Quote:
Originally Posted by nyaculak
I agree with you that FIRST is not about the ROBOT, however, I must respectfully decline your notion that FIRST should be about INSPIRATION. FRC (and all school-aged robotics competitions) should be about LEARNING
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Yep, all those years volunteering and interning for
FLRST have really paid off for me...
This mentor/student line discussion has been beaten to death over the years, and distracts from the original topic of the thread. As has been said a million times before: If a team is happy with how their team dynamic works, then it's not an issue. The issue is when students don't feel like it's right (this thread), or when outsiders stick their nose into clearly-not-their-business.
So let's get back on track. I like George's suggestion...
Quote:
Originally Posted by George1902
One aspect of overbearing individuals is that they often don't listen effectively. They use pauses in conversation to think about what they're going to say next instead of listening to what's being said. Conversely, timid individuals often over-think and second-guess themselves to the point where they never get around to saying anything. To ensure everyone has a say a group can take turns, perhaps passing around an object to signal who's turn it is to talk. In one classroom setting I've used an eraser, for example. When a person has the totem of power, they can direct the conversation however they wish. They can agree with an idea, disagree, or take the conversation in a whole new direction if they choose. They're in control.
This method gives the overbearing individual a framework within which they can still get all their ideas out, but where they can also listen without feeling the constant need for interjection. It also guarantees the timid individuals their time to speak.
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I just finished a course last semester on organizational change - and our final project as a class was to develop something 'that demonstrated the purpose of the class' (yes, that was really the prompt - no other instructions). This is pretty much what we came up with. A formalized, glamourous version of 'the spirit stick' from summer camp. Guess what? We used it in our own project meetings, and
it worked.
If the OP's team (and any team for that matter) is worried about overbearing individuals, then maybe a system like that is something to take into account. From the way they're making it sound, this is a little beyond captains-sit-down-with-the-mentors, so maybe it's time to put a formal organizational structure around decisions/discussions for you guys. Just my $0.02.