Teaching Resources
Chapter 2
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Discussion Questions
1) Discuss your group project for this class using the systems perspective model (Figure 2.1).
- What is an example of an input (assignment prompt, group member attitudes, etc.)?
- What is an example of a process your group might use?
- How could a process (like a conflict in your group, the way your group makes decisions, how you divide the work, etc.) influence the output?
- How could this process influence your input?
- How could feedback from the professor (grade, comments on your midterm project, etc.) influence your future work together?
2) The bona fide groups perspective reminds us that groups are embedded in a social context and that group members are part of many different groups. What different groups are you part of? How do these memberships influence the way that you might be able to participate in your group work for this class?
3) Structuration Theory tells us that people are guided by social structural forces such as laws, social norms, power structures, and cultural understandings of appropriate behavior. But, people make choices about when and how to follow these norms, and our everyday behavior serves to challenge, reinforce, and even create these structural forces. Think about some examples of social structures that could shape how you work in a small group for this class. For example,
- How should group members talk and listen to each other?
- What is the best way to make a decision?
- How should groups manage conflict?
- Do you need a leader? If so, who should it be? How should that person act?
- How can your answers to these questions show that groups are enabled by social structure? How can these same structures be constraining?
4) Use the Embedded Systems Theoretical Framework (Figure 2.2) to discuss the group work that you will be doing for this class. What does this framework help you see that isn’t obvious using the Systems Perspective Model?
5) Do you agree that it is useful to think about groups in terms of different “archetypes?” How do these archetypes help explain and/or shape group members’ understandings of who they are and what they should do?
- What difference does it make whether you think of your group as a “team” or a “family”?
- What is good leadership like in a family? What about in a sports team?
- How committed are family members to each other? How committed are team mates?
- What happens when one team member’s performance is consistently low? What is the right action for a leader to take? Is this different in a family?
Classroom Activities
1) Creating A Group Charter and Contract
Students should get together with the other members of their class work group for this activity. Based on the class discussion of social structure and group expectations (discussion questions 1-4 above), groups should work together to describe their goals for their group and the guidelines that they will follow in their work together. During their initial conversation they could discuss:
- Past experiences in groups that have shaped their thinking about what group members should and shouldn’t do
- Their personal goals and work habits in groups
- Their pet peeves involved in working with groups
- The other obligations they have during this academic term that may affect their group work
- Their hopes for this work group during this academic term
There should be two outcomes of their discussion. The first is a group charter, which describes the shared goal of the group. This should be a one or two sentence description of what their group wants to accomplish and what is important to them as a group.
The second outcome of their discussion should be a group contract, which involves a list of guidelines that they all agree to follow as they work together for this class. Groups should be encouraged to make the guidelines as clear and specific as possible by asking themselves how they would know if this guideline was being followed or not. Specific topics can include: how work will be divided, how group members will contact each other, what a group member should do if he or she can’t attend a scheduled group meeting, how conflicts will be managed, etc. This handout can be a helpful guide for students working on a group contract.
Group members should sign their charter and contract. The group members should each keep a copy of this (and it should also be turned in to the instructor) for their reference throughout the quarter. If group members will be assessing one another for participation in the group project, this contract can serve as the foundation for that assessment.
Student groups often complain about this kind of project early in the academic term and think it is kind of uncomfortable, weird, or useless. However, by the end of the term most students refer back to these guidelines as extremely useful and comment on this kind of activity as one of the more helpful things in the class.
Instructors can facilitate a discussion in the whole class about how the Embedded Systems Framework can help make sense of their group charters and contracts. Do they think that the guidelines might change some throughout the academic term? What kinds of circumstances might lead to changes? Why?
2) Understanding Self-Managed Work Teams
Students can work in groups to analyze a hypothetical scenario related to a self-managed work team. Student groups should use Figure 2.3 (embedded systems theoretical framework for studying self-managed work teams) to answer the questions.
Scenario
Janice is the leader of a self-managed team at one branch of a mid-sized manufacturing company. Her team consists of two engineers (Bob and Jin), one sales and marketing employee (Jorge), two research and development employees (Lisa and Hiro), and one manufacturing supervisor (Chris). The team is tasked with creating innovative product ideas that build on the company’s strengths, can be made efficiently, and are likely to increase their market share. The team members’ roles are very clear. Lisa and Hiro bring ideas from R&D to the team. Bob and Jin lead the discussion about designing the new products, Chris helps the team understand how the new product would fit into their existing work, and Jorge brings important information about what the customers want, and how the new product would fit into the company’s image. They have worked together for the past two years, and are lauded as one of the most successful cross-functional teams in the company. Janice thinks that their success is largely due to the quality of her team: all the members are very knowledgeable and skilled, and they seem to love working together.
Janice is faced with a dilemma, though. Chris has asked for a paternity leave so he can be a stay-at-home dad for his newborn daughter for three months. This kind of leave is encouraged by the company, which prides itself on being progressive and family friendly. But Janice is worried about trying to replace Chris for this time and is not sure that a temporary employee could do the high-quality work that Chris has been doing. Besides, what if Chris decides not to come back? In addition, Lisa has been tagged as “high potential” by upper management and is in line for a promotion in the next month or two, which would mean that she could potentially leave the team before Chris gets back. And, Janice has heard a rumor that Bob and Jorge think the team might fall apart and they are considering leaving the company to start their own business. Finally, Janice is facing budget pressure from her boss who encourages her to use this opportunity to downsize her team. Janice wants to support her team members in their professional development, but also is not sure how to keep the high quality work during what seems like it could be a major transition.
Using Figure 2.3 from The Group in Society, explain what these potential changes could mean for Janice’s team.
- How could Janice go about maintaining clear roles, and high levels of skill and motivation in this situation?
- Where would this model locate Janice’s external pressure to downsize the team? How would this affect the team’s final product?
- What advice would you offer to Janice?