While it would be nice to bring in Chris Argyris or Don Schön, this is not feasible, given the long timespan between their initial presentation of the left and right column exercise. There is also the long distance of most of us from the Harvard (Argyris) and MIT (Schön) campuses. Furthermore, we don’t need their assistance, for we can effectively “coach” ourselves. Furthermore, we can use the left and right column exercise when serving as a coach to our clients. I recommend the following set of steps. They not only build on what Argyris and Schön have offered, but also incorporate concepts derived from the polystatic perspective.
Step One:
Identify the behavior you have enacted or expect to enact.
Identify what you anticipate would be this person’s reactions to your behavior
Identify what your likely behavior would be following the other person’s action/reactions
Step Two:
Why do you anticipate that this would be this person’s actions/reactions?
What might be their alternative actions/reactions? How might your behavior influence the engagement of their alternative behavior?
Step Three:
What do you anticipate happening following this engagement?
Do you anticipate that this would result in good outcomes, bad outcomes or both?
On what do you base this anticipation?
At this point, it is often helpful to role-play the anticipated interaction, with the coach initially playing the role of the feedback recipient (after finding a bit more about this person’s past behavior and even their “character” as assessed by one’s client). As alternative behaviors are explored, the coach and client might even change roles, with the coach demonstrating actions that can be taken based on alternative sets of anticipations.
Self-Efficacy and Attribution
Another approach to addressing behavioral change that relates to anticipation comes from the noted behavioral psychologist Albert Bandura (1997). He introduces the concept of Self-Efficacy and relates this concept to one’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. From a psychology of anticipation perspective, Bandura’s self-efficacy could be manifest in one’s anticipation of success and fulfillment in meeting a specific challenge. Much as Beethoven anticipated artistic success in completing his Ninth Symphony, one can anticipate learning from a difficult task, finding support in one’s attempt to achieve an ambitious goal, and receiving recognition and reward in reaching a major goal.
Download Article
