|
The Executive Connection SM
a publication of The Virtual Executive Coach SM
"Vision + Accountability = Success!"
In This Issue:
1. Preview
2. Executive Summary
3. Personality or Cognitive Learning Style
4. Helpful Hints
1. Preview
The Executive Connection explores the creative and analytical process of business development, team-building, and executive development. We are an interactive community of executives and small business owners who desire to network with like-minded high-performance executives to enhance our knowledge, skills, and aptitudes in the competitive business world.
Published monthly, the Newsletter offers coaching suggestions around the topics of: business development, financing, marketing, networking, incorporations, mergers, human resources, governmental regulations, and tax laws.
Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on creating and running your business. Because we are an interactive community of executives and business owners, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.
2. Executive Summary
January, 2007
Dear Executive Connection Subscriber,
This month features information on the different learning styles.
Personality or Cognitive Learning Style?
One of the biggest challenges of running high performance teams is to blend the different talents of individuals. The astute manager must recognize and take into account differing cognitive learning styles to maximize creativity and performance. The most common reason given for poor team performance is a “clash of personality differences.” We’ve all heard the expression that “too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the stew.” Likewise, too many egos in the room spoil the outcome. Instead of focusing on personalities which are difficult to change anyway, Anthony Gregorc (1979) has come up with four different cognitive learning styles that are essential to any team effort. A brief summary of each follows:
Cognitive Sequential: You’ve seen this type—the geek, drone, and worker bee with nose to the grindstone. The most common characteristic is a sequential thought pattern that relies on a linear progression through a series of calculus: A leads to B to C . . . and finally Z. This is the person who calls a point of order at your local civic association meeting; or the accountant who tells you that you don’t have enough revenue to achieve your objectives; or the computer programmer who thinks in code and can’t understand why he’s on a team in the first place. These folks tend to think in binary terms—i.e. black vs. white, good vs. bad, positive vs. negative. Unless your team leader can hold these folks in check, they will slow down the team with a constant barrage of inconsequential questions that overlook process by focusing too much on procedure. These folks prefer hands-on activities, step by step instructions, and real life examples.
Cognitive Random: This is your team leader who knows what the end result might look like, but does not have the patience to implement a linear procedure to achieve the result. This person already knows that A leads to Z; he or she does not care about details; in fact, details just slow the process down. Their main contribution to team performance is to understand the “big picture” and direct the others towards a consensual goal. Unless your team leader can hold these folks in check they will constantly get the team off course by chasing rabbit holes and keeping the team off task. These learners rarely accept anything on outside authority. They are implementers of change and tend to be impulsive. They don’t like to read directions or follow instructions. Instructional methods include independent study, computer games and simulations, multimedia, and playing with software.
Abstract Sequential: These folks tend to think in a logical, linear fashion but with an understanding that knowledge is power. They like solitude, prefer well-organized material, and are highly skeptical. They have trouble picking up subtle nonverbal cues and dislike distractions. They will accept change only after much deliberation. They like written, verbal, and visual instruction.
Instructional methods: lectures, reading, outlines, conducting Internet searches, email, listservs, and audiotapes. Abstract sequential learners may enjoy searching the Internet for information as well as asynchronous communication because they have time to think about their responses.
Abstract Random: These folks are your R&D folks who are futurists and think in the clouds. They are inventors, trailblazers, with a list of patents, trademarks, and copyrights. These learners like to focus on relationships and their emotions. They respond to visual methods of instruction, group discussion, and time for reflection. They may be uncomfortable with distance education because it does not include the emotional involvement of meeting face to face, unless the instructor is careful to build rapport as part of the learning experience. They enjoy evaluating personal experiences.
Instructional methods: video clips, group discussion, videoconferencing, television, case studies, chatrooms, and guest speakers.
