If the title of this Cliff’sNOTE intrigued you, you’ll love Samar Ahmed’s article entitled, “A Pole Dance for an Educational Reformer.” Samar is a friend, colleague and Professor of Medical Doctorate, MHPE, FF and Director of Ain Shams MENA FAIMER Regional institute. It’s a delightful read as well as a “how-to” engage key stakeholders to simplify complex issues. Spoiler alert:
In the article, Samar describes how, in a 4-hour process, representatives from 15 schools for health professional education organized their individual and collective wisdom using a Polarity Map® to address what they recognized was technically unsolvable by choosing a pole using “either/or” (either one pole or the other). The two poles of the polarity were:
Relying on people expertise and prior experience of internal stakeholders
in making education reform decisions
AND
Relying on evidence and imported experiences
in making education reform decisions
Instead of arguing which pole of the polarity was “better” or “more important” and choosing that pole as the solution, they directed their energy toward leveraging the benefits of both poles and minimizing the limitations of both poles. Seeing the tension as “both/and” created the possibility for leverage – a way of taking their game to a new level — dancing with both poles over time to attain and maintain the ultimate goal which the upside benefits of both poles contributed to – or what’s referred to on the Polarity Map® as the “Greater Purpose.” It was:
“A smooth transition to reform that renders a competent healthcare provider
capable of serving the healthcare needs.”
Pretty cool, right?
In January as part of SixSEED Partners (www.SixSEEDPartners.com), I’ll be “dancing with the stars” — the faculty of Ain Shams University and Middle East North Africa FAIMER (Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research) in Cairo. Our “dance” will be to integrate polarity thinking more broadly and deeply into the onsite and distance components of their medical education curriculum. And, I can’t wait…
How Can You Start to Leverage Polarities?
Start with S.M.A.L.L. to go Big!
It helps to have some support when you dive-in to the 5-Steps the first few times, but here’s a sample approach:
