Download Leadership

Welcome
Back!
AGENDA
• Leadership
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Leadership exercise
Leadership Styles: The good, the bad, and the ugly!
The importance of using an effective leadership style
The key elements for motivating teams
Steps to improving leadership in organizations
Theories concerning leadership skills
Status
Power
Trust
Primary/Secondary Tension
Improving group communication
“The successful
organization has one major
attribute that sets it apart
from unsuccessful
organizations: dynamic
and effective leadership.”
P. Hersey and K. Blanchard
Management vs. Leadership
• Management
– focused on the control of existing
operations/functions
• Leadership
– more strategic and visionary
– The primary role=guidance
• strategically defined goals and objectives.
Traits of Leaders
Think of examples of excellent leaders
• What characteristics are essential for
effective leadership?
• What behaviors demonstrate leadership
ability?
– How many of these behaviors require
communication skills?
• Who in history, or now living, exemplifies the
true leader?
Leadership Defined
• Leaders
– emerge naturally
– appointed/hired
• Leadership is the ability to influence
others, either positively or negatively.
– Positive=task accomplishment by a group, or
team.
– Negative=task accomplishment is inhibited.
Key Role for the Leader
Key role?
• Setting the context
• Incorporation of strategic
goals and objectives daily
work/activities.
Group Exercise
• Split into four equal teams
• The team process is important to this
exercise, so everyone must participate.
• Follow the instructions of your leader
carefully.
• Using the provided Tinker Toy sets, your
team will have five minutes to build
something that works…does
something…has a purpose.
Leadership Exercise
• What happened in your groups?
– Was the leadership effective?
• Why/Why not?
– What characteristics did the leader of your
group display?
– What would have worked better?
– How did the leadership style impact the end
result?
Leadership styles are critical to the process
of team building and positive results.
• Empowered leaders use
appropriate styles of
leadership
• Leadership causes results
Leadership Styles
• Autocratic/controller
• Laissez-faire
• Democratic leadership
• Type X The Performer
• Type Y The Transformer
• Task vs. Maintenance
Autocratic/Controller Leader
• ALL Controlling Dictator
– end result is made predictable.
• Individual team member assignments
limited/specific in nature
• Team needs are secondary.
• Responsibility is not shared.
• Decisions are made by the leader only.
• Motivation is through fear or intimidation
• Highly productive team
– BUT when leader is away, no work occurs
• Sabotage probable
• Aggressive, or apathetic members likely
 Generals/Admirals in the armed forces must be
controllers to win wars
 Size of group might require this leadership style
Laissez-faire Leader
• Group has freedom to do as they please
• No News is Good News
– “Don’t bother me and I won’t bother you”
– Nonparticipation of leader
• Leader makes infrequent, spontaneous comments
on member activities
• Unless questioned, makes no attempt to appraise
or regulate course of events
• “Hallway delegation”
• Teams report less satisfaction
– with the leader/group as a whole
– what is produced as a result of their work
Does Leadership Style
Really Make a Difference?
• Superman-style outdated
• Team decisions
– collectively made
– Over-all good of organization
Democratic Leader
• Democratic process
– all participants have equal voice.
• Information is freely shared.
• Authority is delegated
• Responsibility is shared by all members
– Complex Individual team assignments
– Feelings of contribution to the team goal prevail
• When the leader is away, work continues to
occur.
• Best in small group situation
– collaborative work vs. time available
• Teams report more satisfaction
– process and task
– functional and positive team work
Leadership Styles
Type X - “The Performer”
–a “transactional” leader
Type Y - “The Transformer”
–a risk taker
Type X Leader
• A leader who does not trust team members
to work and is unconcerned with the
personal achievement of team members.
– Does ALL of the work because no one else can do
it as fast, or as well as him/her
– No confidence in the ability of the group. Only
concerned with their own grade, or evaluation and
not willing to have that compromised by group
failure to perform. The group lacks confidence,
since the leader communicates to them their lack
of ability to perform up to standard.
– Reactive leadership that often responds to
problems in a punitive manner
 Emergency situations require performers
Type Y Leader
• A leader who displays trust in team members
and is concerned with their sense of
personal achievement.
– Transformational leaders:
– are more of a risk taker
– more trusting of the group, and are concerned
with each person’s personal achievement
– Proactive-not reactive
– Charismatic leadership that inspires exceptional
performance
Theories of Leadership
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Trait theory – leaders are people who were
born to lead
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Special built-in, identifiable leadership traits
Functional theory – several group members
should be ready
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Any task or maintenance activity can be
considered leadership
Situational Leadership
• Leadership is situation dependent.
• Leadership style dependent upon the needs
– Team
– Individual
– Particular problem.
• Can be affected by
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the nature of the problem
social climate
personalities of group members
size of the group
time available to accomplish the task
Situational Leadership
• Adaptive leadership style
– Accurate assessment of situation
– react appropriately.
– Styles employed
• Type Y
• Autocratic/controller
• Laissez-faire
• Democratic
Circle of Management/Leadership
Leadership Exercises
Next:
defining the difference
– leadership and
authority
– technical and adaptive
work.
