“We may not all agree about the concept of the Self; in fact, it would probably be a terrible thing

if we did. However,
we do believe that we can work towards a working language and a functional model to look at our Use of Self. ”

Doing Good By
Knowing Who You Are
The Instrumental Self as
an Agent of Change
By Charles N. Seashore, Mary Nash Shawver,
Greg Thompson and Marty Mattare

Use of Self for you is to decide
You believe you already understand how others perceive

T
HE MOST IMMEDIATE
whether to continue reading this article now that you have you
started out with us on a topic about which we feel pas-
You are not comfortable being a co-author of this article
sionate. The simplest way we know to talk about Use of Self is as the meaning you give to what you read is more signif-
to link the concepts of self-awareness, perceptions, choices and icant than what we have to say.
actions as the fundamental building blocks of our capacities to
You believe that Use of Self can make you blind!!!
be effective agents of change, hopefully to make a better world
and to develop our own potential for doing so to the fullest in the Please consider continuing IF you agree with 3 or more of
process. the following 5 points:
Are you still with us? Are you aware of what you are think-
You want to spend time at the intersection of your own
ing and feeling? Are you perceiving the world around you? Do growth and your effectiveness as a change agent
you think of and have access to a variety of choices that might
You are intrigued with what lies within your Shadow side
allow you to move into action intentionally, deliberately and con- and your Mushroom Cellar
sciously? We hope that you will choose to continue reading what
we have to say. It just might help you change the rest of your life CONFERENCE CONNECTION
– even a little bit – for the better!! However, we think you should Charles Seashore, Mary Nash
NOT consider continuing to read this IF you agree with more Shawver, Greg Thompson and
than 6 of the following 8 points: Marty Mattare are presenters

You think that Jung is a four letter word! at the 2004 OD Network Annual

The thought of the unconscious makes you throw up Conference in San Juan at the

You can’t stand looking at yourself in the mirror following session:

The idea of being choiceful is limited to the politically cor- 407W Exploring and Engaging
rect aspects of life. the Self: Interactive Models and

The main thing your are interested in changing is the Methods
Other Person Wed., Oct. 6, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm

42 OD PRACTITIONER | VOL. 36 | NO. 3 | 2004


You believe that you are as sensitive an Instrument as the functional model to look at our Use of Self. Such a model can
Hubble on a very good day. serve as an umbrella that allows us to incorporate interesting

You honestly believe it is wise to look at the prison guard propositions from a wide variety of outstanding authors in the
or interrogator within yourself before trying to hunt down field of human behavior, change agentry and humanistic psy-
those at work in Iraqi prisons or other similar settings in chology. Greek Gods fit nicely under the umbrella along with Toni
the world out there – IF you believe there is an out there! Morrison, Carl Jung, Carl Rogers, Virginia Satir, Ben Franklin

Self-Efficacy, Agency, Support Systems, Individuation and Gandhi. For that matter, there is no reason to not include
and Self-Differentiation, Unconscious, The Self, Ego, any person, including yourself, from joining the ranks of those
Awareness, and Robotic Behavior appeal to you at this who want to link concepts and theory to improve the human con-
moment more than A) going to the movies, B) sex, C) dition. One of the choices you have is to consider yourself as a
sleep or D) all of the above. scholar-practitioner helping to build a workable model of Use of
Self as an instrument of change.
Use of Self is a link between our personal potential and the
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD world of change. We are proposing a model here which gathers
together key factors which we know to be important in maintain-
Margaret Mead has said, “Never believe that a few caring ing and increasing our capacities as change agents. We hope
people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever that you will find it helpful as a framework you can adapt and fur-
have.” ther develop to articulate your own ideas for developing our
For some of us, Mead’s words evoke the passion, the urge competencies as we do our work.
and the belief that, by paying close attention to what is going on One function of a model is to help us define our key concept
inside us and clearly perceiving the limitless world beyond our – Use of Self. To avoid feeling stupid if someone asks what we are
Self, we can substantially increase our own capacity to con- talking about, you may find that the following elements can be
tribute to the common good while engaging in the process of strung together to form some kind of a working definition:
individuation and self-differentiation – the unfolding of our unique
Our model illustrates that the Use of Self is putting into
Selves over the course of our lifetime. action our best intentions to move towards some desired
We may not all agree about the concept of the Self; in fact, new state of affairs.
it would probably be a terrible thing if we did. However, we do
It is what we do with our perceptions to make an impact
believe that we can work towards a working language and a in the world around us.

