Re: Team building videos LO2635

Michael McMaster (Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk)
Mon, 28 Aug 1995 18:30:17 +0000

Replying to LO2581 --

John's response to "storming, norming, etc" and the original offering
point to a distinction as important as the one John continually makes
between simple and complex problems. That is, first determing which you
are dealing with and then make choices about how to proceed.

"Storming, norming, etc" provide a model that can be validated in almost
anyone's experience. That at least is what I've found in 25 years of
meetings, facilitator trainings, conferences (such as the International
Systems Dynamics conference), and many other places. We recognise these
behaviours or group processes. (We seldom seem to recognise them as
complex phenomena of human systems and treat them as simple as well - but
that's a story for John to pursue.)

The distinction that I think is so important is to distinguish between the
given, "thrown" or "already always" behaviour of people who are performing
as if on automatic and the conscious, aware, intentional behaviour which
is possible and which tends to be exhibited by people who are related and
awake.

How to deal with "average, common behaviour" without attempting to
significantly increase awareness, consciousness or similar states is a
different challenge than how to provide awakening or even how to work with
people who are awake enough to intend to be awake.

Many of us seem to be endlessly fascinated by the tangled web provided by
our culturally accepted pathologies in groups and find great delight in
making new models, explaining and doing other relatively ineffective
things in that arena. Eventually most who pursue this path become bored -
it turns out to be rather repetitious - or resigned because the
interventions have no lasting impact.

--
Michael McMaster
Michael@kbddean.demon.co.uk