UNIT 4 Skills for Problem-Solving in Teams · Unit 4: Overview Unit 4: Overview Once groups are...

UNIT 4

Skills for Problem-Solvingin Teams

Teaching objectives

This unit has a number of learning activities during which the students will:

• practise the skills of active listening and effective speaking• give and receive judgements to and from peers• share ideas in teams• learn about the need for good planning for effective teamwork• problem-solve as teams• reflect on their personal use of time and experience using time management

schedules• negotiate and make decisions in teams

Unit 4: Objectives

Unit 4: Overview

Unit 4: Overview

Once groups are engaged on a problem, techniques and methods forprogressing productively become important. This unit involvesstudents in activities which are focussed on improving the skillsneeded for effective team problem-solving. These includetalking and listening skills, techniques for generating andsharing ideas, time management skills, techniques for effectiveplanning and negotiating and decision-making skills.

Summaries of possible activities to be used in this unit

(i) Active listening and effective speakingGood speaking and listening skills are essential in group activities. The free flow of debate, ofinformation and of decision making all depend upon the participants talking to each other and, justas importantly, listening to each other. This activity explains the techniques of good speaking andlistening and then gets the students into discussions, and gives them feedback from their peers onhow well they do. It also gives the students practice at giving and receiving judgements.

(ii) Brainstorming and sharing ideasThe imaginative creation of new ideas is the essence of high level problem solving. Ways to en-courage the free flow of ideas include the use of brainstorming. This technique is introduced andthe students go on to try it out on a problem.

(iii) Organisation and planning in problem solving: “The Bloody Problem!”Studies of problem-solving show that those best at solving problems usually have a plan oroverview of the problem which guides them. Starting work without a plan generally is not produc-tive. This activity presents some guidance on the need for planning and then involves the studentsin an activity - “The Bloody Problem”- during which they can self-reflect on how they plan andorganise their work and how they could, as a team, improve on this.

(iv) Time managementThis activity gets the students to think about how they organise and manage their time. The needfor time management is presented and then the students are asked to fill in a questionnaire abouttheir own working styles. Then they are asked to consider how time can be wasted, and how workcan be scheduled in a time-efficient manner. The students are finally encouraged to try outdifferent time management systems.

(v) Negotiating with others: “The Red and Blue Exercise”Individuals in groups will often have differing ideas about how to proceed. The group itself mayhave to negotiate an outcome with others. Often the negotiation of ideas can become a competitionfor supremacy. In this exercise the students experience a game in which they usually becomeinvolved in an unproductive and aggressive competition at the expense of negotiating a satisfac-tory compromise. The purpose of the activity is to demonstrate to the students that realisticnegotiation must not be side tracked into unproductive competition.

(vi) Decision-making in groups: “Millennium Park”In teams, decisions may be made by a leader, by consultating with team members, by voting or byconsensus. This activity allows teams to explore the decision-making process and to appreciate theneed for teams to adopt a clear and agreed decision-making system.

Summary

Good speaking and listening skills are essential in group activities. The free flow of debate, ofinformation and of decision making all depend upon the participants talking to each other and, just asimportantly, listening to each other. This activity explains the techniques of good speaking andlistening and then gets the students into discussions, and gives them feedback from their peers onhow well they do. It also gives the students practice at giving and receiving judgements.

Time, resource and material requirements

The exercise takes about one hour, but may take longer depending upon how well the students inter-act. An OHP is required and one OHT and pens for each group. You may wish to photocopyAttachment (i)3 onto an OHT. The checklists of skills from the students workbook - pages 21 and 22will also be required (Attachments(i)1& 2).

Suggested teaching activities

This activity should start with a brief input from the tutor to explain the importance of the skills ofspeaking and listening. Though the truth of this appears to be self evident, it is very common forpeople to be very poor at both speaking and listening. The tutor needs to point out the bad habitsthat are typical - talking too much, always talking about yourself, listening but never hearing what issaid, speaking aggressively, listening in an arrogant disbelieving manner, being unwilling to disagreewith others, not speaking at all etc.

Then a short presentation should be made of the 'Techniques for good listening' and the'Techniques for good speaking' using the points on the checklists on pages 21 & 22 of the studentworkbook (Attachments (i)1 & 2). Explain how all of this centres on the careful giving of attention by the speaker and the listener each to the other, in order to encourage the free flow ofdiscussion.

Point out that since the only people who can know how well each individual performs at speakingand listening are the other members of the group, the next activity sets up a situation in which theymust each practice speaking and listening and can then get constructive feedback from the others.

