Seeingisbelieving

Seeingisbelieving

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  Seeing is Believing– Or is it? Neil Carey Manchester Metropolitan University
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  “ Just byseeing is believing/ I don't need to question why …” “ Oh seeing, seeing, seeing is believing” “… I look above me/” I see him everywhere
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  Seeing is believingThe pervasiveness of sight/vision metaphor for strategic practice: Vision (statement) Environmental scanning Looking ahead; Forecast; Foresight Scenario World view Blue sky-ing? Transparency Perspective Supervisor/supervision
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  Aims of thesession To open up a space in which we critically examine what we know through reference to sight/vision. … Both at the literal and metaphoric level. What we’ll do: An exercise in ‘seeing/knowing’ Extrapolate for implications for our strategic practice given the basis for our work is in environmental ‘scanning’.
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  Exercise Take aposition in the room Try to make your position different from anyone else’s Work independently Read the sheet carefully and follow the instructions Write up your responses individually on the sheet provided 6 minutes to complete
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  Exercise - Feedback
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  Exercise - Feedback
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  Exercise - Feedback
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  Exercise - Feedback
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  Exercise - Feedback
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  Exercise - FeedbackSimilarities in response to exercise Everybody attending to the task Focused on what they were asked to look at Describe the objects on the table How much attention to the context and setting of the ‘installation’? How much resistance to the exercise itself?
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  Exercise - FeedbackDifferences in response to exercise Differences in the physical perspective of each student differences in the language used to describe items: different preceding knowledge different preceding experiences different linguistic repertoires different sub/cultural references
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  Exercise - FeedbackDifferences in response to exercise Different ‘contextualizing’ view offered to each student Different individual perspective and motivation to the exercise (politics of practice?) Engagement in different ways More/less willing to articulate than others? More/less willing to ‘substitute’ not knowing with alternative descriptions
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  Your Organization? Centralizedfunctions? Decentralized power and control? Professional bodies Partnership working (other functions/departments; other organizations)? Diverse stakeholders Residents, citizens, consumers, voters Councillors, Professions, Services Competing and powerfully independent stakeholder groups/voices
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  Reflection points Avery literal exercise Here looking at ‘simple’ inanimate objects Call to extrapolate from ‘physical’ seeing/knowing to seeing/knowing involved in being strategic Reminder of how strategic practice invokes ‘seeing’/scanning/visioning as a central metaphor
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  Implications for practiceIn what ways can we be sure that our own view is an accurate(?) view? How similar/different is our view with that of other stakeholders? Whose gets to present/voice their view Whose view(s) are represented (included/excluded) Who has power to present their view? Is it likely that ‘one’ view will include all?
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  Implications for practiceSo how or in what ways might we convince a differently ‘seeing’ set of publics to see the world in the way in which we wish them to see? (Propaganda?) Or How can we attempt to represent the different views of these publics/partnersin the work that we do? (consultation/participation?)
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  Implications for practice…… ..
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  And for nextfew days? Not just accepting the received ‘academic’ or ‘practitioner’ wisdom Taking what you learn into the complexities of the worlds in which we work Resisting the desire for ‘quick-fix’ This network as a (re)source for similarity and difference in views. Critical distance?
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  And for nextfew days? Oh …… Enjoy a space for thinking … … away from the routines. And have FUN in MANCHESTER.