Strangers opening up, becoming vulnerable and unleashing their creativity
by Scott De Long, Ph.D.
October 27, 2016
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Lead2Goals‘ facilitators are experienced and have the unique ability to foster creative spirits within our clients. This creativity is supported through the creation of a safe environment where people are encouraged and allowed to explore, and do so without fear of judgment or negative consequences. This is a very important aspect of our program for several reasons.
In our public workshop series, we bring our clients in and ask them to expose themselves, become vulnerable. This happens in front of complete strangers. Prior to coming to one of our workshops, a public setting full of new people is uncomfortable enough. Within the first half hour, we see our participants letting loose and engaging deeply with people they have never met. This is not by accident.
Our workshops develop trust at an unmatched pace in daily life. This level of trust, labeled Swift Trust Theory by authors Debra Meyerson and her cowriters. Their text Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research (1996), created the theoretical framework for trust to be developed in temporary organizations. This framework includes both cognitive, as well as normative, components. These components create an initial level of trust in newly formed groups, that allow them to become more like a team.
Growth built through Trust
The cognitive sources can be explained simply by the fact that people are paying hard-earned money, and are looking to grow. They quickly recognize that the other people in the room are in the same position. This normalization creates a sense of unity. These feelings are enhanced through the skillful process of establishing the normative components (norms).
In most organizations, norms are created in a top-down fashion. The boss or leader establishes how the group will operate, and they move on. The process we use at Lead2Goals tends to end up with the same norms, or the ones we would have established, but they are established by the group itself. This is our first interaction with this temporary team; by allowing the group to create the norms they will live by for the next four hours, two things happen. When groups establish their own rules, the group members are much more willing to abide by them. This process allows the group to start to bond over the process and quickly begins acting like a team.
Creating an atmosphere of Teamwork
The concepts of trust and team creation are very important and necessary components in our workshop series. We ask, and even push, our clients to reach beyond their comfort levels and explore new ideas. This cannot be accomplished without creating a safe and secure environment. The experience shared with the others in the room enhances learning, as well as creativity. The term synergy comes from two Greek words: sunergia, which means cooperation, and sunergos, which means working together. Synergy is the effect of two or more independent resources combining. Which creates a unique hybrid thought or idea that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Without the safe space, we would not be able to foster the swift trust theory. Building trust is what allows for the participants, to become vulnerable. This vulnerability is reaching out beyond comfort zones. It exposes our thoughts and ideas to others. It which allows for the synergy to take place within our workshop
Lead2Goals‘ facilitators are experienced and have the unique ability to foster creative spirits within our clients. This creativity is supported through the creation of a safe environment where people are encouraged and allowed to explore, and do so without fear of judgment or negative consequences. This is a very important aspect of our program for several reasons.
In our public workshop series, we bring our clients in and ask them to expose themselves, become vulnerable. This happens in front of complete strangers. Prior to coming to one of our workshops, a public setting full of new people is uncomfortable enough. Within the first half hour, we see our participants letting loose and engaging deeply with people they have never met. This is not by accident.
Our workshops develop trust at an unmatched pace in daily life. This level of trust, labeled Swift Trust Theory by authors Debra Meyerson and her cowriters. Their text Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research (1996), created the theoretical framework for trust to be developed in temporary organizations. This framework includes both cognitive, as well as normative, components. These components create an initial level of trust in newly formed groups, that allow them to become more like a team.
Growth built through Trust
The cognitive sources can be explained simply by the fact that people are paying hard-earned money, and are looking to grow. They quickly recognize that the other people in the room are in the same position. This normalization creates a sense of unity. These feelings are enhanced through the skillful process of establishing the normative components (norms).
In most organizations, norms are created in a top-down fashion. The boss or leader establishes how the group will operate, and they move on. The process we use at Lead2Goals tends to end up with the same norms, or the ones we would have established, but they are established by the group itself. This is our first interaction with this temporary team; by allowing the group to create the norms they will live by for the next four hours, two things happen. When groups establish their own rules, the group members are much more willing to abide by them. This process allows the group to start to bond over the process and quickly begins acting like a team.
Creating an atmosphere of Teamwork
The concepts of trust and team creation are very important and necessary components in our workshop series. We ask, and even push, our clients to reach beyond their comfort levels and explore new ideas. This cannot be accomplished without creating a safe and secure environment. The experience shared with the others in the room enhances learning, as well as creativity. The term synergy comes from two Greek words: sunergia, which means cooperation, and sunergos, which means working together. Synergy is the effect of two or more independent resources combining. Which creates a unique hybrid thought or idea that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Without the safe space, we would not be able to foster the swift trust theory. Building trust is what allows for the participants, to become vulnerable. This vulnerability is reaching out beyond comfort zones. It exposes our thoughts and ideas to others. It which allows for the synergy to take place within our workshop
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