Refer the students to the checklists of good listening and speaking skills in their workbooks.Carefully explain what they will have to do - the students should put a tick or a cross against eachcategory for each individual, and perhaps a very brief comment also in the box. Separate thestudents into groups of four and divide each group of four into two pairs of two. Now give out a listof possible issues to debate. A list of suggested topics is provided for photocopying onto an OHT(Attachment (i)3), or you may wish to provide your own options. One pair will start to debate forfive minutes one or other of the issues on the list, or any other sensible issue of their own choosing.

Tutor Notes for Unit 4:LEARNING ACTIVITY (i):

Active listening and effective speaking

Unit 4: (i - a)

Whilst this is going on, the remaining pair will observe them talking and listening - one of the pairobserving the talking and one the listening skills - and score them using the observer checklists.

After five minutes stop the debate and ask the pairs to switch over and reverse the roles, thesecond pair debate and the first pair observe. Allow this debate to carry on for five minutes. Now,after everyone in the group has been observed speaking and listening in a debate, ask them to giveand receive their feedback, individually and without responding to it, from the two students whoobserved them. All four students will receive their feedback about how well they perfomed atspeaking and listening from colleagues, in a non-threatening situation. This feedback should takeabout 10 minutes and should not be allowed to drag on. Stop the feedback activity when it appearsto have run its course.

Now ask the group to elect a spokesperson and then to discuss the activity they have just beeninvolved in. Ask them to prepare on an OHT a group list of good and bad points from the checklist,which reflects their own group results. Tell them to consider whether there were common good orbad points amongst the four of them? Which were the weak points in the group? Can they commenton/explain these strengths and weaknesses? What do they particularly need to improve on?

After a suitable time, about 5 minutes, ask the group spokespersons to come to the OHP andpresent to the class the results (NOT personalised) of the group summary of the activity. It isessential not to let this become a discussion about individuals, even if one person stands out asparticularly bad. Go through all the group reports, encouraging comments as you go.

Finally, the tutor can conclude the whole activity, by commenting upon the strengths andweaknesses which have been revealed in the group summaries.

Attachments: Checklists for good listening and good speaking; pages 21 & 22 of workbook; OHT of debate issues

Unit 4: (i - b)

Unit 4: Attachment (i) 1

Techniques for good listening.

Listener A Listener B

Maintains good eye contactwith the listener.

Signals that they arelistening by nodding heador saying uh-huh.

Avoids raising irrelevantissues.

Restates the speakersremarks from time to time.

Asks relevant questions toencourage the speaker tocontinue.

Uses positive non-verbalbehaviours: facial expressions& body language.

Avoids interrupting orjumping in when thespeaker pauses for thought.

Signals understanding of, ifnot agreement with, thespeaker's comments.


Techniques for good speaking.

Speaker A Speaker B

Maintains good eye contactwith the listener.

Makes clear, precise andwell organised arguments.

Listens carefully toquestions and answers thempositively.

Uses appropriate languageand avoids jargon andcolloquialisms.

Uses appropriate non-verbal behaviours such asfacial expressions and bodylanguage.

Responds appropriately tothe listeners reactions.

Clarifies and summarisesarguments as the discussionprogresses.

Is assertive and positive butnot aggressive.


List of possible statements to debate:

+ Science should be at the centre of the NationalCurriculum.

+ Testing medicines on animals, within ascientific framework of control, is anacceptable practice.

+ Science is neutral.

+ Science will solve the problems of the world.

+ Science and religion do not mix.

+ The genetic modification of food crops is safe.

+ A vegetarian diet is the only ethicallyacceptable diet.

+ All drugs should be legalised.

Summary

The imaginative creation of new ideas is the essence of high level problem solving. Ways toencourage the free flow of ideas include the use of brainstorming. This technique is introduced andthe students go on to try it out on a problem.


The time required for this activity may be variable, depending upon the number of students involved.15-30 minutes should be enough in most cases. An OHP and an OHT of Attachment (ii)1 willbe required. Also each group of 4/5 students will need OHP pens and a blank OHT.


This section has three parts, a tutor input on brainstorming, a small group brainstorming exerciseinvolving the students and a summarised oral presentation by each group to the whole class.

Brainstorming is a very good tool for groupwork, being particularly useful when generating ideas orseeking solutions. The students can use this approach often in their teamwork. As this is probably thefirst occasion in which they have been asked to formally conduct a brainstorm, it is a good time tocover the ground rules for this technique.

