Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Working with people who have different worldviews

Collaborating with people on projects when you have different worldviews can be challenging, especially if you have strong opinions. I treat it like a cross-cultural collaboration when you have to produce a 3rd way--not my way or their way. This seems to work. Also really understaning someone's interests about a particular position is important. Why is that important to them? What are the underlying reasons for their position? Look for things that are shared and those that are different. Come up with options that appeal to both. In a sense, it is a negotiation.