Reflection paperAssignment Directions:
Building on seminar experiences with Debbie Rundlett (Change Style Indicator, Poets
and Prophets), Matt Skolnik (intergroup-intergenerational dialogue on the IsraeliPalestinian
conflict; the importance of asking ‘adaptive questions’) and class discussion
in Sesion 10 (reactions to Northouse and Yelsma’s ‘Responding to the Outgroup
Questionnaire’ and Goltz and Poonamallee’s ‘Transcendent Mental Models of Profits
and Nonprofits’) pose three ‘adaptive questions’ designed to stimulate open dialogue,
critical thinking, and shared meaning about real differences in today’s organizations,
businesses, and communities.
In addition to posing three adaptive questions, say how you think these questions can help
us transcend “the danger of a single story” (Adichie, 2009) often held about ‘the other
side’ (Wirth, 2013). Put another way, how will your questions support people for learning
to become more open, learning critical reflection, and learning to support the growth of
others (Chapters 1-3, Preskill and Brookfield, 2009)?
You can pick a specific context or community to create questions around (e.g.,
immigration reform in U.S.; toxic tap water in Flint, Michigan; minorities targeted by
U.S. media and/or police; inclusion/diversity issues in U.S. universities, e.g., the recent
Mount St. Mary’s controversy entitled ‘Drown the Bunnies’; gender equity; the IsraeliPalestinian
conflict; LGBTQIA rights/equality in U.S. or abroad; equal access to
healthcare in U.S. or global settings; etc.). Or you can take a more generalist approach
that poses broader questions about leadership and change for the common good (e.g.,
building corporate social responsibility/CSR; triple bottom line approaches/outcomes;
multicultural or intergenerational approaches to cmployee engagement and flourishing;
etc.). Some resources to draw on include:
• Handouts from Session 10, in particular, the integrative framework developed by Goltz
and Poonamallee (2014) and Matt Skolnik’s outline on adaptive questions [available on
Blackboard under ‘Assignments]
• Handouts, PPT decks, and readings from previous classes (most are on Bb)
• Outside sources you find yourself:
o Academic or practitioner articles; responsible print news sources
o Books, poems, musical lyrics, and/or other materials that capture human
experience and create shared meaning
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Assignment Details:
• Length: 3-4 pages, double-spaced, 11 to 12 font size.
• Sources: Please include two outside sources you find yourself. Onc source should
be from an academic journal and the second from a practitioner’s journal or
respected print media. In addition to your outside sources, feel free to include any
seminar readings assigned to date.
• Citations: Any sources you refer to in your paper should receive an in-text
citation that includes the last name of the author as well as the page number of the
passage being quoted or paraphrased. You should also include a works cited page.
• Due Date: Wednesday, March, 30, 2016 (by midnight). Please upload your
reflection paper to Blackboard via the ‘Assignments’ feature.