teamwork in the information age

© Copyright 2012 by Al Cini. All rights reserved.

Teamwork in the Information AgeThe Practical Psychology of Organizational Effectiveness

• The Speaker’s Journey• A Brain for Business• Two Syndromes• Three Adjustments• Work Ethics 2.0: Five Pivotal Behavioral Shifts

45 – 60 Minutes (Rev. 12/1/2012)

Al Cini [email protected] http://www.linkedin.com/in/alcini 609-238-5070

TM

The Psychology of Innovative Thinking

Managing People or Tasks? Collaborating on a Job? Assembling and Engaging a Project Team?

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/alcini

Work Ethics 2.0: Five Pivotal Behavioral Shifts 2

The Speaker’s Journey

Psychology

Information Technology

Consulting and

Training

Project Management

Servant Leadership

Begins and Ends with People


The Speaker’s Journey

Teamwords

?Tribe Team


A Brain for Business

The Tribal Brain Isn’t Cognitive

Hard-Wired to Address Three Questions

1. Who Am I?

2. Who Are You?

3. What’s Going On?



Brain V1.0: Conquest, Tribalism, Ritualism



The Instinctive Metric: Time and Outcome



Brain V1.1: Control, Organization, Process



Brain V1.1: Managing Things

Expectations

Disappointment


An Evolved Brain for Business

Brain V2.0: Managing People

Compliance

Disappointment

Surprise


Two Syndromes

Cognitive Bias

Business Costs?

Passive-Aggressive Behavior

Business Costs?

Brain V1.1: Unintended Psychodynamics


An Evolved Brain for Business

Brain V2.0


Upgrading Your Brain

You Can “Re-Wire” Your Brain

1. Assessment

2. Reframing

3. Skills Acquisition


Three Attitude Adjustments

Defensiveness

Competitiveness

Ritualism

“Patches” to Brain V1.1

“Who Am I?”

“Who Are You?”

“What’s Going On?”


Five Transformations Improving

Incorporating criticism and the lessons of experience into positive daily behavior

CooperatingWorking constructively with colleagues to realize a shared vision

ConceptualizingSeeking innovative solutions, supporting innovation in others, and addressing the root causes of problems

ExecutingClearly visualizing and communicating common objectives, and illuminating the path to achieving them

ServingInspiring and leading others by embracing and serving the causes they value and the goals they share

Updates to Brain V1.1

Defensiveness

Competitiveness

Ritualism


Five Transformations

ImprovingThe Perfect Brainstorm

Cooperating“Don’t” Diligence

ConceptualizingRemembering the Future

ExecutingExpert Apology

ServingTyranny of Reason

“Patches”

“New Features”

Updates to Brain V1.1


Five Transformations: 1. Improving

Micro-Behavioral Self-Assessment

• Interrupt personal meetings to take calls?• Hate the boss, seeking reasons to sustain it?• Discipline people in front of others?• Compete with your subordinates?• Abruptly stop or leave a meeting because

“something came up?”• Arrive late for appointments with employees?• Gab informally (and visibly) with the same

select few employees and colleagues?• Announce top-level organizational changes

without explaining what they meanto the people at lower levels?

Do you…



Reframing

Tyrant

Victim



Skills Acquisition: Identify, Empathize, Reach Out

Head

Gut

Plan Act



Resources

• Learn About Yourself• No-Cost Myers-Briggs Personality Type Assessment

(See Below)• Enlightening Internet Links

• http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp• Watch for Authoritarian Tendencies (MBTI Type xxTJ)• http://www.ehow.com/how_2179992_recognize-authoritar

ian-personality.html• Books

• “The Art of SpeedReading People” (Tieger, Barron-Tieger)

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

http://www.ehow.com/how_2179992_recognize-authoritarian-personality.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2179992_recognize-authoritarian-personality.html


Five Transformations: 2. Cooperating


• Monopolize group meetings?• Talk over others?• Seek ways to say “No” to everyone else’s

ideas?• Look for an argument?• Feel very strongly, one way or another, about

most of your colleagues?• Cultivate and feed “back channels” at work?• Hesitate to offer your ideas for fear of

receiving criticism?

