When people work together over time, certain key events stand out as having the potential to teach lasting lessons for the future. Leaders can use the Critical Reflections process to help their groups learn these lessons, whether the key event was a great success or a wretched failure. The goal is to affect future outcomes in similar situations:…

Group decision on the moving of chess pawns is a useful way to demonstrate to students in a management development situation how ineffectively they use the resources available in a work situation. (MF)

A study designed to investigate the question Do Larger or Smaller Groups Make Better Decisions?" (CK)

The longitudinal study reported in this article focuses directly upon Gibb's (1964) model. The impact of initial high and low levels of trust upon later group accomplishment is explored in two sets of groups: one set which participated in organizational training laboratories, and one which did not. Results indicate that prelaboratory trust is a…

Analogy produces remarkably parallel patterns for group and individual maturation. A model of developmental stages (infant, child, adolescent, young adult, adult), intellectual and emotional dimensions, communication, interaction, and typical behavior is included. (Author/LY)

In an attempt to describe "the good community," Warren examines community development on the bases of primary group relationships, autonomy, viability, power distribution, participation, degree of commitment, degree of heterogeneity, extent of neighborhood control, and the extent of conflict. (NL)

Proposes a quantitative conceptual scheme to describe the features of intergroup and intragroup relations. The article examines, both qualitatively and in formal equations, the tautologies that govern contract rates and network densities for any population that can be divided into two categories. (Author/RM)

Discusses the Danish-American community in the San Francisco (California) Bay Area. Outlines the role played by a set of ethnic voluntary associations in uniting their members as a nonlocalized community. Views the social bonds provided by these groups as an adaptive response to urban life. (Author/MK)

Suggests how to get the most from committees, how to terminate them when they've served their purpose, and how to make them productive. (JOW)

Suggestions to strengthen the program planning process and to match communication strategies with program objectives include selecting the right people, limiting group size, naming a facilitator, agreeing on a technique, respecting opinions, identifying audiences, reviewing market research, listening to clients, and selecting the right media. (JOW)

Case study of relationship between group dynamics and type of learning in summer-session student cohorts at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Discusses factors that influenced learning, such as group climate and group norms. Identifies several types of learning, such as reflective learning and transformative learning. Draws implications for…

The extent to which practitioner inquiry groups function as democratic learning communities depends on how facilitators negotiate power relations. Negotiation issues include social, organizational, and group identity as well as the public identity of practitioner inquiry. (Contains 24 references.) (SK)

Describes the function of group metaphors, lists their uses in group process, and briefly explores several approaches for using them as counseling tools. A case example is provided to highlight the discussion. (Author/TE)

Describes the basic elements of successful groups and the instructor's role in the group process. Suggests that instructors must understand that process before designing effective projects. (JOW)