Tension Shifting

A tension is the feeling you get when you sense a gap between what is and what could be

A tension is when you feel that something is wrong with how your group is working.

We suggest that groups aim to 'shift tensions' regularly.

This means giving a space where tensions can be aired and the group can work together to resolve them.

1. Do a round asking everyone how comfortable they feel to receive feedback.

2. Brainstorm tensions, which could involve

   • Giving 5 minutes for everyone to journal

   • Pairing people up to talk through tensions 1-1 and support each other to bring them.

3. Do a round of each person asking them to share their tensions. Record them!

4. Go through each person and work to resolve their tension.

5. This might involve:

   • Making sure that they feel heard by others in the group

   • Making changes to the roles or accountabilities of the team

   • Making changes to how the team is working

   • Deciding to explore the issue further at a later date

6. Ask for proposals from the group that could resolve the tension. 7. You could use IDM to pass a proposal to make a governance change.

Other Suggestions

Groups can also have a document or Tension Bucket where they can record any tensions that arise during their work, so that they can be processed during the tension processing meeting.