Wastewater Wars: Using Persuasion Tactics to Overcome Cognitive Distortions

Wastewater Wars: Using Persuasion Tactics to Overcome Cognitive Distortions

We describe a short, interactive case-based activity for illustrating cognitive distortions of communication underlying resistance to change. Based on a real-life story, the case describes a failed effort by the mayor of Toowoomba, Australia to fund a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant. Aft...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Management teaching review Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 152 - 169
Main Authors: Breer, Kelsey K., Perry, Sophia T., Morgan, Jeffrey P., Bolinger, Alexander R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-06-2023
Subjects:
Case Method (Teaching Technique)
Case Studies
City Government
Cognitive Processes
College Students
Communication (Thought Transfer)
Education Courses
Educational Objectives
Foreign Countries
Learning Activities
Online Courses
Persuasive Discourse
Resistance to Change
Sanitation
Water Pollution
Australia
resistance to change
interactive cases
persuasion tactics
cognitive distortions in communication
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Summary:We describe a short, interactive case-based activity for illustrating cognitive distortions of communication underlying resistance to change. Based on a real-life story, the case describes a failed effort by the mayor of Toowoomba, Australia to fund a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant. After reading the case, students work individually and in small groups to identify examples of cognitive distortions in the communication between the mayor’s office and the citizens of Toowoomba and then suggest better approaches based on evidence-based principles of persuasion. The Wastewater case is both engaging and versatile and has proven popular for students in undergraduate, graduate, and executive education courses. We discuss learning objectives, provide step-by-step instructions for running the activity, describe variations and adaptations for online courses, and include suggestions for debriefing the activity.
ISSN:2379-2981
2379-2981
DOI:10.1177/23792981221076794