Figure 1: T H E S E A S H O R E U S E O F S E L F M O D E L

SELF DIFFERENTIATION Self-

CONNECTING THE CONSCIOUS Efficacy
AND THE UNCONSCIOUS Agency
Support
Systems
Feedback
U DEFENSIVE
SELF
N Change
Intentions Agent
EVOLVING SELF
C Styles
C A
O SHADOW Patterns Deliberate
SELF o w Own growth
N SELF BEAUTIFUL n a Choices and
development
S Habits SELF
s r Whole Self Use of Development
C
Defenses c e Flow Self of others
LOST Needs i n Actualize Competence
SELF
I Optimal in Achieving
CREATIVE o e Objectives
O SELF
u s
Leadership
U
PERFORMING
s s Task
SELF
Facilitation
S ROBOTIC
SELF

Transference
Anxiety
External
Threats
Collusion

OD PRACTITIONER | VOL. 36 | NO. 3 | 2004 43

Doing Good By Knowing Who You Are: The Instrumental Self as an Agent of Change

It includes intentional conscious actions taken with the
The Self can be seen as a container for the unconscious
hope of bringing about change. to emerge into consciousnesses.

It involves a Self consisting of aspects that are out of our
And, the model advocates that there are many roles in
awareness as well as in our awareness. which we can serve as agents of change including taking

It includes a capacity for reflection, feedback and deep leadership, providing facilitation, coaching others and
intrigue with what happens when we try to influence prob- being an advocate for a new state of affairs.
lems, people or situations.

It reflects a profound appreciation for the unpredictability In this model, the Use of Self is a link between our personal
of the consequences of our behavior, balanced by the potential and the world of change. It starts with our understand-
perspective that we can be powerful and effective agents ing of who we are, our conscious perception of our Self, com-
of change. monly called the ego, and the unconscious or out of awareness

It implies an understanding that our Self is capable of part of our Self that is always along for the ride and on many
serving as a finely tuned measuring instrument of what is occasions is actually the driver. This understanding of Self is
going on outside of the Self by paying attention to our then linked with our perceptions of what is needed in the world
feelings, sensations and minute responses at the physio- around us and our choice of a strategy and a role in which to use
logical, psychological and spiritual levels of awareness. our energy to create change. Our focus here is on the potential

The model portrays that the Self may be a beautifully con- for changing one’s own world – the world as we perceive it – and
structed illusion that is helpful to be connected to the to act on it and leave our mark and legacy for others to appreci-
larger world of which we are a part. ate.
As we use our Self to create change in the world around us,
A UTHORS we may also be intentionally and unintentionally changing our-
selves. We refer to that process as self-differentiation or individ-
CHARLES SEASHORE, PhD, is currently on the faculty of
uation, to use the language of Jung, when the change in the core
Fielding Graduate Institute and American University. He Self occurs in some fundamental or substantial way. This self-
received his M.A. in sociology from the University of Col- differentiation is the result of the integration of conscious aspects
orado and his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the Univer- of Self with unconscious aspects which come into awareness. It
sity of Michigan. He has long been active in NTL and is generally thought to be a “letting go” of some introjected ele-
ODN. Charlie can be reached at [email protected]. ments from the past and the integration of one’s own unique set
of qualities and characteristics. The Self includes elements such
MARY NASH SHAWVER, MS, MEd, is a PhD student in as our needs, intentions, styles, patterns, habits and defenses.
the School of Human and Organization Development at Use of Self consists of intentional, conscious and deliberate
Fielding Graduate Institute. Mary holds master’s degrees choices which result in actions/behaviors taken to bring about
in Psychology from Longwood University and Education change where:
from James Madison University and works in the areas of
We use our sensations and perceptions of Self and
situations.
strategic planning, evaluation, training and coaching. Mary

Our behavior can be based on illusions as well as “reali-
can be reached at [email protected].
ties.”
GREG THOMPSON, MA, consults with attorneys and law
Both our conscious and unconscious parts of Self are
active and influential.
firms on emotional intelligence and performance feedback

Feedback from Self and others is constantly modifying our
solutions. His MA is in Organization Development, and he
behavior.
is completing a PhD at Fielding Graduate Institute. Greg

The results of our actions may be unpredictable as well as
can be reached at [email protected]. anticipated.

Our perception of the impact of what we do may or may not
MARTY MATTARE, MBA, is an instructor in the College of
be in agreement with the perceptions of others who are
Business at Frostburg State University and also consults
aware of the situation in which change is occurring.
with organizations on evaluation and organization develop-

We may or may not have clearly defined roles and posi-
ment. She is completing a PhD at Fielding Graduate Insti- tions in a relationship, group or organization.
tute. Marty can be reached at [email protected].
We can develop and draw on support systems to maintain
and dramatically increase our effectiveness.

