The perceptual positions, in addition to the logical levels, form the basis of all my professional NLP actions in organizations. The fourth perception position is a relatively new branch of the NLP family (added by Robert Dilts) that in its potential and scope rarely receives the attention it deserves. This position proves to be of enormous value, especially in these turbulent times. The fourth position allows us to zoom out and see the larger connections and coherences from a broader perspective. And that is necessary to move from ad hoc solutions to ecological, long-term solutions.
The four perceptual positions briefly characterized
First position: associated in yourself, self-interest, beliefs, criteria, boundaries, emotions. Quality: (decisive) strength
Second position: associated in the interests, beliefs, criteria, boundaries, emotions of the other. Quality: empathy
Third position: associated in a neutral observer, effects of the interaction between self and other. Quality: reflectivity
Fourth position: associated in the larger system, encompassing the system, view of the dynamics in the system. Quality: wisdom and ecology
There is a natural order: start in first, then move to second, third and fourth position, and then back to first position to translate the insights from the other positions into action.
Ad hoc: stuck in the first position
I have been visiting organizations for years and see that the fourth position is, to put it mildly, moderately represented. The issues of the day, extinguishing fires, all too often prove to be leading. Those organizations are stuck in what I call the ad hoc trap: stuck in first position and the short term. In that pattern there is no time and energy to pause and zoom out to see the bigger picture and thus arrive at structural solutions. Of course, if it burns you have to extinguish the fire. But if fires keep breaking out, it is wise to investigate how it can occur each time and to structurally solve the underlying mechanism. That requires fourth position.
A closer look at the fourth position
A director who had learned to take this position put it as follows: “I no longer see what ’they’ do to me, but what ‘we’ create together. That is quite confrontational. At the same time, I am no longer a victim, because I can see what we can do differently and better. That gives energy. And I also now understand the limitations and that gives realism. I comprehend better and better how the entire system works and see the patterns that we create ourselves.”
The fourth position therefore represents zooming out to get a view of the larger system. But how far do you zoom out? From systems theory we know the concept of different system levels. You can see an example of this in the image above. As you zoom out, the complexity increases and at the same time your sphere of influence decreases. How you define those system levels, and how many ‘levels’ you distinguish, is also depending on your focus. An ecologist or political scientist will distinguish different levels than I do as an organizational coach.
An example
If, as a manager, you have to get a team that is functioning poorly back on its feet, you can zoom out from the individual level – the quality and performance of the individual team members – to the entire team as an entity, including the team leader and yourself. This way you can see what is going on there in the interaction with each other and with the immediate environment: basic fourth position. The complexity is manageable and you have the tools to tackle it from your formal position and your personal qualities. This level is largely within your control.
If you zoom out further to a higher system level, level 2, you see that other teams and the board play a role in the functioning of that team. That is becoming more complex and the functioning of that larger system is mostly beyond your control. If you zoom out even further, to level 3, you see the cutthroat competition going on in the branche, and its influence on the entire organization and on your team. More complex and even less within your control.
Zoom out even further, to an even higher system level, level 4, and you see that the economic system is the engine of the battle in the market. Instead of innovating and becoming more sustainable, you are in a ‘race to the bottom’. That engine, the economic system, is completely beyond your control.
Yet it can be very good to zoom out that far, in order to develop an awareness of how the dynamics in your team are influenced by that bigger system. It makes you milder, you can look at the struggles of your team members with more compassion and see a different approach. The central question is: what can you do within this dynamic? What is within your control and what is beyond it? Who are the key players in this issue and how can you involve them?
The question is leading
How far you zoom out mainly depends on your question. If your question concerns developing a perspective for action, then zooming out to level 1 or 2 is usually sufficient to avoid the ad hoc trap. If you want to gain insight into the larger dynamics, for example because you want to develop long-term policy, then zooming out to level 4 and possibly even further, level 5, the earth as a whole, is a good idea. It is always important to make the movement in the perceptual positions from first to fourth position and extend to which level you want to go, and then back to first position, because only there can you convert your insights into actions that are within your control.
