Expectations
This wiki is intended to be a place for each of us to reflect on our own emotional and cognitive reactions to our interactions with each other, as a part of this group. It can also be used to reflect on other situations in your life (outside of this group) that seem to be "culture bumps" which you want to record and reflect on.
It gives us a chance to think deeper about our own expectations and reactions, as well as a chance to ask more about the perceptions in the minds of others. How do things really come across?
For this to be the most effective, it requires a high degree of vulnerable honesty, risk, introspection, and trust.
For each reflection record the following information:
- Situation: What happened?
- Expectations: What did you expect (if anything)?
- Interpretation: How did you make sense of it?
- Response: What did you do in response, and what was the result of that?
- Questions: What do you wonder about other(s) motivations/feelings/thoughts etc?
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Here are my first entries for this Reflection Room wiki:
- Impact of Individual Behavior on Group Dynamic
- Reaction to Public Situations in Finland
- What is Funny?
- Ambiguity in the development time of this research group
- Purpose of Reading and Speaking
- Others?...
I hope by the end of our three months, this will be a long list of reflections on little moments - but which reveal a great deal about what is going on below the level of our normal conciousness in ourselves and others.
Hi, I'm Esko!
Submitted by esko on Wed, 09/05/2007 - 19:22.
Hi,
my name is Esko. I live in Vantaa, Finland, and work in the University of Helsinki as a project coordinator. Research is something I do sometimes as part of my job but mostly in free time. However, since I have a family with two small kids, my time for carrying out studies is limited. Still I find this initiative an interesting opportunity to enagage in collaborative work with you and try to do my best to contribute as expected.
In my opinion, what does it mean to trust?
I agree with you, Clint, on the promises. Moreover, I think that trust depends on the quality of the relationship with another person. If a person feels that both s/he and another person respect each other, s/he can trust her/him. Furthermore, I should also feel that the other person trusts me (mutual trusting) in order to trust him/her. I trust my wife, because I believe that she respects me and trusts on me.
Why do I want to be a part of this research team?
I'm only taking my very first steps with my PhD project. My initial plan was approved by the University, but now I consider the plan poor and wish to renew it. Since I haven't been involved in any research team, I would love to discuss with you and learn from your thinking on these issues. It's also a great opportunity to get experience of cross-cultural collaboration online!
What are my personal goals for what you would like to have accomplished by the end of this research period (in December)?
I wish I had found a new focus for my study. I also hope to have established good relationships with all of you and contributed to our understanding of cross-cultural collaboration and instruction online.
Kind regards,
Esko
My Answers to the three questions about (1) Trust, (2) Interests, and (3) Expectations
Submitted by Clint Rogers on Wed, 09/05/2007 - 03:22.
In my opinion, what does it mean to trust?
Although I recognize this is a tough question, I wanted to address it up front, so we could get a better idea what this means for everyone. For me, I think trust means that you can rely that someone will do what they say they will do. I think there it also means that I know someone is not selfish - by that I mean it is easier for me to trust someone who I know has my best interest in mind, they care about me and want me to succeed.
Why do I want to be a part of this research team?
I want to be a part of this research team because I believe that much of the work of the future will be done by international, cross-cultural virtual teams. I believe that I will learn a lot from each of you and from the experience of being a part of this research team. I also believe we will be able to publish valuable research that can help others with similar efforts.
What are my personal goals for what you would like to have accomplished by the end of this research period (in December)?
Well, I think I have outlined pretty clearly what I think are two good objectives for this research initiative: To study and better understand:
1. Global virtual collaborative teams
2. Cross-cultural online instruction
I hope to learn more about each of these research areas as we read, discuss, experiment with, and write about them.
What I would really like more than anything, however, is to be able to contribute in some way to the success of each of you personally and professionally. I want to do all I can to help each person who has committed time to this research to succeed, and in whatever way is most valuable to them (e.g. publishing, networking opportunities, personal growth, etc).
