The
earliest of these remain obscure. After considerable study we’ve concluded that the shapes known here as
C Squares
® likely originated thousands of years ago and grew out of mans interest in
mathematics and logic. What's different today is the application. No longer deferring to a
perceived left brain cultural dominance C Squares ® have become an
integrated way of penetrating the mysterious portions of the pattern making
non-verbal right hemisphere. Augmenting human 'emotional
intelligence' by degrees, C Squares ® have helped to uncover the process by which
team members learn to perceive what they see, how they feel and
what habitually, they've learned to do about it.
In
recent discussion with
Professor Beryl Blaustone of CUNY Law School distinction in Queens, N.Y.
early forms of
Broken Squares appear to have evolved in this century from the work of Blaine
Hartford and adapted by J. William Pfeiffer in a
Handbook of Structured Experiences for Human Relations Training ( Volume 1, Revised) University Associates, Inc. w/ permission from Alex Bavelas,
Communication Patterns in Task-Oriented Groups, Journal of the
Acoustical Society of America, 1950, 22, 225-230.
C Squares ® were developed
from the originals into Complete Training Kits. Previous derivations
were made available through grants from the U.S. Office of Education out of
Bethel, Maine in the 1960's. Those labs encouraged users to adapt Broken
Squares ®. to a range of diverse communal objectives while serious
challenges in their construction beset users. Broken Squares
®. took
time and advance attention to detail to prepare. Using oak tag or cardboard
shapes in manila envelopes as part of the process, the possibilities for
error were ever present. Time pressured assembly threatened a teams success.
If you'd like to see examples of the old ways scroll half way down the page
when visiting
Links.
C Squares ® emerged when
students and staff of the Maslow -Toffler School in Brentwood, New York,
(MT) began using Cooperation Squares as part of their Orientations. That
structure endured for a decade while Maslow -Toffler became a highly
successful and acclaimed model of futuristic public secondary education.
Though corporations
and team building organizations worldwide continue use of the first forms
of squares in training regimes, there has until recently been no other
variation available
to the marketplace. Now it can be said that whether applied to team building,
teaching cooperative behavior or 'fixing' counter productive patterns of
behavior in large or small groups, there is a practical, cost effective choice -
called
C Squares
®.
C Squares ®,
made of durable non-toxic, cross-linked polyethylene foam, retain shape and
appearance after each use and are a cost and time saving response to today’s
education and training market needs.
C Squares ®
are recyclable and may be used year after year. Made in attractive colors --
red, white, blue, green, and yellow -- they’re packaged in self-contained kits.
Traditional values of diversity and competition get new emphasis now, though the
focus on cooperation and communication still get priority. Mistakes and
guess work have been eliminated from set-up and reassembly. Instructions
are included for re-packaging and ease of facilitation even by first time
participants.
C Squares ®
are favored by those whose focus and intent is to build climates of trust,
communities of concern and improve team performances. Getting people to
work together isn’t always easy. Achieving personal goals while getting
work done requires trust, balanced judgment and belief in abilities. C
Squares ® teaches players how to become more collaborative in their work.
Simply follow the
rules and watch behavior unfold. Remember to avoid assumptions or analyzing what
you see. Watch how people perform. Listen with your eyes. When the
game is over there will be ample time to share what you’ve been given in the
present.
Everyone see things differently. You’ll 'C' and understand better what that
means after participating in the game of C Squares ®.
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