Week 06 – Collaboration

 Wednesday 24 August 2011

Today we began our new subject called “Collaboration.” This subject allows us to improve our group interaction, behaviour and respect of others.

Ethical behaviour – BLOG EXERCISE

Trustworthy and ethical behaviour in collaboration may relate to: 

•   acknowledging discomfort or anger 

•   being prepared to fully participate 

•   communicating in an open way 

•   honesty 

•   honouring commitments 

•   sensitivity to social, cultural, personal situations and dynamics 

•   showing respect 

•   understanding of the consequences of actions

Add 2 items to the list above - then SORT the 10 items into 2 groups. 

§ Being assertive

§ Expanding cultural knowledge base

 1. Essential

 2. Secondary  

(give at least one example for each group)

1.Essential

showing respect 

•   communicating in an open way 

•   being prepared to fully participate

  •   honouring commitments 

•   sensitivity to social, cultural, personal situations and dynamics 

Example: Acknowledging someone when they enter the room

2.    Secondary  

•   understanding of the consequences of actions

•  •   acknowledging discomfort or anger 

•   honesty 

§ Expanding cultural knowledge base

§ Being assertive

Example: Accepting the punishment of your actions if you have done wrong

Trust & creative partnerships - GROUP EXERCISE

PART 1: Whos Got a Dollar?

•   Demo

We were asked to pledge our aspirations for this unit on a dollar then the next person $2, next person $5, $10, etc

•   Silent Reflection

I was unsure what this exercise was originally about.

  1. Would you volunteer your money - that is, take risk?  I would if I knew where it was going

  2. How did you feel?  confused

  3. Did you feel a little sheepish? yes 

  4. What about when the ante was upped to ten dollars?  There was more at stake

  5. Twenty?  Come on!

  6. Did you think the volunteers were foolish?  Undecided

Trust & creative partnerships - GROUP EXERCISE

5 mins:

PART 2: Eye Contact

PART 3: Eye Contact with Touch

PART 4: Proximity – comfortable / closer / further

15 mins:

PART 5: Blog

•   draw quick icons / diagrams to represent the above exercises

Gazing into the opposite person’s eyes for 60 seconds

before shuffling to the next person

Gazing eyes & holding hands

Kum ba ya!

Gazing up very close almost touching rhino horns

References (Images above): WB Drawings of Class interactions week 6 collaboration

•   comment on your feelings and observations

I felt uneasy at first gazing into the eyes of my colleagues. I felt like I was staring disrespectfully at them and the tension caused me to laugh. I didn’t want the other person to think I was laughing at them but it was a natural reaction to the situation. When we were asked to hold hands and gaze into the other person’s eyes it brought another dimension into proceedings – touch. It was actually a nice warm feeling of being human and sharing a sense of humanity that we seem to distance ourselves from these days.

When asked to gaze right up close face to face this became a little awkward. I felt like I was invading their space and they were invading mine a little because we are classmates and don’t really associate outside of university.

When we were asked to gaze from 10m back it was a lot more comfortable after being up close and personal which shows that once we are subject to new extremes our tolerance levels change accordingly.

•   in relation to creative partnerships, address these 2 items for each exercise

  1. ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR – acting in a way that is respectful of others and their culture/sex/race/values/etc.

  2. TRUST  - We can trust others but when we feel we are let down by their trust it often makes it harder to trust again especially that person.

Youtube Clip

McCain's Lack of Eye Contact: A Sign of Contempt?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty9BTcERiYY

Commentary

This clip shows how by not looking at someone can be seen as contempt. John McCain looks like he ignores his opponent Barack Obama. This can be interpreted in a couple of ways but generally people have different ways of dealing with competition and awkward situations. This can depend on race/background/upbringing, etc. This is interesting as McCain will never be proved as having contempt because it may just be the way he reacts to competition.

Reflection

Being the first week of Collaboration I wasn’t sure what was in store for today’s class. It was fun to do something practical. I feel I have already taken part in similar getting to know you group exercises in the past but it was good to refresh and reframe. Even after many years of getting to know people we still tend to distance ourselves from them and lose that human interaction feeling from time to time.