We can avoid collusive relationships, especially with those
in authority, and help a group to break up dysfunctional col-
lusions which have evolved over time.

44 OD PRACTITIONER | VOL. 36 | NO. 3 | 2004

 Our competence and effectiveness are functions of many in which Use of Self has significant influence.
elements, including our self-efficacy, agency, skills and use of
support systems to optimize those two factors (see Table 1).
Self-efficacy as used here refers to our belief in our capacity to THE MODEL AND OD PRACTICE
successfully achieve desired ends. Agency refers to our ability
and capacity to act as our own agents in carrying out and imple- Among the many competencies required of OD practition-
menting our courses of actions. Agency and self-efficacy both ers (in 2004 the OD Network lists 141, and the OD Institute
draw heavily on the work of Albert Bandura. defines 139), the Use of Self as an instrument is considered by
Two critical process skills that promote the effective Use of many to be at the core (Cheung-Judge, 2001; Curran, Seashore
Self are reframing and giving/receiving feedback (Seashore, & Welp, 1995; Hanson, 2000; McCormick & White, 2000). Che-
Seashore, & Weinberg, 2001). These are core skills that are ung-Judge (2002) asserted that owning and constantly develop-
used in combination with both relational and technical compe- ing our instrumentality is key. Self-knowledge and technical
tencies. Reframing is critical in the management of change as it expertise should be ongoing developmental exercises that con-
allows for new perspectives and ways of organizing information stantly shape us, while we interact with others.
and perceptions, while feedback skills are critical for the contin- Hanson (2000) focused on definitions of Self and related
ual re-direction of efforts based on a constantly changing envi- concepts, such as self-esteem, ideal Self, self-actualization, self-
ronment of people, process and situations. awareness, and self-acceptance. He emphasized the signifi-
Support systems as defined by Seashore are a pool of cance of one’s actions being consistent with values, of being
resources (individuals, groups, organizations) that an individual proactive versus reactive, displaying moral courage, and being a
can draw on selectively, to help one be at their best in moving in model of leadership. Hanson encouraged engaging in consulting
directions of their choice and to grow stronger in the process. with a clear self-concept, an understanding of why we do the
Support systems can be used to provide ego support, understand things we do and do not do, and an appreciation of the values
“realities” of situations, identify expert resources, manage stress that guide our behavior.
and maintain self-efficacy and agency. They are also critical in McCormick and White (2000) presented five methods for
assisting an individual to deal with issues of transference, high using one’s Self as an instrument for organizational diagnosis:
anxiety and the presence of external threats, to name but a few emotional reactions, initial perceptions, understanding bias,
of the debilitating forces present for an active change agent, postponing judgment, and images and fantasies. They
leader, facilitator or educator involved in the development of other described the importance of Self as instrument in triangulation of
people or organizations. These are but four of the common roles data, and emphasized the necessity for awareness of one’s
biases.
Ta b l e 1 : S Y N T H E S I S O F T H E AT T R I B U T E S O F Seashore’s model provides a synthesized and cohesive
INTENTIONAL USE OF SELF: THE SEASHORE MODEL
model that draws on the above areas as well as many other
Agency Ability and capacity to act as one’s own agent practitioners and theorists over multiple years’ worth of literature,
in carrying out and implementing courses of research, and application. There are several implications of the
action Seashore Use of Self Model for those engaged in the practice of
OD. Some of the more important issues are identified below.
Giving & Continual re-direction of efforts based on a

Choices. The key to conscious, deliberate and inten-
Receiving constantly changing environment of people,
tional Use of the whole Self is to expand and develop the
Feedback process and situations
range of behavioral choices that are available to oneself
Reframing Allows for new perspectives and ways of for contributing towards the accomplishment of goals,
organizing information and perceptions; particularly in increasingly stressful situations. This
cultural competency
capacity to have a range of choices significantly reduces
Self-efficacy Belief in one’s capacity to successfully the negative effect of defensiveness or automatic
achieve desired ends “robotic” habitual behaviors that may or may not be
appropriate in any given situation.
Skills Communication, listening, goal-setting,
conflict management, team building, building
Unconscious and out of awareness factors. The com-
and maintaining effective relationships, plexities of working with the unconscious or out of aware-
stress management ness parts of the Self are often bothersome and in fact
are intolerable for those who prefer to stick to more
Support Pool of resources (individuals, groups,
rational models of human behavior. The mere acknowl-
Systems organizations), which an individual can draw
edgement of unconscious forces can be an important first
on selectively, to help one be at their best in
moving in directions of their choice and to step in enlarging possibilities of understanding another
grow stronger in the process person’s behavior, gathering and considering feedback
on one’s own behavior and making more realistic

