This article, as the title indicates, reviews seven tendencies which limit our effectiveness and offers methods to correct each.

Appropriate Subject Area(s):

Business studies, entrepreneurship

Key Questions to Explore:

• What are these self-limiting tendencies?
• What can be done to reduce or eliminate their limiting effect?

New Terminology:

Satisficing

Materials Needed:

Copies of the article for the students

Introduction to lesson and task:

We all have tendencies or comfort approaches which affect the way we deal with situations and circumstances. Most of the time, we are unaware of the existence of these as we have developed them over time and they have become second nature to us. This article points out seven common flaws and suggests ways in which we can effectively limit their impact and open up paths to more effective behaviours. This lesson will use this article to sensitize the students to these flaws and provide them with an opportunity, through demonstrated examples, to examine ways of offsetting the negative effects of these tendencies.

Action (lesson plan and task):

• Begin the lesson by asking the students to identify a habit that they have that they didn’t know about until someone pointed it out to them.
• Once you have reviewed some examples, indicate to the students that everyone also has information-processing and reaction habits that they may or may not be aware of.
• Indicate to them that, through group work which will require the planning and delivery of a scenario, they are going to examine seven common flaws that limit effectiveness when dealing with situations.
• At this point, divide the class into seven groups and give each group an excerpt which deals with a specific flaw.
• Indicate to the groups that they are to develop a short scenario which will show the flaw in action and then a second scenario which will show how to behave to correct that flaw.
• Stress with the groups that these are to be short vignettes as there will be a total of 14 presentations in all.
• Allow the groups time to develop their vignettes.

Consolidation of Learning:

• Have each group, in turn, without specifically identifying the flaw they are presenting, present both scenarios and, after the presentation of both, ask the class what flaw they think was demonstrated. Once the class has responded, have the group identify the flaw, explain why it is limiting and the strategy to reduce or eliminate the effect of that flaw

Success Criteria:

The students will:

• Be able to identify thinking and behavioural flaws which limit effectiveness.
• Suggest strategies that can be employed to reduce or eliminate the effects of those flaws.

Confirming Activity:

• As a confirming and concluding activity provide each student with a copy of the article, allow them time to read it and then conduct a plenary session during which the students can make any final comments and identify what they individually may have learned about their own processing and behavioural tendencies.