Using an OHP and the information on Attachment (ii)1, talk through the basic ground rules forbrainstorming. Tell the students that this is a very useful tool for group work and one which theywill want to use often.

Put the students into groups of 4/5 and provide each group with a large sheet of paper Then askthe groups to brainstorm “how to improve the public understanding of science” and allow themabout 10 minutes with the task. (You could use another problem if you wish).

Ask each group to elect a reporter who will present to the whole class firstly, an overview of thegroup’s results of the brainstorming and secondly, a brief comment on the groups efforts at brainstorming - how did it work for them in this particular case? was everyone able to contribute? did theybecome inspired by the contributions of others?

Allow a further 5 minutes for ideas to be reassembled into a form in which they can be reported.Provide each group with OHP pens and a single OHT sheet.

Finally, ask each reporter in turn to present to the whole class

Tutor Notes for Unit 4:LEARNING ACTIVITY (ii):

Brainstorming and sharing ideas

Unit 4: (ii)Attachments: OHT on brainstorming

Unit 4 : Attachment (ii)1

Brainstorming can be used to:

• generate ideas and heighten creativity

• gather data on which to develop action

• encourage quieter members to contribute.

General guidelines:

• collect as many ideas as possible

• say whatever comes into mind

• accept everyone’s contribution

• don’t stop and discuss ..... save it until later

Once ideas have been collected:

• evaluate contributions

• cross out unreasonable/impractical ideas

• further discuss the ones left

Summary

Studies of problem-solving show that those best at solving problems usually have a plan or overviewof the problem which guides them. Starting work without a plan generally is not productive. Thisactivity presents some guidance on the need for planning and then involves the students in an activity- “The Bloody Problem”- during which they can self-reflect on how they plan and organise theirwork and how they could, as a team, improve on this.


This activity usually takes about 1 hour. An OHP and an OHT of Attachment (iii)13 are required.Attachments (iii)1-12 will need to be photocopied onto thin card and cut to A5 size - one set will berequired for each group of 4/5 students. The students will require page 23 of the workbook to reflecton their experiences (Attachment (iii)14).


The idea that problem solving is most efficient when it is planned and organised is not so revolution-ary. However, it is good to reinforce this by talking about what is meant to the whole class using anOHT of attachment (iii)13. The point to be made is that spending some time at the beginning to workout how to go about solving the problem is almost always time well spent. Go through all of theideas on the OHT: try to use examples from your own experience to make it real.

Divide the class into groups of 4/5 students and give out the problem information (Attachments(iii)1-12), one set to each group. Do not give out the solution, which is written on Attachment(iii)12! This problem has parts and requires some organisation otherwise it looks more difficult thanit is. Some of the cards contain the information directly, others require the students to work it outfrom the the data provided.

Leave the groups to work on their own - they have 30 minutes. Perhaps you could introduce somecompetitive element into the proceedings by asking which team will get all the answers first.

When most of the groups have solved the problem, draw it to a close. You could then present thesolution to the class. The main purpose here has been to introduce the class to the need, and useful-ness, of carefully considering the nature of the problem and planning how to go about solving it.Refer the students to page 23 of the workbook (Attachment (iii)14), which contains questions tohelp them review and reflect on how their group went about solving this particular problem.

Finally, give each group an OHT and a pen and ask them to each elect a reporter to explain to theclass how they went about it. Ask one or two, or if time allows, all of these reporters to present tothe class. Encourage discussion about what they did and what they feel they did right or wrong inthis case.

Tutor Notes for Unit 4:LEARNING ACTIVITY (iii):

Organisation and planning in problem solving: “The Bloody Problem!”

Unit 4: (iii)Attachments: 12 sheets for the ‘Bloody Problem’ exercise; OHT on planning; page 23 of workbook

You are a team of ambulance drivers. Whilst on call one dayyou were paged and ordered to return to your depot to pick upan ambulance to carry a heart for a transplant operation. Theheart had to be taken from the depot to a port for exportationabroad. You now have to answer the following questions aboutyour itinerary that day:

• What was the position on the map where you received the page?• Where is the depot in relation to the starting place?• Where is the depot?• What was the final destination, the port for exportation?• What time did you arrive there? Estimate the total journey time.• What route was taken on the day, presuming that the route of least possible time was taken?

Each card contains various pieces of information. As you read through the cards you willrealise that some of the information is straightforward. But some of it requires interpretation.You have 30 minutes to answer the questions above. There is no other information available.

