Read on Twitter
So, this blog post is taking shape. It has morphed into exploring how collaboration between experts in different fields (data science, social work, engineering, business) is not just challenged by communication differences, but perception differences. 1/ https://twitter.com/ellen_koenig/status/1241717265051136000
To research this topic, I read most of my old — and until recently unopened — uni textbook on perception from a cognitive psychology perspective. Turns out I completely misunderstood human perception so far. It is far more sophisticated and fascinating than I ever imagined. 2/
And, far beyond pure „input devices“, perception is actually very, very closely linked to all other cognitive abilities such as thought and language. And, most surprising to me, to our ability to act. 3/
What we perceive is not the pure stimulus, but rather a reconstruction and interpretation heavily influenced by our knowledge and experience. Think sensing waves of different light intensity vs. reading this the tweet. 4/
Because experience and knowledge shape our perception, people with different expertise and backgrounds literally perceive situations differently. They don’t just talk about it in different words, or think about it with different concepts. 5/
This is a core strength and challenge of diverse teams. Now I am wondering what that implies for improving how I work with colleagues of different backgrounds and expertise. It is the old question of how to improve empathy. 6/
What worked for me: Show, don’t tell (provide experiences rather than conclusions). Agree to agree for major decisions (and make sure all in the team understand enough to take decisions outside of their expertise) 7/
And agree to disagree for minor decisions (with empathy and with commitment!). What are you doing that helps? 8/
