OVERVIEW
The fifth axiom according to Paul Watzlawick (Watzlawick 1967) states:
- Communication is either symmetric or complementary.
- Symmetric means that those involved in the conversation have the same rank, the same expertise, or represent the same position. They refrain from gestures of superiority and emphasize what they have in common.
- A complementary conversation is characterized by the difference of the communicating persons (supervisor-employee, client-contractor, experienced-novice). The difference can be used productively, for example to lead a task to its goal.
TRANSFER TASK
Symmetric and Complementary Communication in Your Environment
Look at your relationship with different people in your work environment and determine how the roles are distributed: symmetrically or complementarily? Check whether the factual distribution of roles corresponds to how you and these people communicate with each other in your day-to-day work. Make notes on this.
| Person | Role Allocation | How Has Communication Been Going So Far? |
|---|---|---|
| Person X Person Y | Symmetric Complementary | At Eye Level I Was Superior I Was Inferior |
