and critique of The Hidden Lives of Congregations.

Some thoughts on why you probably will never be able to fix some of your church committees at the Perspectives on Congregational Leadership blog.