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APM People Interest Network Conference - Tim Lyons - The neurological levels ....pptx

APM People Interest Network Conference 2025 -Autonomy, Teams and Tension: Projects under stress -Tim Lyons -The neurological levels of team-working: Harmony and tensions With a background in projects spanning more than 40 years, Tim Lyons specialised in the delivery of large, complex, multi-disciplinary programmes for clients including Crossrail, Network Rail, ExxonMobil, Siemens and in patent development. His first career was in broadcasting, where he designed and built commercial radio station studios in Manchester, Cardiff and Bristol, also working as a presenter and programme producer. Tim now writes and presents extensively on matters relating to the human and neurological aspects of projects, including communication, ethics and coaching. He holds a Master’s degree in NLP, is an NLP Master Practitioner and International Coach. He is the Deputy Lead for APM’s People Interest Network. Session | The Neurological Levels of Team-working: Harmony and Tensions Understanding how teams really work at conscious and unconscious levels is critical to a harmonious workplace. This session uncovers what those levels are, how to use them to detect and avoid tensions and how to smooth the management of change by checking you have considered all of them.

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Image goes here (image to fill entire white space) The neurological levels of team-working: Harmony and tensions Tim Lyons MA FAPM NLP Master Practitioner Deputy Lead, APM People Interest Network
The Neurological Levels Model Hierarchical model developed by early NLP founder Robert Dilts and based on work originated by eminent anthropologist and systems theorist Gregory Bateson in the 1970s. © 2025 Association for Project Management
The Neurological Levels Model © 2025 Association for Project Management 4 This model as developed by Bateson and Dilts proposes that people typically structure their thoughts, feelings and actions at six different levels, although often these are unconscious. These levels are hierarchical and highly connected. They govern much of the way we experience the world and what we do in it. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Where? When? What? How? Why? Who? For who/what else? Mission/Vision/Purpose (Beyond Identity)
How Neurological Levels work at the level of the individual © 2025 Association for Project Management 5 Making changes is relatively easy at the lower levels and becomes increasingly harder at the higher levels. The impact and effects of change are more intense at the higher levels. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Where? When? What? How? Why? Who? For who/what else? Ease of change Impact of change Transformational Transactional Mission/Vision/Purpose
What’s going on in the team at each level? © 2025 Association for Project Management 6 Our environment: the place and time we work in, the people we work with, the systems and tools we use. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Where we work When we do things What tools we use
What’s going on in the team at each level? © 2025 Association for Project Management 7 Our behaviours: What we do, our outward manifestation, how we are experienced by others, how others impact on us in our environment. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity We can do THIS here, now Our actions may change environment Our action may affect others (and each other)
What’s going on in the team at each level? © 2025 Association for Project Management 8 Our capabilities: How we do things, what we are able to do, our competencies, skills and training, what we are good at (and not good at!). Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity We can read the situation and know what to do We can choose the behaviours to use We have the competence and training
What’s going on in the team at each level? © 2025 Association for Project Management 9 Beliefs and values: Why we do things, what we hold important, our ethics, moral codes, belief systems. The driving force of a human… Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity It’s the right thing to do in this situation We have the authority to do this It’s what all of us want to do
What’s going on in the team at each level? © 2025 Association for Project Management 10 Identity: Who we are, what makes us individuals, the collections of characteristics that make me me and you you Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity We are a group that believes… We are a group that values… This is who we are…
What’s going on in the team at each level? © 2025 Association for Project Management 11 What we are part of, our calling. What I/we feel connected with or consider I/we belong to; our mission. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Mission / Vision / Belonging (Beyond Identity) The reason we do it is because of… Our ultimate goal or purpose is… We are all supporting… Lower levels support higher levels; Higher levels drive lower levels.
