This paper discusses the growing recognition that the personalities and life experiences of group leaders are important factors in their effectiveness. Leaders should be warm, empathetic, responsive, understand individual and group behavior, give feedback, be trusted and accepted. Life experiences and personal development are important for the…

This paper develops a conceptual framework for identifying organizational change and applies the framework to understanding organizational change. The main focus of the framework is the concept of "leading parts." Leading parts may be dominant or catalytic in their impact on systems; and understanding their operation requires analysis of the…

Synectics is a method of creative problem solving through the use of metaphor and apparent irrelevancy developed by William J. J. Gordon. The process involves rational knowledge of the problem to be solved, irrational improvisations that lead to fertile associations creating new approaches to the problem, and euphoric state that is essential in…

Discussion and research show that when members of a problem-solving group engage in discussion and reach a consensus, the resultant group decision is either riskier or more cautious than the average of the individual judgments prior to the discussion. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and evaluate various theories concerning this group…

Administrators and supervisory personnel (N=20) of a hospital participated in a workshop in "Creative Management". Participants received eight hours of training in: creative thinking and problem-solving; leadership and group dynamics; and motivation. Comparisons of pre- and posttest ratings revealed gains in both the Leadership and Total Test…

The results of this study indicated the extent to which the group structure of a sixth grade class was dependent on personality characteristics in the formation of acceptance and rejection patterns. (RC)

This last in a three-part series gives ground rules and examples for guiding the dynamics of various kinds of career groups. (Author)

Suggestions are given for making inservice training more practically effective.

Discusses the dangers inherent in any attempt to use a totally individualized instruction approach in teaching social studies. The authors maintain that group work is more useful in developing students' thinking skills and should be combined with individualized instruction to create a balanced program. (Author/DB)

The author discusses the desirability of a problem-solving approach to teaching, from preschool through the graduate level, as the best way to have students learn to think for themselves and to arrive at an opinion on the basis of the best available evidence. (KC)

In this study, the situational nature of female sex roles and the degree of consensus among women concerning female sex roles is examined in social and work situations. (Author/WI)

The relationships between the quality of a student's group membership and four student outcomes (reading achievement, self-concept, attitudes toward school, and anxiety) were studied in fifth and sixth grade classrooms. Significant main effects were found for group membership and social structure. (Author/GDC)

Describes a study comparing regulator behaviors and patterns of middle- and working-class speakers. Findings support the general view that patterns of regulators in conversation are different for groups that seem to differ in verbal communication contents, contexts, and patterns. (JMF)

Examines brainstorming as an aid to creative group problem solving. Presents a history of its practice, a survey of empirical studies, and theoretical explanations for the superiority of individual over group brainstorming. (PD)

This paper describes how to teach the principles and effective use of family therapy to the staffs of two mental health institutions. Both interventions are conceptualized as entrees into organizational systems requiring shifts in power alignments, clarification of goals, articulation of needs, reallocation of resources, and attention to group…