In our previous article we introduced you to Empathic Intervision as a new peer-to-peer structured method of interaction for groups working together to identify opportunities and co-create solutions. We described how it supplements intervision with the advantages of layered empathic capacities to aid deeper hearing of each other and consideration of each other’s perspectives.Today we continue by describing how intervision differs from supervision, how the intervision process itself works and how it contributes to well-being, personal growth, innovation and learning for individuals, organisations and groups.

How does intervision differ from supervision?

Both intervision and supervision are about vision, in that they address situations, challenges and problems to envision a preferred situation or outcome. However, with the prefix of inter- in place of super-, emphasis in intervision is on a multilateral exchange between peers or colleagues. There is a transverse, horizontal integration rather than vertical alignment of knowledge transfer. In intervision, suspicions around the influence of challenges discussed on job performance evaluations are no issue. Intervision is aimed at personal and team growth with the help of peers.

Supervision, on the other hand, is a hierarchical process that involves a supervisor meeting and interacting with a worker to review their work. It typically involves a manager offering developmental activities to employees. It also includes a monitoring and support component whereby a manager supports the worker to deal with complex situations and dilemmas. Supervision is commonly used in medical, psychological and social practice where it is considered essential for effective practice (Munson, 1981).

Typical components of Intervision Methods

Although many different methods exist to help structure intervision meetings, most of them go through similar phases. First, an incident, question, success story or problem is chosen as the focus of that specific meeting. The person introducing the issue explains, often with as much detail as possible, what is going on. Peers listen, and possibly take notes.

Then a round of clarification takes place. Peers try to clarify as much as possible all potential angles on the issue. A common way of doing this is to question the provider of the topic or to discuss amongst peers what they see as the issue at hand. Advice is never given. This round is meant solely for clarification and, if applicable, problem definition. Sometimes, this process needs to be repeated because aspects can still seem unclear.

The third phase entails a round of experience sharing. Peers share their own experiences and insights as well as possible behavioural alternatives. In this divergent phase, as many solutions, answers or suggestions as possible are gathered and centrally noted down.

The fourth phase returns the issue at hand to its introducer. This is a phase of reflection, possible clarification of suggestions, and the forming of a ‘plan of action’: a way for the person introducing the issue to reflect on all the suggestions provided and determine a way to move forward. Often, all people taking part in the intervision reflect back on the session and share what they themselves have learned from it. This can also include an evaluation of how people have worked together and one’s own contribution to the shared working.

Although the above-mentioned process might seem individualistic in nature, it does not have to be. Different methods highlight different aspects and ways of working. Important is that the topic discussed lies within the field of influence of the participants. I.e., not everyone within an organisation has the capacity to change the existing organisational culture. A more adapted question in that type of situation is how one can successfully work with or within it.

The benefits of Intervision

Intervision, and indeed Empathic Intervision, enjoys many characteristics and benefits:

Well-being

The intervision methods in general and the Empathic Intervision in particular create a feeling of connection amongst participants working together. The nature of the process strengthens their sense of belonging to the organization and group. It also facilitates a shared purpose, a common understanding and a common perception of value.

Personal growth

The structure of Empathic Intervision provides for reflection on self through self-empathy practice. Participants in the group are encouraged to learn to reflect on their own actions, become more aware of motives and take responsibility for the effects of their actions on others and on the work as a whole.

Innovation

The emphasis on shared expertise and experience and the promotion and engagement of diversity of roles, perspectives, expertise and experience provides a fertile ground for innovation. Empathic intervision encourages people to challenge their perspective, thus avoiding entrenching single realities. It provides the people in the group with a sounding board for their ideas. This diminishes groupthink while building cohesion and leads to a collaborative culture and collective responsibility.

Learning

Intervision enables a learning culture in your organization. The combined focus on work and learning practice ensures that what is learnt during training is implemented at work. Technical training is applied to complex situations and the supportive role of peers with diverse knowledge and experience means that someone else in the group is likely to have the practical experience to move things forward.

The process provides a platform to learn from, and with, colleagues. By giving and receiving feedback, you contribute to each other’s development and help each other to perform better at work. It leads to experiential learning as it gives you and the group access to alternative ideas, consequently helping to shift directions and test new approaches.

