Case 2 – Business: Interns’ Last Day
4 Debriefing, Extensions, and Resources
Note: Debriefing is done in role either in groups or as a whole class
Interpersonal
- Some of you may have received additional communications. Did you decide to disclose or not? Why?
- Those of you who did not receive messages, how did you feel situated with your peers and/or the company?
- Did these unexpected communications change the team’s dynamics?
- As your group discussed possible courses of action, did you encounter any loyalty, transparency, honesty and/or ethical boundaries?
- What personal/professional boundaries do you and your peers have? Are they similar or different? Do gender, age, race, sexual orientation or other personal factors play a role?
- Did your relationship with your peers change? Did it become more or less collaborative? Did it become more competitive?
- Where did power reside in your teams? Was it centralized or distributed?
Issues
- What were the risks, individually or as a group, as a result of your conversation? Include potential threats to employment, reference letters, friendships, ethics, and physical.
- Did your opinions of the boss change? Do you think that Chris abused their power? Would you still like to work for this company?
- What assumptions were made from the brief messages received? Were actions planned based on these messages?
- How did the messages change the positions of power between the employer and employees? How did the messages change the levels of comfort between different interns?
Additional Resources
Extensions
- See scene “Exits and Entrances”, a series of videos on co-op placements by Mirror Theatre
- Discuss the many interpersonal issues that may be encountered during an internship.
Assignments
The following suggestions could be undertaken either as a group or individually. They could be written as reflections, offered for discussion, or submitted as assignments for grading.
- What are the descriptors of a well-functioning team? What structural and personal characteristics can foster or impede a well-functioning team?
- Consider what factors make an employer desirable. In what ways would you be flexible to gain your dream job?
- How do you respond to someone in a position of authority who might be perceived as crossing a professional boundary? To whom do you speak? Do you pretend nothing has happened? Do you leave the organization?
Readings
- Belbin, M. (2022). The Nine Belbin Team Roles.
- Campbell, D. T. (1976). Assessing the impact of planned social change. Occasional Paper Series, 8.
- TherapistAid.com. (2015). Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills.
- Tuckman, B. (1965). Development sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384-399.
- Venditti, P. & McLean, S. (2012). An Introduction to Group Communication.
