Q1: Social Projects (I)

Preview

The Q1 Arena, as shown in the diagram below, is created from a combination of the L'1-Dynamic and L'2-Atomistic paradigms.

The L'1-Dynamic paradigm captures the reality of any social project, its formation and development via a team of people who interact dynamically to deliver on its mission. Personal participation in a project is about becoming a team member and that entails fitting in—whether you are the leader or the most junior participant. Projects are generated by groups of all sorts. Whenever you join, attention to enable a suitable orientation is required.

So «social project» is the name of the Arena

The L'2 Atomistic paradigm also applies to any project. Every project is set up with a continuing mission until completion or termination. So it has definite boundaries with an identity and independent existence. Each must recognize and deal with the presence of other projects. Fitting in naturally takes these atomistic features into account.

So fitting in to a social project is about submitting to the project mission and interacting with co-workers to progress the project. This requires adjusting yourself and your attitudes so that you can contribute. A person who rubs everyone up the wrong way and does not contribute is not fitting in.

Example Projects:
Extending a house. Campaigning for new members. Organising a conference. Cleaning up a street. Managing a public garden. Introducing a new service.

Frameworks

TET: In order to fit in, a person has to adjust to the current state of the project and its members. There are 7 distinctive ways to adjust to any project (PH'3Q1t), which emerge from the depiction states shown in the diagram, and these can be usefully analysed using a Typology Essentials Table (TET).

Spiral: By converting the ways to modes, it is possible to cumulate them via a spiral trajectory that strengthens your contribution to a particular project (PH'3Q1C), so confirming your fit.

The Spiral-derived Triplet

Expected Pressures:   1°: Performance; 2°: Understanding.

Projects are about producing an outcome as specified by their mission, and so performance is their identity pressure. We get assigned to projects as part of employment and join other worthwhile projects pro bono. Once involved with a project, we need to appreciate what is going on, what our colleagues are doing, and how we can contribute effectively. So handling ourselves in relation to pursuit of the mission with others is subject to an understanding pressure.

Ways to Adjust to a Project

Fitting in to a project demands adjusting to its mission and its current state as well as to the team in place.

Before even starting, you get an appointment or assignment to the project. You will be told your position and your authority relationships, and usually you will be given a set of duties with immediate priorities and tasks. However, all that is theoretical. Once you are in the project, you find that it is not designed for you, nor you for it. You need to adjust yourself or you won't last.

t1: imposing a dynamic paradigm: state = interaction

Entering a project immediately plunges you into its culture and its interactional dynamics. By observing the nature and effect of interactions within the team (including yourself) and between the team and outsiders, you can determine how best to adjust your approach. However, you must start by interacting.

Initially you test the waters and so interactions are tentative. Once you are settled in, your interactions will become routinely acceptable. The goal is to be so attuned that your interactions are invariably constructive.

Proposed t1 Name:   Project Dynamics

Minimum: Tentative interactions.
Maximum: Productive interactions.

t2: refining interactions: state = feedback

You can get feedback on your participation and give feedback to others on their contribution to the project. Exchanges of information like this play an important role in helping you adjust.

Proposed t2 Name:   Regular Feedback

t3: probing the interactions: state = simulation

The interactions that occur in any project are the visible manifestation of the relationships that develop between team members. This network of relationships must be understood and used for effective participation. Adjusting to most co-workers may be straightforward. However, achievement not personality is the issue. Certain relationships that are useful, even essential, must be developed regardless of how unpleasant or difficult the other party may be.

Proposed t3 Name:   Useful Relations

t4: confirming the nature of interactions: state = evolution

Dynamic systems evolve and that will apply to any project and its team. The progress of the project never ceases. You need to adjust yourself so as to get on board with it wherever it happens to be and in whichever direction it happens to be going: even if you judge there to be errors, possibly severe.

Proposed t4 Name:   Ongoing Progress

t5: imposing an atomistic paradigm: state = boundaries

Informal roles, are required for effective performance by any work group. Belbin Belbin, M. (1981) Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail. London, Heinemann, for example, identified a variety of distinct behavioral patterns (which are not personality types) with three broad orientations:  social (eg "networker"), thinking (e.g. "creative"), and task (e.g. "finisher"). Each pattern's strengths come with associated weaknesses. Social pressure may force you to take on a missing role even if it is not particularly comfortable. You also need to respect the value of others who have taken on specific informal roles.

Proposed t5 Name:   Informal Roles

t6: refining the boundaries: state = significance

The nature of projects is that they come up against blockages and disruptions which pose challenges. Such challenges, which are unavoidable, can lead to failure or even collapse of the project. So you have to adjust to them. Challenges may demand deviation from your usual work pattern and often call on strengths which may not be habitual or preferred.