A Bloody Problem!

Team instructions

Unit 4 : Attachment (iii) 1

10

“...pigeon post is faster than a message in abottle!...”

14

“...you went in the direction of polar bearsrather than penguins to arrive at the final

destination...”


19

When you left the hospital you were told thatyou had one hour to reach your destination

21

On leaving the depot you had enough coolantto last 90 minutes.


13

A patient must receive blood of the same typeas their own in a transfusion. However, bloodtype AB is a universal acceptor and blood type

O is a universal donor.

9

The first hospital you came to only had bloodtypes B, AB and O in store. Performing a

blood transfusion with the wrong blood typeleads to antibody response, resulting in

aggulation (clumping) of the red cells andcan cause death.



7

You spent 45 minutes at the hospital.

15

Before delivering the heart, you had to pick upmore coolant and some blood for the

operation. These can be obtained from anyhospital.

12

The events took place on Remembrance Day

2

Lithium lane was closed on the 4th and the11th of November between 1000 and 1500 for

repairs to the road surface.


20

There are four blood types - A, B, AB and O

16

Radio roadwatch!

“.... there were severe delays of at least an hourexpected at junction 3, between 11.00 and

14.00 on the day of the incident...”


11

When paged you had been observing a minutesilence

6

The patient was blood type A



3

The patient was in another country

17

Your position when paged was exactly61o N 16o E.

4

After receiving the page, you headeddue east

18

The depot was at the first motorway junctionyou arrived at after you were paged.



Aluminium Avenue 29 Helium Street 6Boron Lane 5 Iodine Lane 3Calcium Close 6 Krypton Close 10Deuterium Drive 10 Lithium Lane 6Europium Lane 35 Magnesium Avenue 9Fluorine Road 55 Neon Road 30Germanium Avenue 26 Osmium Road 5

Road lengths in miles

Type of road Miles per hour

Motorway 60Dual carriageway 45City street 30

Average speeds for ambulances

1

8

• Mark on the chart the position where you received the page - junction 1 (card 17)• Where is the depot in relation to where you received the page - due east (card 4)• Where exactly is the depot - at Junction 2 (card 18)• What was the final delivery destination, on the map - Heathwick Airport (cards 3, 10 & 14)• At what time did you arrive at the final destination - about 1430, three and a half hours after receiving the page (cards 7, 11, 12, 19 & 21)• What was the route you used to get there from the position where you received the page - Helium Street to Magnesium Avenue, J8 -> J7, Deuterium Drive to the hospital, back up Deuterium Drive then J7 -> J6 -> J5 -> J4 and finally, Boron Lane to Heathwick Airport(cards 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16 & 20).

J1 - J2 12 J5 - J6 13J2 - J3 12 J6 - J7 8J3 - J4 14 J7 - J8 50J4 - J5 8 J8 - J1 11

Table of motorway distancesin miles

5

Solution


This game was created by Leo Dudin & Jamie Older

????????

What exactly is the problem to be solved?

What steps are involved?

Are there different parts to the problem?

Where to start: what to do first?

What resources need to be collected?

Who will do the various things?

When will the jobs need to be pulled together?

When does the job need to be finished?


Problem solving:the essential need to start

by working out a plan for action.


The Bloody Problem!

Team Review Exercise

Consider the activity in which you have just been involved andreflect on your own behaviour and the behaviour of your teammembers. Focus on how effective you were at solving the problemas a team. Use the following questions to guide your analysis:

Did you appoint a leader?

Did you start by considering the real nature of the overall problem to be solved?

Did you make a plan?

Did you listen carefully to each others information?

Did you consider all the information before making decisions?

With hindsight, would you approach the problem differently if you werestarting over?

Summary

This activity gets the students to think about how they organise and manage their time. The need fortime management is presented and then the students are asked to fill in a questionnaire about theirown working styles. Then they are asked to consider how time can be wasted, and how work can bescheduled in a time-efficient manner. The students are finally encouraged to try out different timemanagement systems.


This activity usually takes about 1 hour. An OHP and OHT copies of Attachments (iv) 1 - 9 arerequired. The students will need the questionnaire on page 24 of the workbook (Attachment (iv)3)and the chart on page 25 (Attachment (iv)5). A large sheet of paper and a poster pen will be requiredfor each group of 4/5 students.


