on Culture & Development - Seameo-SPAFA

100Activity 4.5, like 4.3, recommendsentering into dialogue with an openmind. Following stereotypes andnorms does not provide us withreliable clues, and acting on limitedinformation can be misleading. Amongthe facilitators there were somereservations about whether to use thisage line up since it may serve toreinforce an age hierarchy within thegroup. On each occasion, based onobservations of group dynamics onprevious days, as well as feedbackduring the daily reviews, we did use itand discovered it was the source ofmuch laughter. Participants wereinvariably surprised by the final line upand this provided a great platform forconstructive discussion related to ourattitudes towards age, experience,creativity and respect, linking back tothe values introduced in the culturalmapping activity of Day 1.Whether through a quick characterassessment based on the few days ofthe workshop as in Colleague CardSort or a hasty decision regarding whoshould receive sponsorship to attend aconference, Activity 4.6 draws out thefeelings associated with judging andbeing judged. Tension rises asparticipants are pressured into judgingothers, and into making decisions theyfeel are neither fair nor informed. Byimposing unrealistic time frames andgiving only limited information to workwith, the comfort levels of the groupare challenged. This discomfort,however, provides the fuel for a livelyand animated follow up discussion onhow they felt throughout the process.Parallels are drawn to our workcontexts, with recognition given to thefact that many of us are all toofamiliar with making decisions in thisway, and in some cases on a regularbasis.In an ideal world, all the relevantstakeholders should have input toinfluence and respond to judgementsbeing made about them and on theirbehalf. They should also be included inthe decision making process. However,we must also be realistic. Asindividuals many of us are not in aposition to change the work practicesof our organisations, at least notovernight. What we can do is to bemore aware of the consequences ofthe decisions we do make, the actionswe initiate and the actions weendorse. We can also, as Chambers(2004) points out, “…be alert formoments and places where smallactions can have big effects.” It is upto each of us as individuals to take thefirst steps toward change, at leastwithin our immediate area of influenceand the relationships we build withcolleagues in our organisations orcounterparts from other stakeholdergroups.