So what is the team leader to do with these four types? First, he/she must recognize that all four learning types are essential to “brainstorming” and bringing a new concept to product design and operations. The team’s effectiveness is dependent on blending the talents and skills of all four cognitive topologies. Team leaders generally possess at least three of the four learning types and can easily shift from one style to another depending on the developmental stage that the team is working through at the time. In the early stages the “abstract random” types should be permitted to envision the product and allow the “abstract sequential” folks to bring structure to the concepts presented; the “concrete random” team members should keep the group on task, mindful of the group process and allowing all views to be shared. Finally, the “concrete sequential” types should flesh out ideas with timeframes, cost benefit analyses, and quality controls.
A Case Study:
When Bill Gates of Microsoft envisioned an interactive game that combined video, audio, and tactile sensory experiences in a 3-D format, he sent his best four “abstract random” thinkers to an alternate campus devoid of distractions. They were given an unlimited budget to come up with a game that would place the gamer in the game—the result being the Xbox 360 that took four years to develop. Once the first prototype was completed, the “abstract sequential” thinkers tested the device under different gaming scenarios for compatibility, speed of play, utility, and reality. Next, the “concrete sequential” thinkers wrote the programming code to achieve the necessary steps to bring the prototype to production. Gates himself, while a visionary, supported the Xbox 360 team’s efforts by using a “concrete random” approach to keep the team on task with a projected calculus of what he wanted the end user to experience with this new interactive gaming device.
Helpful Hints:
1. At your next team meeting pick out the four different cognitive learning approaches from the questions asked. Which type is the team leader and how is the process affected?
2. Look at GM’s concept muscle cars and follow the progression from design to production. How much consumer input do you see in the final model compared to the prototypes presented?
3. Interview a small business owner and see what his/her dominant cognitive style is and how this affects the profitability of the business.
SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
The Executive Connection SM is a free publication. If you want to continue to receive this Newsletter, you can SUBSCRIBE by clicking here or by sending a blank email message to keith_barton@att.net
with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
Be assured your name and email address are confidential. We do not sell, rent or share our mailing list with anyone.
Contact Information:
Distribution Rights:
The Executive Connection SM is copyrighted, but you may retransmit or
distribute it to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added, or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site.
Republication of The Executive Connection SM in paper media is encouraged and permitted by individuals, organizations and associations, as long as the issue is reprinted in its entirety, without change, and includes the contact information.
With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication also is encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance permission of A. Keith Barton, Ph.D. must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired.
The Executive Connection SM Mission:
The Executive Connection SM is dedicated to helping first-time business owners and executives to recognize resistance to change, while they create and manage their own businesses. My goal is to help you transform your vision into a successful business venture with the addition of accountability structures and silent partner.
The Executive Connection SM is a publication of The Virtual Executive Coach SM and Keith Barton, Ph.D.
We would like The Executive Connection SM to be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments, topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time. Send your e-mail to
keith_barton@att.net
.
Please forward this issue to anyone you think would find The Executive Connection SM interesting and beneficial. Your recommendation helps us keep growing, and ensures an excellent exchange of information and techniques.
Archives:
You can read previous issues of The Executive Connection SM in our archive section.
About Keith Barton, Ph.D
Dr.
Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University
of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist
for over thirty years. He is a graduate of MentorCoach
and is accepting new clients. He has been an adjunct
professor at the University of South Carolina, consultant
to Fortune 500 companies in executive development, founded
and managed Texas Community Living Ventures, Inc., in
1986 for providing group home services to persons with
mental retardation. Keith founded
and has been running a clinical practice in Northwest Houston since 1990.
He
writes part-time with the goal of completing one novel
a year. His desire to coach others derives from his
passionate interest in helping others become attuned
to their creative powers of storytelling.
Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. He has published articles, made presentations and conducted workshops about:
Small Business Development
Employee Wellness Programs
Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self-esteem
Communication skills
Leadership styles
Core values in the workplace
Executive Development
High-performance groups
Physician support groups
Writer support groups
© 2010
The Virtual Executive Coach SM and Keith Barton.
|
