Workgroup Sessions
Teachers’ Workshop
Durbanville, 21st / 22nd August, 2009
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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Participant introductions
• Introduce yourself to a new person every time the music stops.
• Tell them what your interest in this weekend is.
• Tell them what your hopes and expectations are.
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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EDGE
REASONS for not crossing the edge in the form of real or perceived
internal and external messages cause the anxiety
Increased ANXIETY as the individual approaches or is pushed towards or over
and edge.
SUPPORT AND CONTAINMENThelps the individual over the edge
EDGE SYMPTOMS in the form of anxiety and defense mechanisms appear.
The “EDGE” is something that is hard to do, to say, to feel, to think, or to look at.
Mindell’s concept of the edge
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Edge symptoms
DEFENSE MECHANISMS
Denial
Withdrawal
Aggression
Humour
ANXIETY SYMPTOMS
Dry mouth
Racing heart
Going blank
Sore stomach
GENERAL SYMPTOMS
Odd or unusual behaviour
Cycling
Mixed messages / incongruities
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Edge discussion
In groups of four:
Discuss what some of your edges may be for this weekend.
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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Communication
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Communication Exercise
Source of photograph: www.sifatipp.de
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Communication Exercise - Debrief
Source of photograph: www.stille-post.de
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Listening
Ignoring• You ignore communication by rejecting it (e.g. interrupting someone mid-sentence, playing
around with pen and paper or computer, writing text messages, suppressing the words of the speaker with own mental chatter…
• Ignoring someone is a way of exercising power over them.
Controlling & Projecting
• Sometimes the way we look at someone, our body language, sounds we make or hierarchical position controls the way others communicate with us.
• Sometimes we hear what others tell us through a filter of previous judgements and decision. Whatever is communicated reinforces these judgements.
Empathising
• Empathy requires observing the world from the speaker’s point of view.
• You don’t just hear the open content of communication, but also the intent on which this communication is based. (WHY?)
• Great communicators stand out by their ability to listen to the way their words are “taken” while they speak.
• They hear themselves with the ears of others.
Mastery
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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Communities of practice or “workgroups”
Members of a community are informally bound by what they do together and by what they have learned through their mutual engagement in these activities. A community of practice is different from a community of interest or a geographical community, neither of which implies a shared practice. A community of practice defines itself along three dimensions:
It is a joint enterprise as understood and continually renegotiated by its members
There is mutual engagement that bind members together into a social entity
It produces a shared collection of communal resources that members have developed over time.
© Etienne Wenger, 1998
We will refer to communities of practice as workgroups
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Communities of practice or “workgroups”
Move into groups of 5 and consider the following question:
How would it be useful for you to work in a group of teachers to develop curriculum material? Note your answers on cards, one per card.
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Debrief, feedback and questions
Good morning!!!
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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Self-organising principles
Self-organising principles are governed by “attractors” at their centre. These are central values, beliefs or other psychological forces which determine the self-organising principles that emerge around them. Attractors evoke the same behaviour in different people.
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Self-organising principles continued
An individual’s identity is closely linked to the self-organising principles that guide their behaviour. Individuals identify with values and activities that are similar to their own internal drivers and once they identify with them, their passion is evoked.
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Self-organising principles continued
If you think about everything you have seen so far about the
Siyavula project and the Connexions website, what is the one thing that would make you want to start or join a
Connexions workgroup?
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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Group dynamics – Mindell’s concept of rank
E
D
G
E
E
D
G
E
Will eventually resort to sabotage
Will comply temporarily
Passive aggressive behaviour
This group makes decisions
Will seek support
Individuals or groups with less or no rank
Individuals or groups with more rank
Feedback blocked by the edge
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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We take this opportunity to wish everyone who started fasting today Ramadaan Mubarak. May Allah’s strength and
guidance accompany you through this blessed month.
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Group dynamics – roles in workgroups
Critic Leader
Peacemaker
Clown
Excitement
EnvyMother
DisturberSaboteur
Teacher
Expert
Victim
Functional
Political
Psychological
Emotional
The context and the task of the group will determine the roles required by the group. There are four different types of roles:
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Group dynamics – roles discussion
Move into groups of 5 and consider the following question:
Think about the different roles that will be needed and possibly emerge in workgroups. Include as many of the different types of roles as possible. Examples are given below:
Functional: Co-ordinator
Political: Leader, follower
Psychological: Critic, supporter
Emotional: Excitement, anticipation, irritation
Write each role on a card.
