The purpose of this study was to use a systems approach to examine informal communications, meaning those occurring outside of scheduled meetings, among stakeholders in a preschool early intervention program. This investigation expands the discussion of how occupational therapy treatment decisions are made in educational settings by using a…

Drawing from data generated in more than 100 hours of interaction within 15 leaderless groups, a study investigated the interaction characteristics of emergent leadership--leadership that is earned through face-to-face encounters in a group. Each group was instructed to reach consensus decisions on two tasks, both of which provided the possibility…

In this paper four situations illustrative of the problem of ethical content of the client/therapist relationship are presented: (1) providing clients with information to make informed decisions about therapy; (2) using contracts in therapy; (3) responding to clients' challenges to therapists' competence; and (4) handling clients' complaints.…

The hypothesis was that structures built by group members in dealing with conflict and decision making would be contingent on their life styles. Three different sets of groups of persons with homogeneous life styles created three different (and predicted) structures in a problem-solving task. (Author)

This "position statement" concerns the relevance and utility of laboratory training techniques in facilitating group problem-solving participation. Neither the sensitivity nor T-group experiences should be assumed a priori to be applicable to problem-solving activity. The article compares the various group experiences on five major…

Three social studies supervisors were observed and compared in terms of their skills in communication, leadership, and decision making. Analysis of the supervisors' activities revealed participation in similar activities and common problems. Differences were related to size of jurisdiction, budget, personal style, and professional reputation.…