Introduce the students to the need for time management using OHT 1 - ‘Why do we need tomanage our time?’ and OHT 2 - ‘A bit of honest reflection’ (Attachments (iv)1& 2). Involve theclass - do they identify with any of this?

Refer students to the ‘Thinking about time’ questionnaire on page 24 of the workbook (Attachment(iv)3). Ask them to take 5 minutes and fill it in. Ask the students to pair up and to share theirreflections from doing the questionnaire - it is always helpful to voice their own findings.

Tell the students that the essence of time management is to make sure that we do more of thosethings we want to do, and in good time - ie. to be proactive. This is a better way of doing things thanbeing reactive ie. doing things because we have to, under pressure. The first step to being proactive isto identify time thieves and to work at reducing these. The next exercise helps students to take thisstep.

Divide the students into groups of 4/5 and give each group a large sheet of paper and a poster pen.Ask them to fold the paper in half vertically to form two columns. Ask each group to produce a list,in the left hand column, of things that prevent them from making the best use of their time (eg.watching television, playing on computers, socialising, talking on the telephone etc.). Allow about5 minutes for this, then ask them to swap their sheet with another group. Now ask the groups torecord in the right hand column, advice or steps that can be taken to reduce/overcome the listed timewasting activities. After a further 5 minutes or so, ask them to return the sheet to the original group.The tutor draws together this activity by summarising the main causes for time wasting, usingOHT 3 (Attachment (iv)4).

Tutor Notes for Unit 4:LEARNING ACTIVITY (iv):

Time management

Unit 4: (iv - a)

Set the students the task of identifying the time thieves that are most significant for them by askingthem to complete the chart on page 25 of the workbook (Attachment (iv)5). After a few minutes, putup an OHT of the page and ask each student to state which is most significant for them - record atick as appropriate. Discuss with the class which are the most common time thieves and ask forcomments on the results.

The activities for the remainder of the session are designed to help the students to become better atsetting clear objectives and planning their time effectively.

Using OHT 4 (Attachment (iv)6), tell the students how to set clear objectives the ‘SMART’ way.There is a copy of this in their workbook on page 26. Ask them to take a few minutes to write them-selves an objective for tomorrow. Get the students to pair up and to check each others objectiveusing the SMART criteria (ie. is it specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound?).

To help students with planning, introduce some simple, but effective time management systemsusing OHT 5 (Attachment (iv)7). Make OHT copies of the daily and weekly planners from theworkbook, pages 27 and 28 (Attachments (iv)8 & 9) and show these to the students as examples.Ask the students to use the daily planner for one working day before the next meeting of the class.They may also wish to use the long term planner. They should bring their sheets to the class fordiscussion.

When they bring them back to the next session, ask the students how it has worked for them. Thepoint is not that they should have found the planner particularly useful - they might be well organisedanyway - nor that they should use this particular schedule, but that it might have focussed their mindson how days are organised/disorganised in counterproductive ways.

End by suggesting to the students that however they organise their own time, working in groupsrequires that all members of the group coordinate to quite a large extent. Meeting deadlines cannotwait for one disorganised member of the team.

Attachments: Nine sheets for photocopying onto OHTs, including workbook pages 24-28 Unit 4: (iv - b)

Why do we need tomanage our time?

• complexity of life

• need to get things done - often to tight deadlines

• easy to waste time

• easy to become distracted

Managing time becomes very important whenworking with others in teams.

OHT 1 Unit 4 : Attachment (iv)1

• left things to the last moment?

• left things until its too late, then notdone them at all?

• let someone down, either by notturning up or failing to dosomething you agreed?

• got overloaded and not donejustice to your work?

• found library books/computerterminals unavailabe because youleft it to the last moment?

Unit 4 : Attachment (iv)2

A bit of honest reflection!

Have you ever....

OHT 2


Thinking About Time

1. I find it difficult to concentrate on one job for very long.

2. I tend to delay starting the tasks I do not enjoy doing.

3. The important jobs seem to get left to the end of the day.

4. I delay doing jobs if I am frightened of making a mistake.

5. I will socialise even when I have important tasks to complete.

6. I start a difficult job with a clear desk.

7. I take time to do a first class job on all my tasks.

8. I miss deadlines because I start tasks too late.

Usually Often Occasionally Rarely









Identifying Time Thieves

• Lack of clear objectives

• Lack of effective planning

• Lack of self-discipline

OHT 3

Identifying Time Thieves

Use the table below to help you identify the main time-thievesthat prevent you achieving all you might in the time available toyou. Consider these and decide on three that you want to dosomething about in the short term. You may want to return tothis list later and to identify further targets to make your timemanagement better.

