Last night I participated in an exercise which was about the role of status in groups. This isn't the first time I've done this activity, but like last time, I walked away with both insights and worries.
The activity (which has many variations) goes something like this. You assemble a group of people, they close their eyes, and then you hand them each a sign which they hold up to their foreheads. No one can see their own sign, but everyone can see everyone else's signs.
On each sign is a message or indicator about that person's status in the group. You can use words "troublemaker" or simply assign a numerical hierarchy to the group. Then the group interacts, but they don't reference what is on the signs. You can do this silently or give the group a task.
What happens? It becomes instantly apparent to each person what is written on their signs. People with low status are ignored. People with high status are surrounded by admirers, or whispered about behind their backs. People in the middle seek to identify with those at the top, jockeying for position.
Here are some of my observations that come out of this exercise:
1) Just like pack animals in the wild, humans are expert in quickly establishing a hierarchy in groups. Much of the "pecking order" is established not through words, but through body cues, eye contact, and the level of physical access we have to others.
2) As someone who feels a strong ethical need to treat each individual with equal and high respect, this exercise always makes me feel a little sad. I feel sad because despite my high standards for how to treat others, I know that status distinctions are a part of human dynamics and that I probably contribute to that dynamic, even unconsciously.
3) When someone is labeled (for example "troublemaker") in a group, people very quickly treat that person in a way which is congruent with that label. It is very hard to 'get out' from under a stereotype once you've been assigned one.
So the next time you are in your team, see what conclusions you can draw about your status from the cues your group gives you. When you're in a room, are people eager to be in proximity to you? Do they meet your eyes and seem to be wanting to understand your mood and ideas? If so, you may have high status. If on the other hand you find people not wanting to meet your eyes, generally uninterested in your words and feelings, and find that YOU are always the one seeking others out, your status may be less high.
Avoid the temptation to judge people for where they place you in the team pecking order. I honestly believe much of this behavior is unconscious. Personally, it just reaffirms my interest in treating every person with the same level of courtesy and respect, and to be aware of where I seem to fit when in a group setting.
I'm endlessly fascinated by the study of human behavior. We have our shining skyscrapers and amazing libraries but when it comes down to how we act, we can't escape our animal past. Our language and technology are complex, but then we go to work and act out a drama that is not dissimilar from that of a group of coyotes or gorillas.
It's humbling isn't it? But then again, I suppose the concepts of humility, self-reflection, and language are the special gifts of the human race. I plan to use my gifts, and to try to become more human than coyote.
How about you?
The posts so far have been great - hoping for some more.
Posted by: bba | July 27, 2010 at 11:11 PM