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Group dynamics – roles discussion
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Exercise – 2 Truths, 1 Lie
• Sit with someone you do not know yet.
• 1 partner tells the other 2 things about themselves that are true and 1 that is not true.
• Swap, so that 2nd person can tell first person 3 things about themselves (2 truths, 1 lie).
• Clear up the mystery and chat about it.
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Stereotypes
As human beings we sort people we meet for the first time into categories immediately. A “stereotype” is helpful when it is:
• Consciously held
• Descriptive rather than evaluative
• Accurate
• The first best guess
• Modified
Rather than pretending not to stereotype it is essential for working across differences to become aware of our stereotypes and learn to set them aside when faced with contradictory evidence!
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PerceptionPerception
Parochial
“Our way is the only way.”
Parochial
“Our way is the only way.”
Ethnocentric
“Our way is best.”
Ethnocentric
“Our way is best.”
Synergistic
“Leveraging our ways and their ways may work
best.”
Synergistic
“Leveraging our ways and their ways may work
best.”
• Diversity has no impact on organisations.
• Diversity has no impact on organisations.
• Diversity causes problems for organisations.
• Diversity causes problems for organisations.
• Diversity leads to both problems and advantages for organisations.
• Diversity leads to both problems and advantages for organisations.
StrategyStrategy
• Ignore the impact of diversity on organisations.
• Ignore the impact of diversity on organisations.
• Minimise the sources and impact of diversity on organisations.
• Minimise the sources and impact of diversity on organisations.
• Train people to recognise and use differences to create advantages for the organisation.
• Train people to recognise and use differences to create advantages for the organisation.
Most Likely Consequences
Most Likely Consequences
• Problems occur but they are not attributed to diversity.
• Problems occur but they are not attributed to diversity.
• People reduce problems by reducing diversity.
• They ignore or eliminate potential advantages.
• People reduce problems by reducing diversity.
• They ignore or eliminate potential advantages.
• Groups benefit from the advantages of diversity.
• Some problems remain and must be managed
• Groups benefit from the advantages of diversity.
• Some problems remain and must be managed
FrequencyFrequency
• Very common• Very common
• Common• Common
• Less common• Less common
Source: adapted from Adler (2002), p. 114.
Strategies for Managing Cultural Diversity
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1. Introduction and getting to know each other
2. The edge concept
3. The importance of listening
4. Communities of practice or “workgroups”
5. Self-organising principles
6. Introduction to group dynamics
7. Group dynamics continued
8. Establishing and maintaining workgroups
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The membership of workgroups
Membership is voluntary. Members will stay involved if the central organising principle of the workgroup is clear, all contributions are invited and supported, and group dynamics are not allowed to take precedence over the organising principle.
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The leadership of workgroups
Leadership of emerging voluntary groups must have intrinsic legitimacy – in other words they must be lead from the inside, rather than be controlled from the outside. Most importantly, leadership should be shared.
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Self-Leadership
Self-leadership can be defined as the process of influencing oneself to establish the self-direction and self-motivation needed to perform.
This means getting oneself from passive mode to active mode, going on a purposeful journey.
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The leadership of workgroups
1. The day-to-day leadership provided by those who organise activities
2. The classificatory leadership provided by those who collect and organise information in order to document practices
3. The interpersonal leadership provided by those who weave the community's social fabric
4. The boundary leadership provided by those who connect the community to other communities
5. The institutional leadership provided by those who maintain links with other organizational constituencies, in particular the official hierarchy
6. The cutting-edge leadership provided by those who shepherd "out-of-the-box" initiatives.
7. The inspirational leadership provided by thought leaders and recognized experts
© Etienne Wenger, 1998
Different leadership roles in workgroups:
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Stages of development of workgroups
© Etienne Wenger, 1998
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Good workgroup practices
What would you consider as good group practices to ensure
the creation and sustainability of Connexions’ Workgroups? Write your ideas on cards.
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Good workgroup practices
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What next?
If you would like our support for a new or existing workgroup, we would love to hear from you.
Contact:
Neels at [email protected]
082 334 3259
Quinton Davis at [email protected]
or
If you want to give more feedback or ask questions:
Contact: Mark Horner at [email protected]
Helene Smit at [email protected]
Layo Seriki at [email protected]