In December 2012 Perspectivity UK played an open game session in Belfast, the first Open Game session in Ireland. The participants came from a diverse background – senior managers in the public sector, the private sector, and the non profit sector. Several consultants were present as were a number of academics. The game was played in East Belfast, the scene of on-going civil unrest concerning community tensions over identity, status, and deprivation. This formed a very interesting backdrop for the game and hopefully this will provide some useful ground for on-going dialogue based approaches. Northern Ireland has in the past used some of the most innovative approaches to dialogue and achieved many great results, saying that, it is a place the demonstrates how dialogue working must become the Standard Operating Procedure rather than a short-term approach.
The game played out with an interesting dynamic of cooperation and competition that led to many great insights. Some key reflections on personal learnings include:
- To have the confidence to suggest a different way even when knowing it would be hard to convince
- Use the knowledge you have, rather than sitting back in an attempt to avoid ‘showing off’ – e.g. mandela’s thoughts on hiding your light
- That assumptions, ideas, beliefs “rule the world” – for the benefit of some, conceivably for the benefit of many, even all?
- Procrastination is the thief of fortune!
- The baggage we all bring into meetings & when collectively brought together – how the aggregate of such baggage/assumptions can act as a prohibitor to an obvious better outcome.