You can see these levels at work in the hierarchy of governance documents © 2025 Association for Project Management 12 Typically, an organisation will use certain key documents to define how it works, from the top to the bottom. These naturally fit into the organisation’s neurological levels. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Company prospectus Who we are Industry studies / Govt. reports Our vision and values Policies Quality and compliance Training and development Procedures Work Instructions Using our systems Behaviour in the workplace Office Guide
Where do we find tensions tend to arise? © 2025 Association for Project Management 13 Looking at the key questions that define each level – it is quite possible for team members to differ radically at certain levels. The areas where this can cause most ‘heat’ is where different interpretations / understanding are possible Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Where? When? What? How? Why? Who? Who/what else? Ease of change Transformational Transactional
What differences can cause behavioural tensions? © 2025 Association for Project Management 14 We are all different; we may have come from different backgrounds, cultures, organisations that all do things differently. It’s no surprise that what drives me could be different from what drives you. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Being brutally honest is a good thing Being polite to people gets best results I’ll do it MY way – no matter what others think… Helping colleagues is for wimps Getting the job done quickly is the only thing that matters Get to the office early every day I won’t stay behind to get the job done I’ll make sure this job gets finished well
What can cause tension around capability / competency? © 2025 Association for Project Management 15 There may be differing skill-sets in the team – can this be beneficial, or a drag on progress? How confident do you feel? Is everyone trained? Are guidelines clear? Is there enough budget? Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity I know what to do here – I’ve done it a million times I need to motivate [Y] to do more… We don’t have the training so we can’t do this First, I need to learn how to… They can’t expect us to do all that in the short time we have… We don’t have enough [X] in the team This should be do-able Maybe we could try… We don’t have the budget to do this…
Are there differences in beliefs and values? © 2025 Association for Project Management 16 We often bring our values with us – maybe you always ‘did it this way…’. Are there optimists or pessimists in the team? What could go wrong? What will go right? What’s important about doing this or that? Is it right or wrong…? Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity This is the right thing to do I don’t believe we can achieve this in time We can definitely do this easily This goes against all safety standards Getting this done will show how good the team is It would be wrong for us to go ahead This will mess up other areas of the project! We don’t have the delegated authority to do this
Does everyone feel part of the same (Id)entity? © 2025 Association for Project Management 17 If you feel part of ONE TEAM, everything is more harmonious. Differences at identity level can be serious generators of tension. But even co- located teams from participating organisations can create temporary identities that can help form a bond within the project team. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity I’m a SHARK I’m a JET I am not a person who does this We are [X] and [X] ALWAYS… I feel good about being a member of… We are [Y] and [Y] would NEVER…
It’s important to look IN THE RIGHT PLACE – or you may waste a lot of time © 2025 Association for Project Management 18 Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Where? When? What? How? Why? Who? For who/what else? Mission/Vision/Purpose
What to do if there are misalignments – at any level © 2025 Association for Project Management 19 Higher levels drive lower levels; lower levels support higher levels. If we don’t know what a person’s higher neurological motivators are, we can ask “What’s important about…[e.g. a behaviour]”; To find out where blockages occur we can ask “What stops you from… [e.g. believing you can do this]?” Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity What’s important about….? What stops you from….? Issues at all levels can have ‘one-to-many’ effects – they are not always ‘one-to-one’ Issues at any level can ‘punch through’ other levels to get their motivation CONVERSATIONS!
Worked example – chasing ‘what’s important about…’ up the levels © 2025 Association for Project Management 20 Ask “What’s important about…” questions and suggestions – to drive the conversation up to the higher levels. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity What’s the reason for chasing the team so hard each week for data? We told the sponsor we’d always have the report in on Fridays. Is it vital they get it on Friday? When do they read it and act on it? I’ll check with them and confirm when they actually need the information. Also why not check they’re happy with the content and format… Ok, and this will give us good feedback on how we’re performing as a team
Worked example – chasing ‘what stops us from…’ down the levels © 2025 Association for Project Management 21 Ask “what stops us from…” questions and suggestions – to uncover blockages at lower neurological levels. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity I don’t think we’ll make the gate review by next week – what’s holding us up? We can’t get in the risk team’s diary for 2 weeks, and nobody else has the right training. Can we get someone in our team briefed in time? I’ll see who can spare the time. But anyway, we can’t get the data from the system. If you can identify someone for the QRA, I’ll talk to IT. …and I’ll see if there’s any other data we need from the server at the same time.
This structure is always there, often unconscious, but always working! © 2025 Association for Project Management 22 Understanding this fundamental structure can go a long way towards uncovering the reasons that can cause tension in teams. Environment Behaviours Capabilities Beliefs & Values Identity Mission/Vision/Purpose
Some publications that cover Neurological Levels and how to use them © 20205 Association for Project Management 23 This is just a small selection….. Gregory Bateson: Steps to an ecology of mind Robert Dilts: From Coach to Awakener Joseph O’Connor: NLP Workbook Peter Parkes: NLP for project managers Martin Crump/Matthew Theobald: How to build an ark timlyons@gestionnaire.net or via the APM Community