An Odd Meeting
I recently attended a meeting where I got the impression
that roughly 90% of the
people did not understand the point of the meeting. There was one item on the
agenda for discussion.
I could see that the decision we made about that item would
directly affect the long-term identity and purpose of the
group.
It seemed to me that people were discussing the item as if a
simple yea or nay would
settle the matter.
It was a “but we’ve always done it this way,” moment.
It reminded me of times I saw a family in therapy when there
was a specific event a
child/adolescent wanted to go to and the arguments pro and
con were in nearly
perfect balance.
As a therapist, I was much less interested in deciding about the
single event than in developing way to resolve such question
that would apply to the
event and be useful for other resolving other issues when
they came up. Often in
those circumstances some family members thought that
deciding whether or not the
child should go was the only goal.
I also remember once trying to help my son with his math
problems. He wanted
only to get answers for the homework problems. He wanted them done as quickly
as possible. One
of his strategies was to guess several numbers in a row. He was not
happy that I did not simply tell him the answer. My goal was to teach him a method
of solving the problems that could be useful with similar
problems. Our opposing
goals frustrated both of us.
I will share my observations with the group because I care
about what happens to it.
Wish me luck.
Have you ever had a similar experience?
The main advantage of having been a math major in college is that it taught me how to think about problems: It was necessary to understand the underlying assumptions and only after that did it make sense to determine if the logic (calculations, etc.) followed correctly.
ReplyDeleteIf you assume you are on a flat earth, you have to worry about falling off. It is important to have formulae to assure that you do not get too near the edge so you are accidentally sucked off. The calculations may be perfectly determined, but given we are on an ovoid planet, they are meaningless.
Similarly, knowing the fact that the cube root of 125 is 5 does not provide much help when one is asked to determine the cube root of 216.
You can give someone a fish and they will be happy until their stomach again rumbles. You can give someone a fishing pole, line, hooks, sinkers and knowledge and they can feed themselves as needed (unless there is no water or it's polluted, but that's a different issue).
~ Jim
Math was something that never grabbed me. Words are like magic to me - numbers not. Of course, I know my basic math and do okay with it. As for meetings, I don't like meetings because they seem to ramble on forever with one or two people who never seem to know when to shut up or stop asking inane questions. The same topics seem to be repeated or gone over and over until I can't wait until the whole thing is over. I'm glad I have very few meetings to attend anymore.
ReplyDeleteI do wish you luck, Warren. You'll have to let us know what happens with that meeting. I hope they listen to you.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago in a management class I took, we were told that one of the most valuable people in the organization was the one who would disagree with the group consensus. Sounds like you may be that person - I hope the others in your organization will appreciate your viewpoint.
Warren, I think that's a common problem. Back when I was an administrator in higher ed, I attended many meetings like that one you describe. Most people seem reluctant to examine the framework they're using to make decisions or to consider possible other methods. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in the legal field, I went to many meetings like the one you attended. Eventually, I voiced my concerns during a meeting and became instantly unpopular. I hope you have better luck.
ReplyDelete