Proposed t6 Name:   Unavoidable Challenges

t7: probing the boundaries: state = comparison

You join the project with certain expectations and understandings but as matters evolve, changes become required, often major ones and often without any input from you e.g. key personnel alter, an important policy is modified, expected resources vanish. Adjusting to changes is often the most challenging and distressing demand.

Proposed t7 Name:   Required Changes

Plotting on a TET

The Executing Duality

The layout of a set of Q-types on a TET is standard. So we can generate the diagram shown at right. Accepting this layout as correct immediately poses two demands:

a) to identify appropriate axes (the psychosocial executing duality);
and then
b) to check that the named ways are appropriately located.

The X-axis typically captures the social output: in this case the output must demonstrate and be the result of a fit with the project.

Projects are set up to achieve something. We adjust to the project's demands and dynamics because we want to contribute to that achievement i.e. the output axis involves an Orientation to Outcomes.

The Y-axis typically captures the psychological input: in this case  the requirement involves understanding what is going on in the project.

Project processes get complicated due to the variety of people involved and inherent delivery challenges. We have to check that whether and how we adjust is appropriate i.e. the input involves a Need for Exploration.

Checking Locations

High Outcomes & Low Exploration

t1: Project Dynamics are oriented to outcomes with relatively little need for exploration. Tentative interactions are unsure or uninformed and they involve more exploration and will be less tied to outcomes. Interactions that you know are productive will be fully oriented to outcomes and need very little exploration. Hence this t1 covers an ellipse in the lower right quadrant.

Low Outcomes & Low Exploration

t2: Regular Feedback is in the lower part of the X-axis for outcomes because it looks backward at what has happened. It is also in the lower part of the Y-axis because feedback should be explicit and not require much exploration. So it belongs in the lower left quadrant. However, this way is not at extremes like t5: Informal Roles, which are common useful behavioral patterns with focus on process rather than outcomes and a minimal need for exploration.

Low Outcomes & High Exploration

t3: Useful Relations are about interpersonal handling with little focus on outcomes: so low on the X-axis. For relationships to be useful, exploration into attitudes and sensitivities of other project staff is required: so the way is high on the Y-axis. That places it in the upper left quadrant but not in the extreme position like t6-Unavoidable Challenges. Understanding the challenge inherent in any crisis is essential, which means there is a very high need for exploration; and there is a very low orientation to outcomes because adjusting is primarily about attitude rather than results.

High Outcomes & High Exploration

t4-Ongoing Progress has a moderately high focus on outcomes because that is what constitutes progress; and also a moderately high focus on the need for exploration because exactly what progress is being made is never clear. This places it in the central corner of the upper right quadrant. t7-Required Changes is in the more extreme position because any significant change generates a high concern for their effect on outcomes, and there is a high need to explore the cause, nature and implications of such changes.

Layout Features

Quadrants

Ways in the lower two quadrants are more direct and productive, while those in the upper two quadrants are more indirect and speculative.

Ways in the right two quadrants are about deliverables, while those in the left two quadrants are about being supportive.

Ways in diametrically opposite quadrants engender a degree of antagonism: 
• LR is the essence of contributing, while UL are contextual factors; • LL has a behavioral focus, while UR has a results focus.

The arrows indicate preferences for guidance i.e. in project dynamics (t1), tentative interactions are guided by productive interactions; feedback (t2) is guided by informal roles (t5), relationships (t3) are guided by challenges (t5), and finally progress (t4) is guided by required changes(t7),

Circles

The inner circle focuses on adjusting to the project.
The outer circle focuses on making the project personal.
The two circles fuse in project dynamics which is about adjustment involving both project factors and personal factors.

Diagonals

The two diagonal sets define the Apollonian-Dionysian duality (or approach duality).

The Apollonian diagonal runs from LL to UR. It contains ways that create order: via informal roles-t5, then via feedback-t2, then via progress-t4 and finally via changes-t7. Moving up the diagonal, there is a more and more instrumental demand on the person. Looking at the extremes: an informal role needs to suit the personality, whereas changes must be adapted to regardless. So these are: increasingly instrumental ordered ways.

The Dionysian diagonal runs from LR to UL. It contains ways that initiate activity: via interactions-t1, then via relationships-t3, then via challenges-t6. Moving up the diagonal, initiation is more and more personal. Looking at the extremes: productive interactions are minimally personal while challenges are maximally personal. So these are increasingly personal initiating ways.

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• Strengthening your contribution & an overview of orienting to the project.

Originally posted: 26-Jan-2026.