A Perspective on Other People’s Perspectives
I've long been a proponent of understanding the other party's perspective, or at least trying to. Whenever a family member, team member, manager, customer, or anyone else behaves in a way that seems inappropriate or counterproductive, it seems useful to wonder what might be going on to trigger that behavior.
Given my perspective about other people's perspectives, I was intrigued by this article that suggests that we can't ever really understand anyone else's perspective. Certainly, this is true for major life events. I can empathize with someone who's had a home destroyed by a tornado and I can celebrate the success of a triathlon finisher. But with no firsthand experience in these things, I'm limited by my imagination and what I can learn from those who do have firsthand experience.
But these are extreme situations. In the workplace, this matter of perspective requires only that you accept that your colleagues and coworkers face challenges similar to your own. Like you, they have to deal with tight schedules, changing priorities, over-the-top expectations, and distracting personal problems. And they also have to deal with communication snafus—maybe even bigger ones than you have to deal with.
Unfortunately, though, as Bob Aiello notes, “some organizations suffer from a very dysfunctional siloed culture, where different units operate as if they are completely separate fiefdoms.” The result is that when a problem arises, many people are quick to see it as the fault of the people in the other silos. And without insight into what these other parties are experiencing, the problem doesn't resolve; instead, it gets bigger as finger-pointing takes hold.
In some realms, simulations are available to help people gain some insight into other people's perspectives. A heavily weighted suit has been used to train medical professionals to more compassionately care for obese patients. Low-vision goggles help professionals and family members appreciate the experience of people with vision limitations. Various prison simulations have helped people understand what it's like to be in a maximum-security cell, even if only for twenty-four hours. And organizations that rotate employees through a variety of positions in different departments gain employees who are well-versed in multiple perspectives, benefiting the individual, the department, and the entire company.
Certainly, a few hours or a day in a simulation doesn't capture the reality of living with those challenges day in and day out. But it's a start. Perhaps someday someone will invent goggles to help employees better understand each other's perspective. Until then—and especially when tempers show signs of flaring—just thinking about the perspectives of the other parties can help simmer things down.
