Class Session 6 Oct 5 2009

Flash Player 9 (or above) is needed to view presentations.
We have detected that you do not have it on your computer. To install it, go here.

more share options
Embed For WordPress.com

Without related presentations

Ito understand what goes on inside the head and how this affects overt behavior, we need a simplifying model lof processes that are actually very complex. The reason our intraspsychic processes are so complex is because our central nervious system is simultaneously a data-gathering system, a processing system, and a system that manages our emotional and psychomotor responses. We do 4 things in response to a new stimulus or event: we Observe what’s going on by taking in information as data; we react to what we experience at an emotional as well as cognitive level as we instantly process the data coming in by analyzing and making judgments about it based on what we think and feel, and we behave overtly … that is we take action in the form of an intervention. All action can be considered an intervention into the business of human communication. On paper, the simplest form of this process appears very linear and logical, but it is anything but~ Instead, a more complex depiction of what really happens is presented in your text by Schein. Presumably, observation should be the accurate registering through all of our senses of what is occurring in the external environment. We hear, smell, touch, taste,and feel as we make an observation about what is occurring. In reality, we do not perceive accurately. Instead, all of our perceptions are filtered through a complex medium of previous experiences in the world. Think of some kind of mesh screen that the current experience has to travel through in order to be perceived by the brain. Your mesh screen is different from mine, and different from anyone else’s in the world, because each of us has “constructed” our filters with each and every experience that has occurred since the time of our birth. We have learned different things from the experiences we have had based on the reactions and actions of those around us who have been significant influences in our lives, our parents, teachers, caretakers, others who have influenced how we interpret what happens through experiences we have. This sensemaking process occurs continuously so we are continually adding to our frames of reference for dealing with the world. By the time we reach adulthood, we have a pretty complex filtering system that allows us to see life in a certain way, based on what experience has taught us from before. This is why it is so difficult for adult to learn to “re-perceive the world.” In order to change meaning structures we’ve accummulated, we must literally “transform” or change them, and changing the way we think, perceive, belief, assum, etc. is very difficult and often a painful re-orientation process for an adult. The fact remains that we “see” what we expect or anticipate based on what prior experience has taught us to see or expect. We block out all other incoming information if it does not fit with our expectations, preconceptions, and judgments. We do NOT passively register information like a computer being programmed. Our interpretation systems largely remain intact. Psychoanalytic and cognitive theory tells us how extensive perceptual distortion can be. The defensive mechanisms of denial (refusing to see certain categories of information as they apply to ourselves) and projection (seeing in others what is actually operating in ourselves) are examples. To learn to observe, then, is to learn about and overcome the traps to which a history of experience and learning has exposed us. The consultant cannot deal with reality if he or she cannot clearn to perceive accurately what is going on, and that means becoming highly self-aware of own’s own predispositions, stereotypes, and preconceptions. (How? Feedback from caring others to reduce our blind spots and understand ourselves. i.e. NTL workshop on Self-awareness and being: The importance of self in the influence process. Other examples: 360 degree feedback on your interpersonal communications, how you lead, how you interact with others; an authentic consulting partner is invaluable on helping you reduce distortions in your own thinking. Reactions: Most of us are very unaware of our own emotional states, so accustomed are we to processing information at a rational, logical level. We either deny our feelings or we override them and move straight into judgements and actions. We’ve learned now to let feeling influence our judgments. Paradoxically, we often end up acting most on our feelings when we are least aware of them. Schein talks about how we can’t manage what we are not aware of . The skill here is learning to identify our true feelings and what triggers them and then we can exercise choice in whether or not to give in to them. It’s not impulsiveness that gets us in trouble, it is acting on impulses that we don’t readily understand within ourselves. The big issue with feelings is getting in touch with them, finding ways of recognizing them so we can increase our opportunities to exercise choice. Block encourages us to use feelings as an important indicator of how well the contracting process is going. Create list of feeling words. Judgment: We are constantly analyzing data, evaluating, and making judgments. The capacity to plan ahead and to organize our actions according to plan is one of the most critical aspects of human intelligence. But our analysis is flawed if the data upon which it is based is biased or distorted. If the data we are operating on is misperceived or our feelings are distorted, then our analysis and judgments will also be flawed. The most impt implication for consultants is to recognize from the outset that our capacity to reason is limited and that we can our decisions are only as good as the data upon which they are based. The decision to act, to intervene can be based on faulty perceptions, inappropriate emotional reactions, and flawed cognitive analysis. What’s the most dangerous part of the ORIJ cycle? Observation. Incorrect initial observations and the subsequent flawed interpretation of them is what gets us in trouble.

Nothing is more dangerous to the person with a problem than to have a help humiliate her by signaling that the problem is trivial or that it reflects the other person’s competence. Clients are vulnerable!

Favorites, Groups & Events

Class Session 6 Oct 5 2009 - Presentation Transcript

Class Session 6 ADLT 610 Understanding Intrapsychic Processes and and Face-to Face Dynamics in Consulting
Agenda for Monday, Oct 5
- Check in on consulting project pairs
- Understanding cultural rules of communication and the internal communication process
- Discussion: “ When Consultants and Clients Clash”
- Re-contracting between Kellogg-Champion and The Statler Group
Six Functions of Human Communication
- To get our needs met
- To figure others out
- To make sense of ambiguous situations
- To gain advantage
- To build collaborative relationships
- To express and understand ourselves
Basic ORJI Cycle Observation (O) Emotional Reaction (R) Judgment (J) Intervention (I)
The ORJI Cycle Observation Reaction, Emotional Response Judgment, Cognitive Analysis Decision to Act Intervention External Event Filtering Process Affects Expectations New External Event Misperception trap Inappropriate Emotional Response Analysis based on Incorrect Data Intervention based on Incorrect Data
Schein’s Recommendations for Avoiding Traps
- Identify possible misperceptions
- Identify Our Own Emotional Response Biases
- Identify Cultural Assumptions in Judgment and Reasoning
- Use Systematic Checking Procedures
Cultural Rules of Face-to-Face Dynamics
- Social Justice
- Communication involves a fair exchange in reciprocal actions
- The Concept of “Face Work”
- Relationships depend upon mutual cooperation: we don’t humiliate another knowingly
What is your reaction to Part I, the expert analysis of “ When Consultants and Clients Clash” ?
The Merger of Kellogg & Meyer with Champion Securities
- Kellogg & Meyer
- Champion Securities
Stan Carpenter, CEO Tom Flynn, HR Director Greg Masters EVP, Marketing Russell Sanders, Branch Mgr Royce Kellogg, CEO John Tucker, SVP Marketing Brian Matsuo, Branch Mgr Mort Meyer, Deceased Carol Ludwig, HR Director George Gray, Senior Partner, Statler Group Susan Barlow Sr Consultant Amanda Roth Jim Russos, Jr Consultant