The Blue Marble
Several astronauts who saw this beautiful image from space stated that this image was a tipping point in their lives. They felt that from that moment on they could no longer do or undertake anything without asking themselves what their actions meant for our planet as a whole.
Jón Kalman Stefánsson wrote in a short story in the Volkskrant about our ‘home’, the earth, the following: “There are politicians who bring us the enemy and present themselves as savior. (…) They all hate the photo of the Blue Marble. This threatens their claim that humanity is divided into ‘us’ and ‘others’.”
Examine your beliefs
You have zoomed out and see the connections. Observing without judgment can prevent your beliefs from working as filters during the perceptual process. But there comes a time when you start to give meaning: what do I see here now and what does that mean? For example, if ‘cooperation’ is your highest criterion, you will judge differently than if you consider ‘healthy struggle’ important. It is therefore important to have your own criteria and beliefs clear, because they determine the meaning you give.
The fourth position as an attitude to life
If you practice that fourth position often, it will eventually become second nature. Events in my environment, in Europe, at world level, I naturally view them from the fourth position. And preferably from the highest level, that of the Blue Marble. This provides special insights. Once you see the connections and the cause-effect chains, the dynamics at play, you see those patterns keep recurring. I often think: if I can see this, why don’t others see it and act on it? These are the situations where I start to feel powerless and despondent. It’s beyond my control, so I just have to let go. But because of my great commitment to our earth as a safe ‘home’ for everyone, I often find that difficult. The question: ‘what contribution can I make to change that?’ helps to get back down to earth. Perhaps you can call that wisdom?
Conclusions
The essence of the model of perception positions is that it offers you multiple perspectives to develop insights and perspectives for action. The fourth position adds a broader perspective by being able to zoom out and thus increasingly visualize the bigger picture and the greater coherence. This allows you to investigate the dynamics in order to arrive at a more ecological perspective for action. In these times of growing inequality, increasing polarization and agitation, this is an ability that each of us should be able to use to achieve positive and ecological changes, both privately and in organizations.
Developing the fourth position
Start by formulating your question. What do you want to investigate using the perceptual positions?
Step 1. Explore first, second and third positions.
Mark the four positions in the room.
Recall a concrete situation that is characteristic of your question.
Who are the core players here?
Place it in the space around the second position using pieces of paper.
Explore first, second and third positions by associating in those positions consecutively.
Step 2. Fourth position basic level 1
Step to fourth position. Become aware of the system that you see before you. Embrace the system, look at it with love, with an open mind: ’there is what there is’. See yourself there in that system.
Ask yourself the following questions:
What is going on in this system?
Who else has influence on this?
What is its effect on members of the system?
Which (external) forces act on this system?
What are the consequences, also on the bigger picture of the entire organization?
Who has the problem here? Who should have it?
What dynamics are at play in this system?
What am I doing there that maintains that dynamic?
Step 3. Fourth position level 2 and 3
Zoom out further. For example, imagine you are a drone, you take off further, you expand your view. Other systems involved come into view. You become aware of the intertwinings. Some key players possibly stand out. You observe, see the connections.
What is going on in this larger system?
What connections do you see, what patterns are unfolding?
What dynamics are at play in this larger system?
What are the consequences for the bigger picture?
What are the consequences for the ‘lower’ systems, how are they influenced by these patterns?
Step 4. Fourth position level 4
Zoom out further. You ascend even further, you expand your view even more. The systems are becoming more abstract, as are the key players, who may turn into institutions. You observe, see connections, feel connections, gain insights into how it works.
What is going on in this even larger system?
What connections do you see, what patterns?
What dynamics are at play in this larger system?
What are the consequences for the even bigger picture in the longer term?
What are the consequences for the ‘lower’ systems, how are they influenced?
If it is important to your question, repeat step 4 and go to level 5 or further until you reach the Blue Marble. If that works for you, you can zoom out even further until you include the entire universe.
