Activity 2
Mind maps make the invisible visible. When people see each other's backgrounds and values laid out on paper, something shifts. Abstract colleagues become real people with real histories. This is a gentle way to share without the pressure of a personal presentation.
Visualize what shapes and drives you. See commonalities and differences at a glance. Briefly present your mind maps and ask curious questions about each other's.
Edgar Schein describes four levels of interpersonal relationship that every team moves through, whether it knows it or not.
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| Level | Name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| -1 | Domination | One person controls another. Trust is impossible. |
| 1 | Transactional | Roles and rules. Professional distance. Where most work relationships start — and stay. |
| 2 | Personal | People see each other as whole persons. Trust and openness become the default. Real collaboration begins here. |
| 3 | Intimate | Deep emotional bonds. Rare at work. Teams that reach Level 2 occasionally touch it. |
This activity is about making the move from Level 1 to Level 2. Mind maps externalize what shapes a person — background, values, interests — giving the team something real to respond to rather than assumptions to fill in. Integration begins when people recognize shared threads; differentiation works best when those differences feel safe rather than divisive. The next three activities continue building toward Level 2 relationships, where trust and openness become the default rather than the exception.
Outcomes
I see how making personal origins, interests, and values visible helps teammates understand each other.