A large part of the reason that knowledge and understanding of groups and group dynamics is not so easy to come by or to communicate about is that a component of the universe we live in is a scale or set of steps of different levels of analytical awareness of components of groups. The steps are always traveled in sequence. At each step the individual will be aware of, and so able to deal with and communicate about the group component or quality pertaining to that step and the group components of all steps below his current level. The awareness is an analytical awareness rather than a spiritual awareness. A person in a good spiritual state may not necessarily be high on this scale. The analytical awareness is a self-determined recognition of specific items within the individual’s team environment as belonging to a general category in the list below.
The trick is that he will NOT be aware of, and so UNABLE to deal well with or communicate well with any of the group components that relate to any of the specific scale steps ABOVE his current level of awareness. A partial exception to this is that if a person is really applying himself in a group context he will begin to be aware of the group component of the next higher step. If he continues along this line he will at some point fully gain the awareness of the next scale step component. This process can be made easier if the individual acquaints himself with the scale, determines at which point he is located, then informs himself what the next step is. He can then bring his focus to bear more fully or directly on the group component “in the offing” as he participates successfully in a team or group activity.
I first came across this scale listed in a writing by Ron Hubbard. It is such a useful philosophical tool, and such a part of the fabric of the universe we are all living together in that I hate to see it tucked away in an out-of-the-mainstream publication where few will ever see it and fewer still apply it. I hope you will see through your own application of it that it is more than just one person’s subjective ideas, that it can be independently observed, and so should be made available for all to freely use and communicate about. It is a terrific philosophical tool for use in de-aberration and improvement of the group or team member.
A Terminal, as used here, is just an ending point or terminus for a Line. A Terminal can be a machine, a piece of equipment like a telephone or computer, or a person occupying a post with the viewpoint of a hat for a particular job.
A Line is an established route or path for particles to flow along.
By Particle is meant any unit object that gets moved, relayed, transferred, changed, modified or communicated within an organization.
So an organization is a set of Terminals with Lines laid out between them for Particles to flow along. Hopefully the organization Terminals are of a high enough quality, quantity and competency and with proper Lines arranged between them to allow a viable flow of Particles that can be changed, modified, combined or separated to form a viable flow of Products (another type of Particle) that can then be exchanged with the environment for support and tolerance.
Here is the list of steps listed from top to bottom:
- PROPERLY CONFIGURED TERMINALS
Operating to handle particle flows and correctly change particles - GROUPED TERMINALS
- LINES
- PARTICLES
- SIGNIFICANCES
- FALSE TERMINALS
- MISDIRECTED LINES
- WRONG PARTICLES
- FALSE SIGNIFICANCES
- MYSTERIOUS TERMINALS
- CHAOTIC LINES
- MENACING PARTICLES
- DANGEROUS IMPRESSIONS
- NONEXISTENT TERMINALS
- NONEXISTENT LINES
- NONEXISTENT PARTICLES
- UNCONSCIOUS IMPULSES
- NO ORDER AT ALL = CHAOS
Notice that there is a repeated pattern on the way upward: some kind of Significance, then a kind of Particle, then a type of Line, and finally a type of Terminal.
Everyone is at some point on this scale of steps. In order to effectively communicate to a particular person you will have to talk about group components that are at or below his level. I hope this helps in coaching or communicating about teams or groups.
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