Time Thieves Tick, if appropriate Indicate 3 most to you significant

Lack of clear objectivesFor my life as a wholeFor my studiesFor particular tasks

Lack of effective planningPriorities not clearly setInability to accurately estimate thetime needed for a jobTendency to over-commit myself

Lack of self-disciplineDon’t finish what I startKeep putting jobs offToo much attention to trivial tasksCannot quickly find things I needCannot say no when I shouldCannot balance study & leisure

Others



Define your objectives the SMART way:-

S - SPECIFIC

• Not: “I must get down to work soon” but “I will have finished the essay by Wednesday”• Not: “I want to be fitter by the summer” but “I want to be able to run the half marathon in June”

M - MEASURABLE

You will know you have achieved your objective because:• The essay will be written and submitted• You can run 13 miles without difficulty

A - ACHIEVABLE

• Is it is possible to write, check, draft and complete an essay in two days?• Is it possible to get your fitness level right in only two months - you have recently taken up smoking?

R - REALISTIC

• Can you clear all your commitments to finish the essay in such a short time - you often get migraine when you work under pressure?• You have a busy social life you don’t want to give up and you don’t really like running long distances - can you make the necessary commitment?

T - TIMEBOUND

• Set the date to do things and a deadline for completion - and stick to it!

OHT 4

Time management systems

• Diary (Daily planner)

• Wall planner (longer-term planning)

• “To do” lists (prioritised action)

At the heart of these systems is:

WHAT and WHEN


OHT 5


Date:

Tasks to be done Time Commitment Done (√)

0800 ..................................

0900 ..................................

1000 ..................................

1100 ..................................

1200 ..................................

1300 ..................................

1400 ..................................

1500 ..................................

Notes 1600 ..................................

1700 ..................................

1800 ..................................

1900 ..................................

2000 ..................................

2100 ..................................

2200 ..................................

Daily planning sheet

Summary

Individuals in groups will often have differing ideas about how to proceed. The group itself mayhave to negotiate an outcome with others. Often the negotiation of ideas can become a competitionfor supremacy. In this exercise the students experience a game in which they usually becomeinvolved in an unproductive and aggressive competition at the expense of negotiating a satisfactorycompromise. The purpose of the activity is to demonstrate to the students that realistic negotiationmust not be side tracked into unproductive competition.


This activity usually takes about 1 hour. Two adjacent rooms are required. An OHP and an OHT ofAttachment (v)1 is needed. A photocopy of Attachments (v) 1 & 2 will be required for each groupand the tutor.


This activity shows how easy it is for the competitive element to take over and hide the purpose ofgroup work.

Firstly the students are introduced to the purpose of the exercise as outlined on OHT1 (Attachment(v)1). The details of the game are briefly described to the group as a whole (using the OHT). It isimportant that the purpose - of finishing with a positive score - is clearly described to the students,without being over or under-emphasised. The scoring table should also be explained.

The students are then divided into two groups. It does not matter how big these groups are, withinreason. The two groups are given a copy of the procedure and a scoring sheet (Attachments (v)1 &2) and put into separate rooms, close to each other, but unable to communicate. The tutor willcommunicate between the groups, taking messages backwards and forwards.

Each group is asked to choose one colour for round 1 of the game - red or blue and to tell the tutoras soon as they have chosen. Once both groups have chosen, each is told the decision made by theother group. They record the score on their sheets. It is a good idea for the tutor also to keep thescore. They then start round 2. Again as soon as both groups have chosen, they are informed of thedecision made by the other group, record the scores and start working on round 3.

After round 4, the groups may have a conference, but only if both groups wish to. If one of thegroups does not want a conference then the rounds carry on until after round 8, when the decisionto have a conference is again considered. As described, the points for rounds 9 and 10 count double.

At the end both groups are brought together and a post-mortem conducted on how theyperformed.

Tutor Notes for Unit 4:LEARNING ACTIVITY (v):

Negotiating with others: “The Red and Blue Exercise”

Unit 4: (v - a)

You could discuss the following points, using the behaviour of the groups, and of the individualsin them, to illustrate the outcome. Almost invariably, some participants in this exercise lose sightof the purpose which is simply to make sure that their group finishes with a positive score. Theyimpose their own purpose, which is competitive and involves beating the other group by gettingmore points. In extreme cases it can become getting a positive score and forcing the other groupinto a negative score. It is surprising how even the most civilised group of people can becomeaggressively competitive, dominating the group discussion and refusing to listen to calmer voiceswhich point out the real purpose. This is especially surprising since the choices - RED or BLUE -are neutral alternatives.