In the third article in this series, we will show how the benefits of intervision as discussed here, and the shortfalls of intervision as discussed next time, are respectively enhanced and addressed by using an Empathic Intervision practice. We will also position Empathic Intervision in modern organisational climates.

Empathy has gained a lot of traction over recent years in many professional sectors. The Businessolver State of Workplace Empathy Study (2019) demonstrates that leaders are in greater agreement than ever with their employees on the need for empathy in the workplace, yet crucial gaps remain between intentions and implementation. In order to bridge this gap, empathy practice needs to be understood, implemented, and studied. Walking the talk requires hands-on empathic skills.

This series of articles will introduce you to Empathic Intervision, a structured method of interaction for people working together, to identify opportunities and co-create solutions to challenges. We start off with a description of what is commonly known as intervision and we place the specific practice of empathic intervision within this organizational approach.

In the English language, intervision is not a term commonly used. As you get to know more about intervision, particularly in an organizational climate opening to co-creation, bridging of silos, human-centric practices, servant leadership and other strivings to dismantle traditional hierarchical power structures, you may wonder why not. The current series of articles will answer the questions: What is Intervision? How does it differ from supervision? Where and how is it applied? What are some of its characteristics? And why is it so relevant to our time? We will also address the issue of why empathy is particularly relevant as a capacity in intervision.

What Intervision is

Intervision is an organised conversation between people combining work with learning. It is a structured method according to which colleagues come together to handle situations, questions and problems with an intent to learn from each other, improve expertise and co-evolve new insights and outcomes, with regard to the issue at hand.

It is structured in that it provides a process within which colleagues are organized to address a predefined issue. It is not a free for all. A well-designed routine, managed according to time and content, offers valuable support for peers to address issues.

Another defining characteristic of intervision is that it is peer-to-peer. A group of colleagues embrace a combined diversity of knowledge, experience and skill. It serves to facilitate a range of colleagues to work and learn together. Intervision is frequently applied in a setting where a group of professionals, such as doctors, with either an individual, or a common professional challenge, come together to analyse work related issues. In business a group of managers or a team may establish a routine to analyse work related issues and to look for possible technical or interpersonal solutions or alternatives to behaviour.

Intervision has a dual purpose: improving work situations through common understanding and professional development, as well as learning through work related issues. Colleagues meet to explore and handle situations, questions or problems in a work context. Through a methodical exploration, colleagues learn from each other and rely upon their combined experience and knowledge to understand a situation from multiple perspectives.

While intervision is little known in English-speaking institutions, it is extensively applied in professional, business and learning institutions in the Netherlands and to a lesser degree in Belgium and France.

Empathic Intervision

Empathic Intervision supplements the advantages of intervision with layered empathic capacities that serve to strengthen engagement and encourage diversity amongst members of a group. This is always an advantage, and particularly useful where there are cultural differences or differences of opinion. Empathic capacities enable members to listen and hear each other’s deeper experiences, thoughts and feelings about a topic and to identify and consider the perspectives of the others in the group.

Empathic Intervision is guided by and aligned with the setting of collective intentions. An environment conducive to innovation and learning is cultivated to embrace confidentiality and the suspension of judgment by considering and contracting ethical responsibility. Participants useself-empathy to bring awareness to their own conscious, and hidden agendas, helping them to identify how they show up to meetings. A moment is taken to allow everyone to set a consciously chosenpersonal intentionthat aligns to the previously set collective intention. Reflective conversation ensures that the issues raised are fully heard and understood by each member of the group. Clarifying the experience of the speaker for both speaker and listeners. Imaginative empathyapplies imagination and acting to gain perspective on the multiple and diverse views in the meeting, to enable participants to renew their outlook on the issue at hand with a composite understanding of the multiple perspectives represented by the group.

In the following articles in this series we will look at the process of intervision itself. We will discuss how intervision differs from supervision and what the typical components of intervision are. We will discuss the benefits and shortfalls of the general intervision process and we will show how the benefits are enhanced and the shortfalls addressed with Empathic Intervision.