Here’s an article by Marjorie Garber, Professor of English and of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University called “The Flatterer and the Chatterer”, https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2020/07/22/the-flatterer-and-the-chatterer (1,800 words) [The Paris Review, 22-Jul-2020]
Garber re-visits models of behaviour that are described by Theophrastus (370 – 285 B.C.). These models are described in 30 characters and are all extremes, either deficient or excessive. These characters return over the centuries in new models ranging from novels to psychology and have come to describe a “dominant attribute, or fault or vice”. They are the characters of comedy, novels and our life. The character types are present in our every day lives identified by their typical responses and behaviours. For us, this is part of stakeholder engagement, organisational change management and organisational governance.
Some things to consider:
Engaging people. To excite and involve individual character types by tailoring the story.
Deconstructing stereotypes. A starting point to engage the person behind the character.
Avoiding character defining language. Focus on describing what is / what could be over what people expect to see.
What views do you have of people that you need to let go of? When does wearing a character type suit you? What language can you change to speak with a wider audience?
How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What can you role-play to reduce the impact of character types in meetings? What character types do your teams put into their personas? Who are you designing for?
Why is this important? Good question. We are all more than the stereotypes people interpret. This interpretation can be familiar and comfortable. Though, can also lead us down a path to the extremes of a character. Driven by a fear of stepping outside of our comfort zone. Taking a step past stereotypes into new character types broadens how we interpret our experiences and improves our understanding of the other.
For further viewing / reading:
The Physical Traits that Define Men and Women in Literature, Erin Davis, https://pudding.cool/2020/07/gendered-descriptions (1,200 words, plus interactive graphics) [Illustrations by Liana Sposto, Jul-2020]
Stock Character (list of Theophrastus’ characters), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_character (1,800 words) [Wikipedia, 31-Jul-2020]
Blind Spots: Overcome Stereotypes, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_yIevcJCPc (3:25) [PWC, 24-Jun-2017]
Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.
[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]