OLP: ♦ Tool: IMMUNITY MAP

The part of network resilience can be asses ed by checking it’s vitality. But hot to do it actually? Supporting this inquiry can be an immunity map that provides clarity on which of the “thriving moments” could we situate our networks. This can be done on your own or in a group, preferably up to 5 people, and those who are the closest to the pulsating - either strongly or a bit weakly - movements inside the network.

MATERIALS:

Prepared immunity map worksheet, enough pens for everyone, and post-its.

TIME:

1-2 hours, depending on the group of people (5-10 recommended). We recommend to give at least 10 minutes for each point. You can take a break in the middle, to refresh minds, move bodies and gain a new perspective.

STEPS

1. The first step, after you bring together a group (2-5 people), will be to identify the improvement goal that you aim for in the near future. It should be something that would definitely improve the network but it does not have to be enormous. You can follow the SMART approach in naming the goal. Another proposition for how to do it:

Finding your focus – What is most important to be changed?

What would you most like to get better at, or improve upon?
What is most important for you? Ex. What is the single most powerful change I could make to improve myself in the network?

Brainstorm some ideas for improvement in the box below. From the improvement goals you listed above – circle the one that feels most important.
This goal should feel like a 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 (not at all important) to 5 (very important).

Would the people who know you best agree that you do, indeed, need to get better or improve on this thing? What would your colleagues, family, partner or friends say?

Does the goal you circled resonate with the feedback you have received from colleagues or peers?

The more agreement between you and others about what you would like to improve upon the more powerful the exercise will be.

2. Next, specify what concrete behaviours are necessary to achieve this goal. Frame them as positive statements (for example, “delegate more” vs. “stop doing all the work myself”). Ask yourself (or an imagined observer): What’s the thing you do, or don’t do, that most gets in the way of your goal?

After having it done list all the actions that support achieving the decided goal. It can be direct and non-direct activity, both concerning yourself, as an individual and the group and the whole network as the agents of change. Maybe it will be something you have never done before. Or something connected to your daily routine that you always wanted to improve but never had enough motivation. Define your actions, not your feelings.

3. The next step would be similar, also gathering a list, of the actions, behaviours and attitudes that stop you or your network from achieving the goal. A tip: Try to look a bit wider, over the perspective of this one goal. Are those behaviours also stopping other goals or objectives? That can also help you bring more insights into this part and this specific goal.

4. In the next round, you will try to capture the worries and all the “softly” destructive thoughts that you believe in. Hence, you will fill in the epically named “worry box” - in this case try to stay very focused on the goal you have chosen for this worksheet. If you go too far with worries it might be actually contra-productive and put you in a rather “worried” mood. Bear also in mind that worries are logical thoughts that serve a function - they help actually stay immune and avoid some risky situations. Nevertheless, here they also stop you from the flow of action and achieving your goal. It’s important that you feel safe in the group where you are discussing your fears and worries, Sharing them can be also very powerful and build stronger bonds within the team. Maybe you just found out something very surprising about the others?

5. After this - maybe vulnerable - point you will look at the other side of the “worries coin”. Your commitments and inspiring thoughts are making you stronger, more confident and curious about the process of achieving the goal. When you write down your hidden commitments, you are now able to see across the three columns how you have one foot on the gas pedal (column 1) and one foot on the brake pedal (column 3). This is the immune system “protecting” you from feared, undesirable outcomes.

6. The last step in completing the worksheet would be connected to the two previous ones. Try to identify the so-called BIG assumptions that underlie your worries and commitments. Therefore, you can ask yourself or the group the question:

What do I believe to be true about the world that makes my worries and commitments entirely reasonable?

Notice how your assumptions lead to the very behaviours that undermine, rather than support, your goal. Generally, “assumptions make each hidden commitment feel necessary.”

Worth reading:

https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/category/lifestyle/personal-development/attitude-mindset/

https://konu.org/itc