Techniques for achieving control of and producing results from task-oriented meetings with peers are discussed, including acquiring a perceived mandate, structuring attendance, and developing a working, narrative agenda. A productivity matrix correlates meeting activities with appropriate group leadership behaviors. (SK)

The decision to use values clarification techniques at a staff orientation for camp counselors was based upon a firm belief that they would ultimately foster harmony, understanding and love, plus a feeling of togetherness that would make the activities program at Camp Fatima in New Hampshire its most successful. (Author/RK)

Defines the cooperative group decision-making process of consensus, contrasts it with voting and compromise, and presents an illustrative situation. Describes individual consensus skills, the role of group facilitator, pitfalls of the process, and use of consensus in educational settings and large organizations. (SV)

Explains how business owners can determine when to involve employees and when to make decisions alone. Reviews problem-solving and decision-making methods, obstacles to overcome, and meeting management techniques. (SK)

Considers a general problem of combining the classifications or predictions of local information systems into a single system. Introduces a new approach for solving an aggregation problem where a decision maker needs to classify an observation based on group-membership predictions coming from multiple experts, and describes results from empirical…

Examines the problem of assessing group process in a collaborative problem-solving situation. Results reveal that groups engaging in behaviors that facilitated collaboration obtained higher group and individual accuracy scores on a challenging problem set. Proposes that examining collaborative group process and outcomes offers a new direction in…

A study of a variation on brain-storming problem solving techniques. (CH)

Studies on individual and group problem solving from the past 15 years are brought together in this volume. Four sections of the book consider individual problem solving and the search for a possible unique factor in creativity. The next four sections concern themselves with the various aspects of group problem solving, and a final part of the…

The authors introduce the concept of group facilitation skills for managers. They describe a framework that will help managers recognize group process problems, diagnose underlying causes of group problems, and consider how to take the group past its problems. (Author/CH)

Discusses a group problem-solving method in conflict resolution which consists of three phases: problem identification (four steps); analysis (two steps); and synthesis (three steps). A matrix format for evaluating alternative solutions in terms of essential and desirable criteria or conditions, with a complete analysis of each step, is included.…

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Ways of teaching today's youth to live as whole individuals in a complex world are presented. (CK)

Discusses Johnson's theory that information can be gathered in either a systematic or spontaneous manner and that this information will be analyzed either internally or externally, and considers some of its implications for understanding group interactions. Models of decision-making styles and characteristics and the problem-solving process are…