Othering

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The Problem of Othering: Towards Inclusiveness and Belonging - Othering and Belonging

“Othering” is a term that not only encompasses the many expressions of prejudice on the basis of group identities, but we argue that it provides a clarifying frame that reveals a set of common processes and conditions that propagate group-based inequality and marginality. Although particular expressions of othering, such as racism or ethnocentrism, are often well recognized and richly studied, this broader phenomenon is inadequately recognized as such.

While othering is natural, and likely evolutionary advantageous, it explains much about issues in the world, today and historically. It is always much easier to disrespect, revile, and marginalize those we see as others.

Think about your identity and who you think is "other" - how does that affect your perception and treatment of them?

Intent-Based Leadership

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I do whatever I want at work and I haven’t been fired yet

This approach to decision making is well articulated by David Marquet in Turn the Ship Around as “Intent-Based Leadership”. Rather than asking for permission to do something, state your intent to do something and let someone object if they have concerns. Most of the time, no one has concerns, because you’re a smart, capable person who is going to make good decisions.

Learn with others

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The Power of Learning From Your Peers

Not surprisingly, the model of “one expert to many students” is outdated in the knowledge economy. There is too much knowledge and information available and too many great ways of sharing that knowledge to limit ourselves. So how do we encourage more peer-to-peer learning at work?

Sshh

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The Busier You Are, the More You Need Quiet Time

Cultivating silence, as Hal Gregersen writes in a recent HBR article, “increase[s] your chances of encountering novel ideas and information and discerning weak signals.” When we’re constantly fixated on the verbal agenda—what to say next, what to write next, what to tweet next—it’s tough to make room for truly different perspectives or radically new ideas. It’s hard to drop into deeper modes of listening and attention. And it’s in those deeper modes of attention that truly novel ideas are found.

Treat em all and let God sort them out

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Selling Adult ADHD: NPR coverage helps advance drug industry marketing campaign - HealthNewsReview.org

The gist of the news was the researchers’ claim that “six simple questions” can reliably diagnose adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. And diagnose it they did: the researchers found that 8.2% of those sampled suffered from ADHD, almost double that found from a comparable study about 10 years ago.

I wish health journalists had asked one simple question in order to give their readers much needed context: Who funded the research? Just follow the money.

Adults at work

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We Are All Adults Here – Medium

An employee who sits childlike at the node of a network, waiting to be fed instructions is a blocker and will be routed around by customers, fellow employees and the community. In a network, you are judged by what you contribute, not what you consume.

Knowledge workers

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Knoco stories: "Knowledge Worker" - an illustration and definition

The simplest definition of a knowledge worker is “somebody who knows more about their job than their supervisor/client does”. (Or perhaps I should have said "Knows, or can find out,").

People don't want courses

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Company training/e-learning is the least valued way of learning at work: what does this mean for L&D? – Modern Workplace Learning Magazine

Although there are a few interesting generational differences, these are certainly not significant enough to stereotype generational preferences – but there is one  thing we need to keep sight of  in all this – and that is everyone is different.  But it is also clear from the results that  informal, social as well as self-organised approaches are now the preferred means of learning for many, so this would suggest the need for L&D to adopt a new set of workplace learning practices that

Disenchantment with universities

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JC in transition | Climate Etc.

Once you detach from the academic mindset, publishing on the internet makes much more sense, and the peer review you can get on a technical blog is much more extensive. But peer review is not really the point; provoking people to think in new ways about something is really the point. In other words, science as process, rather than a collection of decreed ‘truths.’

College is not job preparation

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College is Over – Medium

Gradually, college will go back to what it always was: “a four year vacation funded by my parents” as one of my Northwestern students told me. But that means that only rich people will go to college. If and when college is made free, then you and I will be paying for their vacation. Kids who want jobs will go to bootcamps. (I sure hope they change that name.)
Or, we could try making high school more pragmatic and job oriented. (Of course that will never happen as long as Common Core is the rule and the Testing companies own education.)