This handbook presents a collection of over 35 experiential and adventure-based activities using only a single item of equipment--a 15-foot long section of 1-inch tubular climbing webbing, called a raccoon circle. Some of the activities are quiet, some are loud, and they range from low to high challenge levels. Different-sized groups can be…

Discusses how intra-tribal disputes affect Indian unity. (NQ)

Examined the relationship between the social and task dimensions of small groups. Developed a measure of group members' feelings of cohesion. Demonstrated that perceptions about the quality of group interactions, goal attainment, group satisfaction, and group solidarity are significantly and positively related. (RC)

This paper reports on the relationships between group composition, leadership and decisions through a study of small groups engaged in preferential bargaining about problems with open solution sets. The relationships were analyzed and can be compared best against the background of traditional approaches. (Author)

This booklet is for people who want to improve the effectiveness of groups: group leaders, facilitators, and group members. Some of the basic factors that influence how effectively a group works together are briefly described. Factors that affect group effectiveness fall into two categories: those that affect the way group members accomplish…

The question whether individual study of risk problems (familiarization) leads to greater risk taking was investigated. Several explanations of the risk taking shifts are explicit in their requirement for group or social interaction. Investigations of whether risk shifts can be produced in the absence of group interaction have produced conflicting…

This manual is concerned with helping already-established support groups maintain themselves over an extended period of time. It helps facilitators apply principles for addressing such problems as dissension within the group, poor attendance, losing sight of the group's purpose, and overdependence on a leader. The manual contains questionnaires to…

Consensus is important in the making of a policy decision. If a decision is reached without consensus, morale and unit satisfaction may both suffer. With genuine consensus, a unit tends to willingly support and implement the new policy. After analyzing how observed small groups had actually reached consensus, the following ten techniques were…

Of the many specific situations in which the exercise of suasory influence may be necessary to assure that a decision making group meets its analytical responsibilities, five appear to be particularly important. These are circumstances in which (1) a group is violating accepted procedural norms, (2) an authority figure or high status group member…

The School Effectiveness Training Program (SET) and the Secondary School Development Program (SSDP) were school-improvement programs developed by the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), a state teachers' organization, and Research for Better Schools (RBS), a regional educational laboratory. Coordinating councils played pivotal roles in both…

Site-based management is a concept whose time has come. This book was designed to introduce the concept of teaming, elaborate the decision-making process, and describe the skills and processes needed for a variety of decision-making situations. Chapter 1 introduces the concept of teaming and discusses the decision-making process in depth. Chapters…

Quality circles (QCs) have been considered one of the most promising approaches to improving American workers' productivity. The differences of quality circle effectiveness between active QCs (N=36) and inactive QCs (N=17) in a 3-year period were examined in a quasi-experimental field study. The dependent variables examined were the amount of…

Participatory decision-making strategies have been suggested as effective in groups with the task of solving unstructured problems or creating innovations. Concerned about evaluating children's affective growth in open classrooms, eight educators in a large metropolitan area agreed to meet regularly after school hours to develop an instrument to…

How feedback affects small-group processes and group outcomes and how these outcomes vary with computer-assisted or experimenter-assisted modes of supplying feedback were investigated. Feedback theory was conceptualized through a work-emotionality framework. Theoretical constructs were operationalized through the use of Boyd's three-channel mode…

Examines the various frames within which debates, discussions, and dialogs occurred at a major midwestern university, concerning the disbandment of one of its departments. Stresses the importance of building a unified vision in the context of the common good. Contains 34 references. (JDI)