Chapter 4
When to use the Laundry
When team members are not working cordially with each other – in open hostility, stony silence or destructive politics – their performance suffers.
Teams in difficulties often find it hard to speak openly about what is going on. Only some people, the loquacious ones, speak; others, the silent ones, hold their (non) peace.
This is where the Laundry Program can be useful.
In this chapter, ‘sorting one’s washing’ is used as a metaphor for revealing difficult issues in a team. After an elaborate warm-up, members are asked to write an item on each of three cards representing three categories of ‘washing’ – Heavy Soil, Regular Wash and Delicates. The items are then separated into three ‘laundry ...
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