If it is important to your question, repeat step 4 and go to level 5 or further until you reach the Blue Marble. If that works for you, you can zoom out even further until you include the entire universe.
Step 5. Back to first position
Step back to the first position and become aware again of the question you started with.
Within which larger dynamics does your issue occur?
What do they mean to you?
What can you do within those dynamics?
Who should you involve and how?
What limitations have you discovered, what do you have to accept and let go of?
Essay: The power of zooming out
Geplaatst op: 29 januari 2025 door Mieke Laarakkers
De operationele ad-hac-val
The ‘extended’ fourth perceptual position
By Guus Hustinx
Introduction
The perceptual positions, in addition to the logical levels, form the basis of all my professional NLP actions in organizations. The fourth perception position is a relatively new branch of the NLP family (added by Robert Dilts) that in its potential and scope rarely receives the attention it deserves. This position proves to be of enormous value, especially in these turbulent times. The fourth position allows us to zoom out and see the larger connections and coherences from a broader perspective. And that is necessary to move from ad hoc solutions to ecological, long-term solutions.
The four perceptual positions briefly characterized
First position: associated in yourself, self-interest, beliefs, criteria, boundaries, emotions. Quality: (decisive) strength
Second position: associated in the interests, beliefs, criteria, boundaries, emotions of the other. Quality: empathy
Third position: associated in a neutral observer, effects of the interaction between self and other. Quality: reflectivity
Fourth position: associated in the larger system, encompassing the system, view of the dynamics in the system. Quality: wisdom and ecology
There is a natural order: start in first, then move to second, third and fourth position, and then back to first position to translate the insights from the other positions into action.
Ad hoc: stuck in the first position
I have been visiting organizations for years and see that the fourth position is, to put it mildly, moderately represented. The issues of the day, extinguishing fires, all too often prove to be leading. Those organizations are stuck in what I call the ad hoc trap: stuck in first position and the short term. In that pattern there is no time and energy to pause and zoom out to see the bigger picture and thus arrive at structural solutions. Of course, if it burns you have to extinguish the fire. But if fires keep breaking out, it is wise to investigate how it can occur each time and to structurally solve the underlying mechanism. That requires fourth position.
A closer look at the fourth position
A director who had learned to take this position put it as follows: “I no longer see what ’they’ do to me, but what ‘we’ create together. That is quite confrontational. At the same time, I am no longer a victim, because I can see what we can do differently and better. That gives energy. And I also now understand the limitations and that gives realism. I comprehend better and better how the entire system works and see the patterns that we create ourselves.”
The fourth position therefore represents zooming out to get a view of the larger system. But how far do you zoom out? From systems theory we know the concept of different system levels. You can see an example of this in the image above. As you zoom out, the complexity increases and at the same time your sphere of influence decreases. How you define those system levels, and how many ‘levels’ you distinguish, is also depending on your focus. An ecologist or political scientist will distinguish different levels than I do as an organizational coach.
An example
If, as a manager, you have to get a team that is functioning poorly back on its feet, you can zoom out from the individual level – the quality and performance of the individual team members – to the entire team as an entity, including the team leader and yourself. This way you can see what is going on there in the interaction with each other and with the immediate environment: basic fourth position. The complexity is manageable and you have the tools to tackle it from your formal position and your personal qualities. This level is largely within your control.
If you zoom out further to a higher system level, level 2, you see that other teams and the board play a role in the functioning of that team. That is becoming more complex and the functioning of that larger system is mostly beyond your control. If you zoom out even further, to level 3, you see the cutthroat competition going on in the branche, and its influence on the entire organization and on your team. More complex and even less within your control.
Zoom out even further, to an even higher system level, level 4, and you see that the economic system is the engine of the battle in the market. Instead of innovating and becoming more sustainable, you are in a ‘race to the bottom’. That engine, the economic system, is completely beyond your control.
