count down from 10, remembering to keep the exercise light-hearted. Step 5: Repeat Step 4 until everyone is left with holding only one post-its sized note. Once everyone is holding just their last post-it note, ask everyone how they found this process. What did they notice in their decisions in selecting a note to throw into the bin? Step 6: Ask everyone to retrieve their post-it notes from the bin and to number them in reverse order to them being thrown into the bin, i.e. the first note into the bin is number five, the next four etc. Ask everyone to share the values they have uncovered. Ask what do those words mean to them, and do they feel these words resonate with them. Ask them about the order in which they have placed their notes, how do they feel about this order. If the same word appears more than once across the group, explore what that word means to those people – is the definition the same or different. Uncovering a centre's core value For the best results first, run the core values exercise above with your team. Then, with a fuller understanding of what your core values are and how they feel, work through the steps below. This process consists of two phases. The first phase is a team activity that takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes. It uses what is known as affinity mapping to help you find patterns and relationships from the ideas you and your team generate. The second phase involves the business owner or centre manager reflecting on the first phase and refining the output of the team's work into core value statements, ones that can be easily communicated across the centre. To do phase one, you will need Post-it notes, marker pens and a large empty wall space or two to five flip charts on stands depending on the number of people you have in your workshop. Divide everyone into two to five equal teams and give each person a set of Post-its and a marker pen. Step 1: Ask everyone to take 5 to 10 minutes to write down everything that comes to mind when thinking of the following two questions. Ask them to write each idea on a separate post-it note. ● ● Question 1: What is important at our company? ● ● Question 2: What is unique about working here? If the team is getting stuck, you can also ask, "What is the company NOT?", then write down the opposite. Step 2: Ask everyone to stick their post-it notes anywhere on the flip charts or wall. Then ask everyone to organise the notes into similar groups. Keep all notes visible and do not discard any notes even if they are duplicates. If there are a few notes that just do not seem to fit, place them to one side as they may find a group later or maybe less important. You are looking for ideally four to five groups. If there are more than five groups, then ask the team to read through the groups and vote for their top five. Step 3: Then ask the team to read through each group and choose a keyword or concept that summarises that group. These words or concepts form the basis of your core values. Once step 3 is complete, finish this session by asking the team to reflect on how they found the process. At the end of the session let the team know that you will now be reflecting and refining the keywords and concepts and then will present the final core values back in a weeks’ time. Phase two is now your time to challenge and test these keywords against your values and to practice using them in the centre. If they are not quite right look to refine them further. Once you can feel the final words resonate with you and your team, you will know you are ready to stand by them. Phil and Tiffany Smith, owners of Smith Architects, have specialised in designing world-class education architecture for over 20 years in NZ, Australia and the UK. They believe in crafting beautiful human spaces through creativity, refinement and care based on research that brings together architecture and evolutionary psychology. They have been recognised for their achievements in sustainable early childhood architecture with their designs achieving many local and international awards for centres including St Kentigern Preschool, Kakapo Creek Children’s Garden, Gaia Forest Preschool, Manawa Children’s Centre, Three Trees Learning Centre, Campbells Bay Early Learning Centre, Fantails Childcare, Chrysalis Early Learning Centre, Kristin Early Learning, New Shoots Children's Centres and Te Mirumiru Childhood Education Centre. Website: www.smitharchitects.nz References Dilts, R. (2014). A Brief History of Logical Levels. Retrieved from http://www.nlpu.com/Articles/LevelsSummary.htm Kakapo Creek Children’s Garden, Mairangi Bay, Auckland: “Putake’ is Māori for ‘reason for being’ and incorporates the concepts of ‘kaitiakitanga‘ (guardianship and care-taking of our natural resources) and Manaakitanga (hospitality) and whanaungatanga (family)”. (Architect: Smith Architects; Photographer: Mark Scowen) July 2024 { 33 }
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