Do you…



Reframing

Colleague

Enemy



Skills Acquisition: Willing Collaboration, Conflict Mgmt.

Ass

ertiv

enes

s

Cooperativeness



Resources

• Learn About Yourself• Low-Cost (~$50) Conflict Management Assessment


• http://www.discoveryourpersonality.com/tki.html• Watch for Narrow Focus on a Few Modes, Particularly

Assertive and Uncooperative• Books

• “Words Can Change Your Brain” (Newberg, Waldmark)

http://www.discoveryourpersonality.com/tki.html


Five Transformations: 3. Conceptualizing


• “Love” or “hate” a particular vendor, tool, or technology?

• Prefer a quickly delivered solution, even if it’s incomplete?

• Focus on posting great metrics?• Feel you’re surrounded by “stupid” people?• Reach in and finish other people’s work for

them?• Find it difficult or objectionable to explain how

you do your work?

Do you…



Reframing

Problem

Landmine



Skills Acquisition: Conscious (Cognitive) Competence

Consciousness

Com

pete

nce



Resources

• Learn About Yourself• No-Cost Creativity (Flexible Thinking) Assessment


• http://www.creax.com/csa/ • Curiosity, Perspective, Boldness, and Paradox

• Books• “Mistakes Were Made, But Not By Me” (Tavris)• “The Power of Habit” (Duhigg)• “Thinking, Fast and Slow” (Kahneman)

http://www.creax.com/csa/


Five Transformations: 4. Executing


• Find it daunting to proceed from planning a job to doing it?

• Consider how a task is done to be more important than whether it’s done?

• Require continuous reinforcement to remain committed to a task?

• Frequently remind others of the boundaries of their job descriptions?

• Provide or demand an obsessive amount of routine activity accounting/reporting?

Do you…



Reframing

Schedule

Crisis



Skills Acquisition: Visualization, Achievement

Improving

CognitiveCommunication

Cooperating

WillingCollaboration

Conceptual- izing

FearlessInnovation

Visualizing Effective Outcomes Articulating and Realizing Goals Facing & Sharing Issues

Tracking Activity

Compliance Achievement



Resources

• Books• “Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, and Total

Nonsense” (Sutton, Pfeffer)• “How to Measure Anything” (Hubbard)


Five Transformations: 5. Serving


• Have difficulty articulating your organization’s business goals?

• See risk in working without clearly detailed instructions?

• Care more about how you’re perceived by your management than about your relationships with peers and subordinates?

• Frequently demand proof of peers’ or subordinates’ commitment to you?

Do you…



Reframing

Authority

Micromanagement



Skills Acquisition: Servant Leadership



Resources

• Helpful Links• http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/barry_schwartz_on_our

_loss_of_wisdom.html• TED Talk - “Passionate call for ‘practical wisdom’ as an

antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy”• Books

• “The Fifth Discipline” (Senge)• “Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of

Legitimate Power and Greatness” (Greenleaf, Spears, Covey)

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html


To Summarize

Resources

• The Human Brain is Wired to React• Fear Raises Defensiveness and Inhibits Communication• Envy Raises Competitiveness and Inhibits Cooperation• Habit Reinforces Ritualism and Inhibits innovation

• You Can Re-Wire Your Brain Improving Cooperating Conceptualizing Executing Serving

© Copyright 2012 by Al Cini. All rights reserved.

POInT The Psychology

of Innovative Thinking

Teamwork in the Information AgeThe Practical Psychology of Organizational Effectiveness

Thank You

Al Cini [email protected] http://www.linkedin.com/in/alcini 609-238-5070

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/alcini

teamwork in the information age

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