Analysis 1
Part 1: Data. Answer the questions about time, space, rules, roles, below. This is simply to record the informal rules of the environment you select.
Part 2: Instructions. Write an essay on the unspoken (informal) rules that one needs to know to successfully navigate this environment. Do not bother with the formal or technical rules, which the reader is presumed to know. Pick out the important informal rules that the reader is not likely to know. Sample essay can be found at http://www.wcsu.edu/artsci/howto.asp ("How to go to college: The unofficial rules.") Your essay may not be as long, but you should follow the same idea - explicitly stating rules which are not usually stated.
Things to remember when analyzing an environment
It's best if you pick a small environment (in space or time or both).
Things to avoid:
Don’t be…
Too general: Don’t bother to describe in detail irrelevant things.
Too obvious: Assume we know what a standard feature looks like.
Too formal or technical: We're more interested in the informal aspects.
Too abstract: descriptions should be specific and observable, not vague.*
Other things to avoid
Don’t write an ad for your environment. You are not supposed to be a cheerleader or salesperson. This is not a "day in the life" essay or a literary diary. Feelings are not the issue, behavior is.
*vague terms: "professional," "efficient," "friendly," "warmth," "hostile," "works smoothly together," etc. Descriptions should be observable behaviors. "Casual dress" is vague and relative. Describe the rules for dress (some examples, but not just examples – better to include an analogous environment).
Use the word "formal" to denote informal rules, not the common use ("proper, "stuffy.").
Analysis guide, part 1 (Space and time)
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Formal & Technical |
Informal |
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SPACE |
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1. In what type of space does this situation occur? (Public, private, semi-public?) |
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2. What conditions limit the access of persons to this space? |
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3. Who controls the access of persons to this space? |
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4. Who controls the environmental conditions within this space (e.g., temperature, lighting, furniture, etc.)? |
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5. Who or what regulates movement within the space? Into and out of the space? |
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6. What are the norms for spatial behavior within this space (e.g., how do people hold their bodies, organize their possessions, arrange their faces, move, sit, stand, walk, etc.)? |
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7. Are there clear cut boundaries between the front regions and the back regions on this space? Do they shift or are they fixed? Where are they? |
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8. How is the overall space bounded? Are the boundaries fixed or flexible? Are they permeable (can others see/hear into the space; can others enter it)? |
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9. What objects help to define this situation? |
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10. Who has access to the objects in this situation? Under what conditions? |
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11. How are persons oriented to one another in space (e.g., positions, distance)? |
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12. What are the rules for personal distance and for touching? |
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TIME |
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1. What are the temporal boundaries of the environment? |
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2. Are the boundaries fixed or flexible? |
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3. How are the boundaries marked? |
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4. Who controls the organization of time? The pace of events? |
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5. Who or what organizes the order of events? |
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6. Are events diffused or displaced point? |
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7. Is the environment monochronic or polychronic? |
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Analysis guide, part 2 (Roles, rules)
ROLES
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Formal & Technical |
Informal |
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1. Who are the various players in this situation? How are different roles communicated? |
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2. How are the players organized or aligned? (Are there different teams, how are they organized, under what conditions do players shift teams?) |
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3. What is the hierarchical position of each player/team? How is it marked? |
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4. Are roles fixed or flexible? |
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PRESENTATIONS AND TRANSACTIONS
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Formal & Technical |
Informal |
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1. What are the rules for dress in this situation?
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2. What are the rules for linguistic messages? What are the restrictions on content, structure, taboo words/expressions, levels of emotion, tone, volume, etc.
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3. What are the rules for non-verbal messages?
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4. Are rules different for different players?
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5. What are the rules for engagements? What are the markers for engagements? Which players may not engage? |
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6. What symbol system/technology is used? Who has access to it and who does not? |
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METAPHORS
1. What metaphors seem to underlie the structure of this situation? What is the "definition of the situation?" What are the clues to these metaphors?
2. Are different players operating under different metaphors? If so, do they coexist peacefully or do they clash?