Using Kantor's Communication Framework in Leadership

When I assess team dynamics, I never ask “what’s your communication process?” Instead, I ask:   - Who gets to disagree here? - Who offers the ‘obvious’ idea? - Who names the elephant in the room? - And who pushes things forward when no one’s ready? These aren’t personality traits but team conversation roles. And David Kantor’s research shows that high-performing teams cycle through 4 roles in real-time conversations: 1. Initiator - proposes direction 2. Supporter - builds on the idea 3. Challenger - tests assumptions 4. Observer - brings perspective But here’s what’s not obvious: These roles are not titles, archetypes, or fixed styles. They’re functions and they only show up when the team culture allows them. And that’s where 🧠 team psychological safety comes in. When it's high: - The Challenger dares to disagree without fear of judgment - The Observer can name what others avoid without being dismissed - The Supporter feels safe amplifying ideas, not just agreeing - And the Initiator doesn’t dominate out of silence, but lead within dialogue Because effective team communication isn’t about being present in the room and talking. It’s about ensuring the right mix of roles (!) shows up at the right time. P.S.: Which of these roles is missing (or overused) in your team? 📊 Studies: Kantor, 2012; Edmondson, 1999.

In Reading the Room, David Kantor gives coaches and leaders a framework for what actually happens in any room - the moves we make, the meaning we create, and the emotions we stir. His core model, grounded in structural dynamics, categorizes every speech act into four action stances: ▪️ Move - a suggestion made by an individual to initiate action. ▪️ Follow - supporting the stance that someone else has taken. ▪️ Oppose - testing and challenging the action on the table. ▪️ Bystand - an expression of reflection on the actions being made, without acknowledging agreement or disagreement. Each of his four action stances, is then made within the domain or language of: ▪️ Power - action, authority, decision. ▪️ Meaning - data, logic, story-structure. ▪️ Affect - feeling, trust, relationship. Kantor shows how to choose the stance and domain the situation needs. If you coach leaders or lead teams, you might find this an interesting read.

Have you heard of Structural Dynamics Theory (SDT)? Developed by the late David Kantor, SDT is a model for how communication works (or doesn't) in human systems. While David's original work focused on family dynamics, his work evolved in looking at group dynamics in organisations. He worked closely with people such as organisational psychologist, Edgar Schein, to bring this to life. A key concept within SDT is the four-player model. The four-player model provides a framework for us to look at verbal 'actions' in a meeting. These can sometimes be hidden, so the model helps to surface these and helps us to decide the best 'move' to make to help the conversation. The model suggests there are four vocal 'acts' and all four are needed for an effective interaction: - MOVE where the intent is to give direction, introduce a new idea. E.g., "I think it's time we changed the finance system." - FOLLOW where the intent is to achieve completion, get behind others' ideas. E.g., "Good idea. I'm happy to help take that forward." - OPPOSE where the intent is to correct, push back and challenge weaknesses. E.g., "Do we have the budget for that at this time?" - BY-STAND where the intent is to get perspective, acting as bridge and connecting views. E.g., "I'm hearing that it's time to change the finance system but that more information is needed on budget. What do others think?" Each mode has positive intent but also a shadow side. See my sketchnote for more. This is a useful concept to help people in teams become more self-aware - identifying default patterns of behaviour and interaction. It can subsequently be used to help facilitate better listening, understanding and communicating. What do you think your default player mode is? I definitely flit between move and follow, depending on the context.