Discussion: View Thread

>Does anyone use a non-sport team analogy?

Good morning, Listers:

I personally don't like and don't use the athletic analogy in our work with
executive and NGO teams; down here at least it carries the connotation of
"beating the other guy (team) any way one can".

My favorite non-sport analogies are those from Quantum Physics (see Deepak
Chopra, Jeffery Chew and Fritjof Capra) which show, based on physical and
exact sciences, that co-evolutional synergy is the only way to assure that
all systemic elements achieve their individual and collective goals.

Another analogy that I frequently use is that of the Minga, the South
American Indian teamwork tradition (still in use today) that facilitated
the building of Macho Picchu, San Agustin and other "impossible" tasks. If
anyone is interested I'll be glad to send more details on the list or
privately.

People interested in this subject might want to check out Team-L, a very
interesting list.

Another sidebar: it's a bit disconcerting to see so many people perceiving
the group/team classification as a dichotomy or an either/or situation;
IMNSHO, any random collection of people is a group that can (or won't)
develop the necessary personal and interpersonal synergistic skills to
evolve into a team. I see them as two poles of a continuum.

Best wishes,

Gil
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
FUNDACION NEO-HUMANISTA
Dr. Gilbert Brenson Lazan, Director Ejecutivo
Facilitadores de Empoderamiento Organizacional y Comunitario
e-mail: gbrenson@impsat.net.co gbrenson@inter.net.co
Tel:(+571)217-0985, 345-2724 Fax:(+571)345-2072
Apartado Aereo 50717 Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

A couple of years ago I wrote an article (still unpublished) about
speaking and training with multicultural audiences. The article is
written in the form of an interview with Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of
the Starship Enterprise in the television series, "Star Trek: The Next
Generation." In the following excerpt Picard discusses the issue of
sports analogies:
�On Modoc 3 in the Sequoia System, there is a culture in which the
females do not receive the same advantages of society as the males�much
like earth in the early 21st century. Speakers on Modoc 3 used to spice
up their speeches with references to sports that were played
predominantly by males, i.e., competitive sports. Then came a succession
of speech consultants who, in an effort to include the �female
perspective,� advised everyone to change their references to sports that
were played by both males and females. Finally, one of the elders of
that culture asked a very incisive question: �Is the significant
contribution of the women in our society the fact that they can play
certain competitive sports, or is it the fact that women tend to stress
cooperation in their relationships rather than competition? Do we honor
our women by including them in references to male-dominant values, or do
we honor them by reassessing our values in light of what women can
contribute to those values?�

Bob Ingram
Ingram Communications
"Everybody's beautiful, each in his or her own unique way, and the more
we respect other people's differences--the things that make them unique
and beautiful--the more we come to appreciate what is unique and
beautiful in ourselves."

Yes--more information on the Minga, please. We, particularly in the US,
need more cross-cultural examples for our teaching and our own
understanding.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ruth H. Axelrod, Doctoral Candidate | How come when I want a
Organizational Behavior and Development | set of hands I get a
The George Washington University | human being as well?
(H) 301-593-4938 |
11372 Baroque Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901 | Attributed to Henry Ford
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Tue, 18 Feb 1997, Dr. Gilbert Brenson Lazan wrote:

> >Does anyone use a non-sport team analogy?
>
> Good morning, Listers:
>
> I personally don't like and don't use the athletic analogy in our work with
> executive and NGO teams; down here at least it carries the connotation of
> "beating the other guy (team) any way one can".
>
> My favorite non-sport analogies are those from Quantum Physics (see Deepak
> Chopra, Jeffery Chew and Fritjof Capra) which show, based on physical and
> exact sciences, that co-evolutional synergy is the only way to assure that
> all systemic elements achieve their individual and collective goals.
>
> Another analogy that I frequently use is that of the Minga, the South
> American Indian teamwork tradition (still in use today) that facilitated
> the building of Macho Picchu, San Agustin and other "impossible" tasks. If
> anyone is interested I'll be glad to send more details on the list or
> privately.
>
> People interested in this subject might want to check out Team-L, a very
> interesting list.
>
> Another sidebar: it's a bit disconcerting to see so many people perceiving
> the group/team classification as a dichotomy or an either/or situation;
> IMNSHO, any random collection of people is a group that can (or won't)
> develop the necessary personal and interpersonal synergistic skills to
> evolve into a team. I see them as two poles of a continuum.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Gil
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> FUNDACION NEO-HUMANISTA
> Dr. Gilbert Brenson Lazan, Director Ejecutivo
> Facilitadores de Empoderamiento Organizacional y Comunitario
> e-mail: gbrenson@impsat.net.co gbrenson@inter.net.co
> Tel:(+571)217-0985, 345-2724 Fax:(+571)345-2072
> Apartado Aereo 50717 Santafe de Bogota, Colombia
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>