I believe facilitation is about 'trying to accept the correctness of others'

Recently, I have become a little afraid of re-reading things I wrote several years ago. That is because there is a stubborn version of myself in them, armed with logic to the point where no one could complain, pursuing an 'infallibility' that left no room for doubt. At the time, I was convinced that this was 'sincerity'.

However, behind that logical armor, I was harboring an irrepressible 'loneliness'. Why did I start to feel more lonely the more 'correct' I became?

I think the past five years at MIMIGURI have been a period of learning how to face others while breaking down my own protective shell.

A question that cannot be solved in one person's lifetime

I was in graduate school during the time when the whole world was enveloped in the unknown terror of the novel coronavirus. My research theme was, broadly speaking, 'research evaluation.' In particular, I was exploring the yardsticks for how to evaluate the results of 'practical research' that involves trial and error in the real world.

When my supervisor said that to me, I was thrilled, wondering if my research really carried that much 'weight.' In the end, I couldn't fully answer that question in my master's thesis, so I chose to join MIMIGURI, a company that also focuses on research, to gain a perspective that would allow me to deepen this inquiry.

At the time, I told Mr. Anzai and Mr. Tonan, who interviewed me, 'Please let me conduct a human experiment where I can balance practical work and research.'

The loneliness of being 'hard to understand'

For me at the time, moving to a private company, and by extension joining MIMIGURI, was like an experiment to test how far the perspectives I had gained in my research would hold up. However, soon after joining, I began to face various conflicts.

MIMIGURI is an organization overflowing with diverse talent. Facilitators, consultants, designers, engineers, creators, and others each have different backgrounds and operate with different aesthetics. When I wrote up outputs solidified by logic there, the feedback I received was, 'It's too long,' 'Use simpler words,' or 'Make it shorter.'

To be honest, I might have even felt something close to contempt at first. I thought that ambiguous, short, and soft writing for the masses was just 'words to trick people into feeling good' and was even harmful. Looking back now, I think that was a defensive reaction to having the rigor of the knowledge I valued treated lightly.

The more I produced logically armed documents to resist that, the more I felt the distance between me and those around me growing. I became obsessed with the idea that no one was interested in my work and that no one had expectations of me. I gradually felt loneliness welling up and began to feel the difficulty of working in an 'organization'.

Being correct alone does not move reality

When I was living in 'loneliness,' I was added to a project supporting a client company. This project happened to be related to the theme of 'knowledge management' that I had been working on since I started my career.

At first, as always, I thoroughly researched relevant research findings before meetings, prepared materials, and limited my speech to providing information only where there was evidence. However, as the meetings went on, I realized that the atmosphere was distant and my words were not resonating. Even though I was supposed to be the one who had studied the most diligently, reality was not moving at all.

Looking back now, what I was talking about was 'past knowledge,' and it seems it was not a conversation that led directly to the 'solution of the pain' they were facing at that moment. I thought that speaking about 'reliable knowledge that had been accumulated so far' was the utmost sincerity, but it was not the knowledge that a client facing real issues wanted.

Unable to make things go well and feeling cornered, I decided to discard what I had been using as my protective shell.

I took off my 'logical armor' and delivered words imbued with the warmth of my own 'I don't know' at that moment. The moment I made that declaration, a consciousness was born to stand on the other person's ground and try to communicate.

The framework that constitutes the value of a community's existence

Every expression has a framework of 'correctness' that has been cherished in the community that serves as the background for the person expressing it. Consultants, researchers, writers, rappers, poets, and so on.

And we sometimes standardize the frameworks we are accustomed to, and dismiss anything that falls outside of them as 'unacceptable.' Even more so, regarding the frameworks that others rely on,we reject them, saying, 'Why don't you understand when this way is better?'

It is natural to feel resistance toward frameworks that fall outside the 'standards' we have never encountered. However, behind that lies the values that person is trying to protect and the history they have built up. If you dismiss another person's framework because it doesn't suit you, you may end up trampling on the 'sanctuary' that the other person has spent their life protecting.

When I thought about it that way, I realized that those words given to me by my graduate school advisor might have containeda completely different meaningafter several years had passed.

At first, when I heard these words, I was intoxicated by the idea of how large-scale a mission I was taking on.

But thinking about it now, what is considered good research varies from researcher to researcher. Each has arrived at their perception of 'good research' through different life experiences. That is precisely why I realized,'I shouldn't have tried to fight with just my own life, but needed to engage in dialogue about the lives of individual researchers.'I hadn't understood anything at all.

And a change of heart occurred within me. I set aside the premises I had used as a shield until now and tried to view the world from the other person's perspective.I tried listening to the background of their life—what they value and why they have adopted that framework of 'correctness' based on that.

I believe facilitation is about 'trying to accept the correctness of others'

MIMIGURI is a 'facilitation consulting firm.' We define facilitation as'a collective term for methodologies that support collaborative inquiry by resolving discrepancies caused by adaptive challenges.'

I think that even in my past, the framework of 'correctness' that I had cultivated and learned before joining the company was causing discrepancies with the frameworks that others relied on.

In the five years I have spent exploring 'facilitation,' if I were to reinterpret facilitation in my own way, I think I could say it is'creating a state of inquiry with others through the experience of setting aside one's own 'framework of correctness' and accepting the 'framework' of others.'

Being alone provides a sense of security because you can stick to your own 'correctness.' But in exchange, a loneliness arises from the absence of others. To satisfy that'hunger to encounter others,'I set aside the framework of correctness I rely on and experimentally try to accept the frameworks of others.

Of course, I think a way of life that sharpens the framework of correctness you value is also noble and wonderful. If the me from five years ago saw me, he might laugh and say I've 'gone soft.' But I feel that I am much more broad-minded than I was back then, and my loneliness has diminished.

Even now, about once every six months, I sometimes unconsciously return to the framework I am accustomed to. Even so, I am becoming stronger in the belief thata process of tentatively accepting the premises behind another person's expertisemight lead to 'joys yet unseen.'

While maintaining a solid sense of self, let's begin a different journey

In your workplace, or perhaps even within yourself, are there any 'words that don't reach because they are too correct'? I would like to continue this experiment of 'trying to accept the frameworks of others' a little longer.

'Oh, I'm building a wall again.'
'I don't understand it at all, but it's exciting.'
'I don't know what's good about it, but let's give it a try.'

That is how I observe my own changes. The organization called MIMIGURI calls this act of daring to break down and reconstruct the self you once built[Inquiry], and we find it interesting in each other.

If you are currently feeling the limitations of the 'correctness' you rely on, or if you feel an indescribable 'loneliness' despite achieving sufficient results, then perhaps, just perhaps, this might be for you.

That timing might be as a new graduate, a second-time new graduate, or perhaps mid-career (in my case, it was as a new graduate, and the doors are open). I would be happy if those who read this article are reminded of the turning points in their careers so far.

I look forward to your casual interview request. I hope it becomes an opportunity where you can gain new insights like Ah, this is what I wanted to explore and envision a career you never expected.

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