Decision Making: Consensus among Chaos!

Our class was asked to come up with a solution to remedy our test grades - with the conditions that it is reasonable, and that everyone must agree on it.  The final outcome was successful: we came out with a deal that probably no other class could imagine or bargain for.  Yet, the process was hectic.  We left the class seeing its true colors when faced with opportunity. 

When the discussions first started, I took the accommodation stance.  I knew that everyone had different ideas.  If I had contributed mine, it would just be another factor the group had to adjust to; it would slow down the decision making process.  As long as the ideas were benefiting, there is no need to step in. 

There were a few people who got up to the front to take the Compromise stance, trying to really get as much out as possible.  Those who made this sacrifice should be thanked.  There was also around two-thirds of the class who took the Avoidance stance – they had their opinions but were probably turned off by the chaos. 

Had I known the outcomes, I would have set the limit to two conditions.  As we all observed, the level of chaos exponentially rises as time goes by.  We agreed to the curve quickly.  The option to drop a curve took twice the time.  Agreeing on the essay option confused some, and almost caused us to go over the time limit.  Had we stopped at the ‘drop exam’ option, we could have avoided unnecessary stress. 

Either way, I can’t help but to imagine that this situation had the same atmosphere that existed during Constitutional Convention.  Each delegate is fighting for their own state, like each of us wanting the best for our scores.  To reach a consensus is certainly a challenge!

An Eggs-cellent dynamic!

Our group went through the Planning Process, but only briefly.  Due to time limits, we simply skipped parts of the steps that required in-depth specifics.  Before I go into the formal evaluation, here is a point in response to what Professor Kurpis addressed in class.

 - Everyone in our group participated; no one sat back.  I believe that this was because of the 10 point incentive that was set.  Yet, I have experienced the occasional person that sits back without a care in past group work.  It seems to me that in the real world, the incentives may not be as apparent or as impacting – leading to less motivated team members.  This is where the role of team leader(s) comes in.  Helping team members see goals and impacts is one of the challenges that team leaders must take on. 

Here are the parts that we accomplished, organized in steps:

Step 1:  We knew what we needed to do: to develop a contraption that would keep an egg intact after a ten foot drop.  We understood that we had both time and material constraints.  Our group was also aware of the strict deadlines.  A sheet of paper with our group member names and group design had to be at the front of the room at the end of the 25 minute time limit. 

Step 2:  Even before the time limit began, our group went to work thinking about the resources.  We decided that our design must not rely on the shared pair of scissors too much, or else it may bottleneck our efforts. 

Step 3:  We began with three outstanding designs.  The creators of two of the competing designs (I was one of them) eventually stepped down because of the pressure of the 10 points at stake.  Isn’t it funny how an incentive can become an opposing driving force?  Based on the class debriefing, this sense of responsibility for failure was not isolated to our group.  We were left with a ‘default’ design.

Step 4:  The design was chosen by step 3.  By this time, our group was solely focused on constructing the design.  It was a simple design, so skipped the allocation of jobs and roles.

Step 5:  We took the 10 foot challenge, and failed.  Our hypothesis was wrong.  As this activity was a one-shot deal, we didn’t have another opportunity to try.  However, we did realize our mistakes.  In the midst of the hectic planning, we forgot to take into account the center of gravity of our device; it was too top-heavy.  Perhaps later in the semester we can try again?

Were you satisfied with your group dynamic?