Yet it can be very good to zoom out that far, in order to develop an awareness of how the dynamics in your team are influenced by that bigger system. It makes you milder, you can look at the struggles of your team members with more compassion and see a different approach. The central question is: what can you do within this dynamic? What is within your control and what is beyond it? Who are the key players in this issue and how can you involve them?
The question is leading
How far you zoom out mainly depends on your question. If your question concerns developing a perspective for action, then zooming out to level 1 or 2 is usually sufficient to avoid the ad hoc trap. If you want to gain insight into the larger dynamics, for example because you want to develop long-term policy, then zooming out to level 4 and possibly even further, level 5, the earth as a whole, is a good idea. It is always important to make the movement in the perceptual positions from first to fourth position and extend to which level you want to go, and then back to first position, because only there can you convert your insights into actions that are within your control.
The Blue Marble
Several astronauts who saw this beautiful image from space stated that this image was a tipping point in their lives. They felt that from that moment on they could no longer do or undertake anything without asking themselves what their actions meant for our planet as a whole.
Jón Kalman Stefánsson wrote in a short story in the Volkskrant about our ‘home’, the earth, the following: “There are politicians who bring us the enemy and present themselves as savior. (…) They all hate the photo of the Blue Marble. This threatens their claim that humanity is divided into ‘us’ and ‘others’.”
Examine your beliefs
You have zoomed out and see the connections. Observing without judgment can prevent your beliefs from working as filters during the perceptual process. But there comes a time when you start to give meaning: what do I see here now and what does that mean? For example, if ‘cooperation’ is your highest criterion, you will judge differently than if you consider ‘healthy struggle’ important. It is therefore important to have your own criteria and beliefs clear, because they determine the meaning you give.
The fourth position as an attitude to life
If you practice that fourth position often, it will eventually become second nature. Events in my environment, in Europe, at world level, I naturally view them from the fourth position. And preferably from the highest level, that of the Blue Marble. This provides special insights. Once you see the connections and the cause-effect chains, the dynamics at play, you see those patterns keep recurring. I often think: if I can see this, why don’t others see it and act on it? These are the situations where I start to feel powerless and despondent. It’s beyond my control, so I just have to let go. But because of my great commitment to our earth as a safe ‘home’ for everyone, I often find that difficult. The question: ‘what contribution can I make to change that?’ helps to get back down to earth. Perhaps you can call that wisdom?
Conclusions
The essence of the model of perception positions is that it offers you multiple perspectives to develop insights and perspectives for action. The fourth position adds a broader perspective by being able to zoom out and thus increasingly visualize the bigger picture and the greater coherence. This allows you to investigate the dynamics in order to arrive at a more ecological perspective for action. In these times of growing inequality, increasing polarization and agitation, this is an ability that each of us should be able to use to achieve positive and ecological changes, both privately and in organizations.
Developing the fourth position
Start by formulating your question. What do you want to investigate using the perceptual positions?
Step 1. Explore first, second and third positions.
Step 2. Fourth position basic level 1
Step to fourth position. Become aware of the system that you see before you. Embrace the system, look at it with love, with an open mind: ’there is what there is’. See yourself there in that system.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Step 3. Fourth position level 2 and 3
Zoom out further. For example, imagine you are a drone, you take off further, you expand your view. Other systems involved come into view. You become aware of the intertwinings. Some key players possibly stand out. You observe, see the connections.
Step 4. Fourth position level 4
Zoom out further. You ascend even further, you expand your view even more. The systems are becoming more abstract, as are the key players, who may turn into institutions. You observe, see connections, feel connections, gain insights into how it works.
If it is important to your question, repeat step 4 and go to level 5 or further until you reach the Blue Marble. If that works for you, you can zoom out even further until you include the entire universe.
Step 5. Back to first position
Step back to the first position and become aware again of the question you started with.
Categorie: Artikelen, Featured, Publicaties Tags: artikel, lange termijnoplossingen, mindset, NLP, NLP in organisaties, organisatiedynamiek, organisatieverandering, systeemdynamiek, uitzoomen, waarnemingsposities
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