Breaching Experiments, Lewins Force Field Analysis - Assignment Example

Portfolio Questions

Question 2: Breaching Experiments

We, as individuals tend to behave in a certain manner in our day to day life. This conduct is socially acceptable and helps people make sense of their world. Over time, some patterns of an individual’s behavior become a part of them and they start taking things for granted (Carr, 2012).

A breaching experiment is a novel way to investigate people’s observance to the tacit social norms of society. These unspoken rules are accepted and adhered to us as if they were stringent strictures passed by a regulatory authority. A breaching experiment is deliberate attempt to break a commonly accepted social norm by resorting to unexpected behavior (Rafalovich, 2006). Given its nature and purpose, a breaching experiment will come across as an aberration. If taken to an extreme, the breaching experiment may appear absurd to people who do not know the intent and purpose of the experiment.

The concept of breaching experiment was put forth by Harold Garfinkel, a renowned sociologist and ethnomethodologist. Breaching experiments find widespread applications. Over time, these experiments have been used in psychology, human behavior and even in Information Technology (IT) research (Crabtree, 2004).

Lighthearted breaching experiments can prove to be stress busters and have the potency to provide joy and happiness to all concerned (Schoepflin, 2012). However, serious breaching experiments that try and shake the roots of something very critical can cause anger, resentment and fretfulness (Carr, 2012).

The understanding and use of breaching experiments can be pretty helpful to a manager. The manager can gain valuable inputs about the understanding of interpersonal relations amongst the team members. For example, there are two potential candidates for a promotion. Both these team members are, as of now, on the same position in hierarchy. A breaching experiment may be carried out where one of them is deemed to become the senior for a week. Thereafter the other member is made the superior for a specified period. These experiments will bring to the fore behavioral changes not only in these two people but also in the other team members. It will also be possible for the manager to gauge the suitability of these two team members for a senior position.

A breaching experiment can also be used to uncover the subordinate’s perceptions towards the manager. The manager may relinquish his charge and become one of the team members. Instead of expecting salutations from the subordinates, he may initiate the greetings. Likewise, no preference is given to the manager in the pantry even if there is a long queue. If the manager orders something, the subordinates are given the right to question the order. The subordinates are free to voice their opinion about the skill, experience and proficiency of the manager. The use of this breaching experiment will divulge what subordinates like or dislike about the manager.

It is important to understand that conducting breaching experiments is not a straight-forward task as it is not easy to break the pattern of behavior and conversation once it becomes a part of the relationship.

At the end of the day, the experimenting parties may just discard the experiment stating that the situation is connived and will therefore not contribute anything meaningful. So in reality, a genuine modification in the behavior of an individual may prove to be more effective in changing the perception of others. A sincere two-way dialogue between parties may uncover expectations and perceptions. Trying to live up to those expectations may play a pivotal role in strengthening relationships.