Module: Acknowledging Perspective

It is easy to go through the motions, we are very much creatures of habit, whether we realize it or not. We have our routines and our need for structure, even the most free-spirited person has some kind of tendency. What we also need is an open-mind, each of us has our own unique perspective.

One thing we must do in order to improve camaraderie and teamwork is to be willing to acknowledge other perspectives.

A good leader will make sure their team members all have an opportunity to share their views and ideas openly.  When people acknowledge different perspectives, it helps to create a more cooperative environment. It also means team members will be more likely to put their all into a project, because they have felt like they have felt included in the process. This could be anything from scheduling regular roundtable discussion to making sure you send personalized emails to your employees. Be authentic.

A sociocultural perspective is a theory used to describe awareness of circumstances surrounding individuals and how their behaviors are effected specifically by their surrounding, social and cultural factors. (Sanderson, Catherine A. Social Psychology. 2010. Hoboken, NJ:Wiley.)

You’ll need:

• White boards or sheets of poster paper
• Markers
• Buckets, baskets or bins (to hold various materials)
• Materials for problem solving – duct tape or painter’s tape, rubber bands, aluminum foil, building blocks, bendy straws, toothpicks, marshmallows, dried spaghetti, marbles, paper towel rolls
• Different types/sizes of weights (could be a ping pong ball, tennis ball, baseball, or something else that has varied weights)
• A table fan or standing fan

Activity:

Split your group into equal teams by having folks count off numbers, this will hopefully have people working with someone new.

There are two mindsets that pertain to perspective. Fixed and Growth.

• Write down examples of a “Fixed Mindset” on one side of the paper.
• Write down examples of a “Growth Mindset” on the other side of the paper.

Next, present a scenario which provides a problem that needs to be solved with materials at hand. An example is below, tweak it as you see fit.

• Build a 3-D structure that can stand unassisted.
  • See which team has the tallest standing structure
  • Then ask the team if their building can hold something like a ping pong ball, a tennis ball, a baseball (Give them five minutes to think through the scenario and add things to the structure if needed)
  • Next, ask the team if their structure can withstand wind (Give them five minutes to think through the scenario and add things to the structure if needed)
• If your teams have a longer period of time to build something, increase the difficulty by having them build a structure which will allow a marble to travel through it, long is their structure, does it have loops?

Discussion Questions:

1. What does openness mean to you? How do you demonstrate openness? (To jog the thought process, consider mentioning that this can be an openness to opinion, as well as an openness to learning, trying something new, etc.)
2. Did your team run into any significant issues when faced with the structural challenges?
3. How does acknowledging perspective help with problem solving?

Related Articles:

How To Be Efficient With Your Personal Acknowledgement – Forbes.com

Your attitude is more important to your success than your IQ – BusinessInsider.com