Significant Emotional Event

A SignificantEmotionalEvent is one from which a behavior or attitude undergoes noticeable change. This change, one hopes, is for the better. One technique is to use a form of intervention in which teammates of the subject gather and confront the individual with his or her destructive conduct. Another, much more extreme version, is ParkingLotTherapy.

--DonOlson


This works for positive as well as negative feedback. After a few months of working together, a co-worker and I sent flowers to our third team member. I think it was a significant event for her.

There are "courses" with names like "Outward Bound" and "Project Miracles" that are intended to produce a positive significant emotional event. (I went to one, and got some personal growth out of the deal, but we didn't all gel as a team.) JerryWeinberg has some courses that might tend to have the same effect, without the high ropes and other physical challenges. --PaulChisholm


Extreme punishment tends to increase bad behaviour because it isolates/removes people from the rest of the community that could teach the offending individual better ways. Indeed, ostracism is a self-destructive behaviour at a society level. Besides, at a certain point, it doesn't matter how much worse you make the punishment, people will rebel to the oppressive threats. So, ditch the anger. And, heck, it just feels good to make someone else happy. -- SunirShah


See also: EmotionalBurp, ZenSlap, BrutalSarcasm, CodeRed, TurretCounseling, ParadigmShift


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