Organizational studies traditionally take the position that the more people involved in group decision making the more ideas will be generated. Recent studies demonstrate that people have a tendency to "loaf" in group situations and thus decrease the level of effort exerted by individual group members. This paper first reviews the…

This paper explores the use of data for evidence in the task of building dialogue in an action research project developed for student teachers in the University of Wisconsin "Action Research on Action Research" project. Three particular uses are found. First, data in the form of information is gathered on a topic under discussion or investigation,…

This booklet is intended to assist persons interested in forming a student-centered adult basic education study group. The first section provides an overview of the skills taught in basic education programs. A section on approaches and attitudes emphasizes the importance of the following concepts to basic education groups: allowing students to…

In this paper a new conception of leadership for change is proposed--that of change facilitating leadership teams that are characterized by roles, functions, and team dynamics. As an introduction, the conventional descriptions of leadership in the literature are briefly cited. This is followed by a summary of recent studies and observations…

This study sought to test the predictive power of the hypothesis that in formal organizations, groups of complementary (different) psychological types will perform two types of tasks more efficiently and effectively than groups consisting of compatible psychological types. The Myers/Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) of Jungian personality types was…

This paper applies some of the research done on small group decision-making to the process of identification and selection of colleges by high school students. It argues that, since the decisions that are reached are often group decisions, or are at least strongly influenced by groups, an understanding of group decision-making processes can be…

A study investigated the process of giving interpersonal feedback in two continuing human relations groups to determine (1) the proportion of feedback perceived as useful for personal and interpersonal development, (2) the relationship between giving feedback that is perceived as useful and receiving that feedback, and (3) the relationship between…

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…

Intended to help those interested in developing ways of coping effectively with the wide variety of meeting and decision-making styles that are available throughout the world, the booklet integrates a number of ideas and approaches discussed at a recent convention of the Society of Intercultural Education, Training, and Research (SIETAR). An…

To work well together, school boards and superintendents must reach agreement in certain sensitive areas of their relations. Five of these, briefly discussed, are (1) the degree to which administrators become involved in policymaking, and boards, in procedural issues; (2) the superintendent's authority over administrative appointments; (3) board…

To provide a theoretical base for investigating the influence of inferential error on group decision making, current literature on both inferential error and decision making is reviewed and applied to the Watergate incident. Although groups tend to make fewer inferential errors because members' inferences are generally not biased in the same…

In her model of opinion formation, Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann postulates a spiral of silence: to avoid isolation, people holding minority views either alter their ideas to conform to the majority's stance or remain silent, thus increasing the impression of the majority view's dominance. While providing a helpful integration of disparate ideas in…

Chapter 11 of a revised volume on school leadership, this chapter offers suggestions for administrators desiring to communicate more effectively with various groups within and outside the school. The most valuable business executives excel at giving employees timely feedback, accepting criticism without being defensive, speaking clearly and…

This paper analyzes the content of a subculture in an organization, that of the faculty of a public middle school. The paper tries to articulate the substance of the subculture and to discover its sources in the shared experience of the teachers and in the way in which they wove that experience into a coherent and satisfying pattern of meaning.…

Assumptions about nature and personhood and the relationship between the two are implicated in the aim of doing philosophy with elementary school students and transforming classrooms into communities of inquiry. Assumptions are also made about dialogue; truth; knowledge; and the ability of children to form communities that will engender care for…