OD PRACTITIONER | VOL. 36 | NO. 3 | 2004 45

Doing Good By Knowing Who You Are: The Instrumental Self as an Agent of Change

assumptions about the level of awareness individuals and whole framework is that when one perceives something
groups have of what they are doing, why they are doing “outside of Self” it is helpful to do an internal check to see
it and strategies for bringing some of these factors into what is being stirred up “inside of oneself.” When looking
awareness through coaching, feedback and group con- for or dealing with the “terrorists out there.” check first to
sultation. see if you can locate the “terrorist within.” Then you will

Systems thinking and the issue of undesirable out- be clearer on what, if anything, to do.
comes. The inclusion of many concepts and steps in the
Appreciation of Diversity. The deepening of one’s
model is a reminder that we are dealing with systems that awareness, widening of one’s perceptions and expansion
require the ability to juggle, predict and project the effect of one’s choices are critical elements to increase our
of interdependent and interacting forces. “Good” inten- appreciation of the differences people bring to oppor-
tions or “doing good” requires allowance for the emer- tunities to work together for some larger purpose or
gence of undesired outcomes. Learning to become aware vision. This is one avenue to reduction of oppression and
of early signs of the impact of “shadow” forces is a critical building a world where we can thrive rather than just sur-
part of the process, including making allowance for the vive.
possibility that we may actually be unconsciously sabo-
taging the very outcomes we consciously seek.

Working with colleagues. Partnering with colleagues CONCLUSION
through co-facilitation, co-training or team-based practice
and intervention becomes both more important and Use of Self is a concept that can draw on centuries of
potentially a more complex proposition with significant thought as well as recent theories and concepts in the fields of
implications for increased effectiveness. The potential for human and organization development. Developing a sophisti-
capitalizing on diverse strengths and competencies is cated and workable theory for how to use one’s own talents and
very important as well as building in the possibilities for strengths and that takes into account the complexity of human
ongoing self-development and avoidance of operating out behavior in groups and organizations can be a worthwhile, chal-
of one’s weakness or shadow sides. lenging and continuous lifetime learning process. Using one’s

Long term Self development. Deepening one’s appreci- Self in creative ways to optimize one’s own growth can be cou-
ation for the complexities of one’s own Self and the con- pled with effective Use of Self in helping individuals, groups and
ditions necessary for effective Use of Self can be a very organizations move towards achieving their own potential. To the
humbling experience as we become aware of some of the degree that OD includes valuing the development of the full
skill areas which may not be immediately accessible or potential of people inside the organization, a framework for
for that matter not likely to develop without significant and understanding the effective Use of Self can be a powerful
intensive Self work such as therapy, coaching and an instrument for the managers and consultants to use in building
inquiring and persistent drive for greater Self understand- strong, viable and sustainable organizations. It is not the sim-
ing. Patience and persistence are very, very important. plest way to go about our business, but it may be one of the most

Support systems. It is important for practitioners to intriguing, rewarding and powerful of the tools available to us. ■
develop their own support system outside of the people in
the client system if one is to be able to manage conflict,
challenge and resistance. Relying on the client for emo- REFERENCES
tional support or meaningful feedback is a very vulnera-
ble position to be in as a consultant. Cheung-Judge, M. (2001). The self as an instrument: A corner-

Frameworks and theories. Use of Self as an umbrella stone for the future of OD. OD Practitioner, 33(3), 11-16.
concept can be a very helpful framework in which to Curran, K. M., Seashore, C. N., & Welp, M. S. (1995, Novem-
import and utilize the theories and concepts of theorists ber). Use of self as an instrument of change. Proceedings of
and other practitioners in the service of developing one’s the Organization Development Network meeting in Seattle,
own working “theory” or conceptual model to guide one’s Washington.
practice. Hanson, P. G. (2000). The self as an instrument for change.

Projection and transference. A useful principle for all Organization Development Journal, 18(1), 95-105
practitioners to consider is to be able to perceive situa- McCormick, D. W. & White, J. (2000). Using one’s self as an
tions with the awareness that projection of oneself onto instrument for organizational diagnosis. Organization Devel-
others is inevitable, potentially useful and can even be an opment Journal, 18(3), 49-61.
accurate reflection of what is going on with others in the Seashore, C. N., Seashore, E. W., & Weinberg, G. M. (2001).
client system. What did you say? The art of giving and receiving feedback.

Reflexive processing. A principle coming out of the Columbia, MD: Bingham House Books.

46 OD PRACTITIONER | VOL. 36 | NO. 3 | 2004

Copyright © 2004 by the Organization Development Network, Inc. All rights reserved.