Abstract
A central theme in this book is the two-agenda approach, addressing an effective connection between the task-oriented problem-solving process and the more relationship-aware, people-oriented process. This allows for a climate in which people feel respected and can work together much more effectively. This chapter’s objective is to uncover what neuroscientists have discovered about the neural support when we focus on accomplishing specific tasks on the one hand and when being more socially engaged or letting our mind wander on the other hand. How can these two distinct modes be combined such that both “agendas” are accomplished effectively? Neuroscientists have discovered that there are two brain modalities or networks, describing a surprising pattern of brain function involving the more focused, task-oriented thinking, and a resting “default mode” pattern that hypothetically leads to a more people-oriented mode of engagement. These two appear to validate our own conception of the two agendas at work that are assumed to take turns in which one figures in the foreground while the other rests in the background. The exciting news from the neurosciences is that the two neural networks are antagonistic, competing for activation. Acknowledging the neural competition, this chapter reveals practical paths that allow us to follow both agendas effectively.
When we are able to free the individual from defensiveness, so that he is open to the wide range of his own needs, as well as the wide range of environmental and social demands, his reactions may be trusted to be positive, forward-moving, constructive.
Carl Rogers (1961, p. 194)
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Motschnig, R., Ryback, D. (2016). Tasks and People: What Neuroscience Reveals About Managing Both Effectively. In: Transforming Communication in Leadership and Teamwork. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45486-3_16
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