Many perspectives
Concrete activities
Exchange day
What?
An activity where members of groups exchange jobs / roles / tasks. The activity makes it almost inevitable to learn something new, and it will open up new learning and perspectives.
Why?
When there is a need to experience what the others experience.
How?
Agree with members from another group to swap jobs/roles/tasks for a day. Align with each other what you would like to learn from the experience. Agree on who will trade with whom and for how long. Evaluate the learning across the groups.
Who?
The activity can be carried out by anyone in a group (at all organizational levels) but requires the approval and support of local leaders.
The other people's shoes
What?
A set of activities to create awareness of the differences between one's own and others' perspectives. An activity that is about changing perspectives and asking new questions about your own ingrained habits.
Why?
When there is a need to create an understanding of the work of others, and feel what it is like to be the others.
How?
We initiate a discussion and learning process internally in our own groups: How do others view our group and the way we collaborate? Would other groups see certain problems differently than we do? How would we argue ourselves from a different perspective?
We can use the activity to open our dialogues at e.g. team meetings.
Who?
The activity can be performed by everyone in a group (at all organizational levels).
For a start, the activity will be good in terms of setting up team meetings and the like.
The shadow of the future
What?
The activity is about creating new structures between two groups, where each group is forced to feel the effect of their own work 'over in the other's camp'. The goal is for the groups to discover and feel if their own behavior causes problems for others.
Why?
When there is a need for us to experience the consequences of our work for others.
How?
Build a structure that allows a group (1) that influences the work of another group (2) to come out and feel the effect of their own influence. For example, by group (1) having to work with group (2) for a shorter or longer period.
Who?
The activity is best carried out by the leaders of the groups involved, the managers' managers or authorized support functions.
Listens along
What?
This activity is about getting out and meeting other people's world, and listening to the information that stands out and is valuable for you and your team in your work.
Why?
There is a need to know and understand the perspective of others.
The activity helps to create curiosity and interest, as well as facilitating a better dialogue about the tasks.
How?
'Listen' can be understood very concretely. Go out and hear what your internal customers or members tell you. This will give you and your colleagues a better understanding of each other's work, and the impact your work can have all the way to the end user.
Who?
The activity can be performed by everyone in a group (at all organizational levels).
Around the pig
What?
This activity is about examining a case from different perspectives. "Around the pig" is a picture. The picture shows many different ways you can see a pig; a butcher will see the carvings and a philosopher will wonder about the existence of the pig. (Google "Around the pig")
Why?
There is a need to become aware of all the other perspectives that may be on a case.
It is important to accept all perspectives from the start, and nothing is wrong. This means that there is room for curiosity about other people's perspectives. It is also important that it is legitimate to challenge the perspective of others, as this also gives rise to reflection on one's own perspective.
How?
If your team is faced with a task with several involved parties or stakeholders. Invite them in to discuss the problem or task that was the 'pig'. Brainstorm on what perspectives there might be on the 'pig' and what it might mean for your future work.
All perspectives are equally important and they must all be heard, therefore an equal amount of time is given to the presentation of everyone's perspectives. In the first round, no challenge is allowed.
Once you have agreed on what the 'pig' is, it is important that you maintain curiosity and interest across the board and that you arrive at a common ideal model for the solution.
Who?
The activity can be performed by everyone in a group (at all organizational levels).
However, it is important that there is some kind of facilitator who keeps time, brings the discussions forward and the rules of the game.
Missing person
What?
An activity which is about including all perspectives. The activity can be used both to work with a perspective from someone outside, or from someone internally who was prevented from meeting you.
Why?
Everyone's perspectives need to be kept in mind, including those who cannot be in the room.
So remember to include the perspectives of those not present, as this provides a broad representation.
This activity will also help to learn about each other's perspectives, by also involving third parties.
How?
Write the name of the person whose perspective will be able to make a contribution to your meeting and place it somewhere that everyone can see it. Or give it its own chair in the room. If there comes a point in your meeting where the perspective from this person will be valuable, you can use the paper as an entry point to ask, what would he/she say?
Sometimes this can also be missing persons, and it is therefore important to start by focusing on which perspectives should be included, as well as whether there is more than one.
Who?
The activity can be performed by everyone in a group (at all organizational levels).
But the activity may need to be facilitated by a neutral party.