Archetype comparison

List of methods / Narrative methods

** STUB ARTICLE NEEDS ELABORATION **

This workshop is designed to follow a use of the Archetype creation method where different groups have gone through the process of creating archetypes (and/or values and/or themes in parallel. The aim is to allow the two groups to compare their two perspectives and then move to a diverse synthesis of conclusions and a set of recommended actions. it uses the key concept of descriptive self-awareness to increase engagement and remove facilitator bias

This is a participatory workshop method designed to elicit and contrast the archetypal characters that populate each organisation's cultural narrative. This is not a single assessment but a deliberate comparison.  It uses dual elicitation in which raw, unvarnished anecdotes are gathered from both legacy companies via open-ended prompts,  e.g., 'Tell a story about a hero here,' 'Describe a time we overcame a stupid rule').   The Archetype creation is run in parallel.   Ideally, if there is cultural alignment, you might use the same artists. But when bringing together different cultures, you might want one from each culture and have them each draw both sets without seeing the other’s work. Examples of contrasting archetypes include   'The Diligent Craftsman,' 'The Cowboy Innovator,' 'The Risk-Averse Bureaucrat. ' The power lies in the juxtaposition, for example, four key archetype sets can be created and displayed:Organisation A's archetypes of itself.Organisation A's archetypes of Organisation B.Organisation B's archetypes of itself.Organisation B's archetypes of Organisation A. This contrast generates unavoidable, objective data that enables rich conversations: The aim is to allow the two groups to compare their perspectives and then move toward a diverse synthesis of conclusions and recommended actions. it uses the key concept of descriptive self-awareness to increase engagement and remove facilitator bias

References

Snowden, David. "Complex acts of knowing: paradox and descriptive self-awareness." Journal of knowledge management 6.2 (2002): 100-111.