It is easily worked out that a positive score is most easily achieved by the teams cooperating, andalways choosing RED. However, the groups usually lose confidence in the other group, even whenthey might prefer to be cooperative. This lacking of confidence usually leads to one group choos-ing BLUE, and then neither group trusts the other and they enter into mind games to try andanticipate the others choice, presuming the worst, rather than the best intentions.

At the end draw the students firmly to the point that this exercise is designed to illustrate.Negotiations which are dominated by competitive 'winning' psychologies are counter productive.The aggressive and competitive negotiations experienced in the exercise, both between the groupsand between the individuals in each group who had to fight it out to come to a group decision,show how easy it is to be lead astray.

Unit 4: (v - b)Attachments: Instructions and score sheet for Red/Blue exercise

Red - Blue Negotiation Exercise

Objective:

The object of this exercise is for your group to end up with a positive score.

Procedure:

The organiser will visit your group and ask you to decide whether to play RED or to play BLUE. He/She will not tell you which colour the other group has played.

When both groups have made their move, the organiser will announce the colours which have beenplayed and these are scored as follows:

If group 1 & Group 2 The score is: Group 1 Group 2

plays plays

RED RED + 3 + 3

RED BLUE - 6 + 6

BLUE RED + 6 - 6

BLUE BLUE - 3 - 3

There will be TEN rounds.

After the FOURTH round the organiser will ask the groups whether they wish a conference. Thisconference will only take place at the request of both groups. If either does not wish to confer thenno meeting will take place.

After the EIGHTH round there will be a second opportunity for a conference should both groupswish it.

The NINETH and TENTH rounds score double.

REMEMBER

The objective of this exercise is for your group to end up with a positive score.

Unit 4 : Attachment (v)1

Unit 4 : Attachment (v)2

3

2

1

movecolour played score

us them us them

4

(A conference may be arranged at this point if both groups request it)

5

6

8

7

(A conference may be arranged at this point if both groups request it)

Moves 9 and 10 score double

Total us them

Acknowledgement: Used by Huthwaite Research Group of Sheffield and understood to have beenused by the USAF for selection procedure in the 1940's

Red - Blue Negotiation Exercise: Scoring Sheet

Summary

In teams, decisions may be made by a leader, by consultating with team members, by voting or byconsensus. This activity allows teams to explore the decision-making process and to appreciate theneed for teams to adopt a clear and agreed decision-making system.


This activity usually takes about 1 hour. Each student will need a photocopy of Attachments (vi)1& 2and page 29 of the workbook (Attachment (iv)3).


Tell the students the background to the task using the information on the student instruction sheet(Attachment (vi)1. Give out Attachments (vi)1 & 2 and ask each student to select 8 names for thefeatures of the park. Tell them they will have 10 minutes to make their personal selection from thelist of 100 people who have had an impact on the world during the last millennium. They shouldrecord their choice on the table provided. They can decide on their own criteria for selection.

After 10 minutes, divide the students into groups of 4/5. Tell them they will have 30 minutes tocompile a group selection for the features and to record the result on the map provided (Attachment(v)1). Tell them each team member must accept the group decision.

To give the decision-making more personal interest, a scoring system is provided. Tell the studentsthat individuals can score points depending on how similar their group’s final selection is to theirpersonal list. See the sheet for details (Attachment (vi)1). This often has the effect of making studentsargue for their personal choices and thus gives them more experience in using their negotiation skills.

Towards the end of the 30 minutes encourage the students to complete their group choices. Askthem to work out their personal score. Ask for the scores by a show of hands, ie. did anyone getmore than 12 points? did anyone get less than 6 points?

Ask the groups to carry out a review of the activity, using the questions on page 29 of the workbook(Attachment (vi)3). After about 10 minutes, ask each group to elect a spokesperson to tell the rest ofthe class how they went about making their group decision eg. did they have a leader? did they take avote? did they try to negotiate a consensus? was there an influential dominant person?

Draw the session together by telling the students that when working in team, whatever decision-making system is used, it must be clear and completely acceptable to the whole group.

Tutor Notes for Unit 4:LEARNING ACTIVITY (vi):

Decision-making in groups: Millennium Park

Unit 4: (vi)Attachments: two sheets for the Millennium Park exercise; review questions on page 29 of workbook.

Unit 4 : Attachment (vi)1

Team decision

................................P

avillion

.............................. .

Circuit

avenue

avenue

avenue

avenue

avenue

avenue

..............................

..............................................................................

.............................................................

..............................

................................................................ .....................................................

Personal decision

------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------

Pavillion

Avenue--------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------

Circuit

Avenue

Avenue

Avenue

Avenue

Avenue

SCORE

Millenuim

Park

The Background

The Millenium

Com

mission has draw

n up plans for a nationalcom

mem

erative park to mark the ‘m

illenuim m

ilestone’ in the history ofm

ankind. The park will feature a central pavillion and a circular walkwith six tree-lined avenues radiating from

it. Your team has been asked to

choose the names for the pavillion, the circular walk (the circuit) and the

six avenues. The planning comm

ittee has already chosen a shortlist of100 fam

ous people who have had impact on life in the last m

illenium.

You will make your selection from

this list.

The Task

1. Firstly, you will take 10 minutes to m

ake your personal selection fromthe list and record the nam

es in the boxes provided.You can use whatever criteria you wish to m

ake your choice.

2. Next, you will be allocated to a team. Each team

will be given 30m

inutes to complie a list of 8 nam

es for the features, which should berecorded on the m

ap provided. Each team m

ember should accept the group

decision.

3. To give the decision-making m

ore personal interest, a scoring systemis provided! Individuals score points depending on how sim

ilar theirteam

’s final selection is to their personal list:

3 points for the same pavillion nam

e3 points for the sam

e circuit name

2 points for each avenue name

1 point for any other same nam

e, although selected forthe w

rong feature.

King CanuteEdward the ConfessorG

enghis KhanNicholas BreakspearThom

as a BeckettSt Francis of AssisiM

arco PoloThom

as AquinasJoan of ArcG

eoffrey ChaucerLeonardo da VinciChristopher Colum

busSandro BotticelliW

illiam Claxton

Thomas M

oreHenry VIIIFerdinand M

agellanM

artin LutherNicolas CopernicusFrancis DrakeNostradam

usElizabeth IW

alter RaleighW

illiam Shakespeare

Galileo G

alileiJohann KeplarBen Jonson

Oliver Crom

wellChriatopher W

renIsaac NewtonCarl LinnaeusJam

es Watt

Joseph PriestlyW

olfgang Amedeus M

ozartG

eorge Washington

Robert BurnsJohn M

cAdamLudwig van BeethovenW

illiam W

ordsworthThom

as PaineIm

manuel Kant

Hans Christian AndersonRobert PeelM

ichael FaradayCharles DickensKarl M

arxCharles DarwinG

regor Mendel

Mrs Beeton

Claude Monet

F.W.W

oolworthPierre LarousseQ

ueen VictoriaG

ottlieb Daimler

George Eastm

anRichard BransonW

illiam G

ladstoneM

ax PlanckSigm

und FreudAlbert EinsteinVladim

ir LeninHenry FordErnest RutherfordG

eorge Bernard ShawC.G

.JungM

ichael CollinsElvis PresleyStevie W

onderYehudi M

enuhinCliff RichardPope John Paul IIAgathe ChristieJohn Logie BairdJesse O

wensAdolf HItlerW

alt DisneyM

argaret Mead

Winston Churchill

George O

rwellJ.S.HuxleyFrancis Crick

Bertrand RussellM

other TeresaJean-Paul SartreEnrico Ferm

iCharles De G

aulleRoger BannisterElizabeth IIPeleThe BeatlesNelson M

andelaM

artin Luther KingChristial BarnardNeil Arm

strongBob M

arleyRachel CarsonDesm

ond TutuM

argaret ThatcherPrincess DianaBobby Charlton

Millennium

Park


........................................................................................................

Millennium Park

Consider the activity in which you have just been involved andreflect on your team’s process of decision-making. Use thefollowing questions to guide your analysis.

Did a leader emerge or was one appointed at the outset? Was a leader necessary?

To what extent did the leader control the decision-making process of the group?

What was your team’s decision-making process? Was it criteria based? Did it change throughout the course of the activity? If so, why?

Was there any personal friction between team members? If so, how was this dealt with?

Discuss your final scores and the implications of them.

Team Review Exercise


UNIT 4 Skills for Problem-Solving in Teams · Unit 4: Overview Unit 4: Overview Once groups are...

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