Authority
• A degree of power and influence
over others
– goals and objectives
• The proper use of authority
– adapting to situation
– decisions need know-how
• beyond technical knowledge
• wisdom to adapt
Respect and Trust
• Respect and trust are byproducts of the
type of leader you are, and how you treat
those around you.
• Respect and trust are not the result of the
dictatorship you use to command respect
from those who work for you.
Dr. Phil
Authority and Trust
• The proper use of authority
requires:
 Consistency
 Congruity: walking the talk
 Reliability
 Integrity
Eastern Philosophy of Leadership
“The wicked leader is he who the people
despise.
The good leader is he who the people
revere.
The great leader is he who the people say
‘We did it ourselves.!’”
Small Group Leadership
Task vs. Process
• What should the role
of the leader be in the
small group model 312 people?
• How does that differ
from a leader of a
large organization,
military, a state, or
nation?
Task Leadership
• Keep the members on-task.
• Initiating: Generating ideas to solve problems
• Coordinating: Exploring the contributions of each
member and the value of those contributions to the
whole.
• Summarizing: The ability to make long explanations
precise, and reduce group uncertainty concerning the
problem and its solution.
• Elaborating: Exploring ideas that are presented to their
fullest.
Process Leadership
• Tension release: Knowing when to work, and
when to take a break
• Gate keeping: Coordinating the discussion to
ensure all members can express their views.
• Encouraging: Recognizing individual
contributions
• Mediating: Managing conflict and keeping it
issue oriented, rather than person-oriented.
Status
• Status is an individual’s importance to the
group
• High Status
• Low Status
• Status Achievers
• Status Seekers
Power Bases
• Legitimate Power
– Those elected/chosen
• Referent Power
– Those we allow to have power because we admire
them
• Expert Power
– Those with knowledge/experience
• Reward Power
– Those able to reward other’s performance (grades)
• Coercive Power
– Those able to use threats/blackmail
Trust
• Trust must be earned
• Trust develops when you can predict how
another will behave under certain
circumstances-and they do as expected
• Trust is always a gamble
• Previous experiences will influence how
your ability to trust
Self Disclosure
• The deliberate communication of
information about yourself to others.
• Should be appropriate for the time, setting
and people in the group
• It is a function of an ongoing relationship
• It is reciprocal
End of Presentation
MEYERS & BRIGGS
PERSONALITY PROFILE
CMUN 10
Meyers & Briggs
• Preference test
– Dependent upon context
• 16 Types
– Extraversion/Introversion
– Sensing/Intuition
– Thinking/Feeling
– Judging/Perceiving
Extraversion/Introversion
• Similarities and
differences
• Brain Connection
"It's the different pathways that
are turned on that activate the
behaviors and abilities we see in
introverts and extroverts…It
impacts all areas of their lives:
how they process information,
how they restore their energy,
what they enjoy and how they
communicate."
– Marti Olsen Laney, a neuroscience
researcher and author in Portland,
Ore., who is credited with connecting
introversion with its underlying
biology.
Extraversion (75%)
• Relates more easily to the outer
world of people and things
• Life is an open book
• Gather’s energy with people
• Expends energy
• Thinks out loud
• Many friends
• Many topics
Extraversion (75%)
• Extroverts enjoy the external world of
things, people and activities.
• They have more activity in brain areas
involved in processing the sensory
information we're bombarded with daily.
• Because extroverts have less internally
generated brain activity, they search for
more external stimuli to energize them.
Introversion (25%)
• Relates more easily to the inner
world of ideas and concepts
• Saves energy
• People draw out energy
• Territoriality
• Thinks inside
• 1-1 relationships
• In depth relationships
Introversion (25%)
• Researchers using brain scans have found
introverts have more brain activity in general,
and specifically in the frontal lobes.
– When these areas are activated, introverts are
energized by retrieving long-term memories, problem
solving, introspection, complex thinking and planning.
• They're not slow, inattentive or shy. Shyness is
behavior that may diminish as children grow;
introversion is a character trait that lasts.
Sensing/Intuition
• Similarities and
differences
Sensing (75%)
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Input
Would rather work with known facts
How you bring your information in
Down to earth
Likes rules
Decisions made on past experience
Enjoys using skills they know
Routine details
Few factual errors
Intuition (25%)
• Input
• Would rather look for possibilities
and relationships
• Prefers new skills
• Works with bursts of energy
• Attracted by the future
• Looks for possibilities
• Hunches
• Speculative
Thinking/Feeling
• Similarities and
differences
Thinking (50%)
• Output
• Gender 51% of group male
• Judgments based more on impersonal
analysis and logic
• Linear
Thinking (50%)
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Doesn’t show emotions readily
Concerned with the Law
Analytical
Standards
Problems accepting errors
Feeling (50%)
• Output
• Gender 51% of group Female
• Judgments based more on personal
values
• Needs and wants harmony
• Illogically ignores facts when feelings are
stronger
Feeling (50%)
• Social values
• Extenuating
circumstances
• Justice
• People oriented
Judging/Perceiving
• Similarities and
differences
Judging (50%)
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Likes a planned, decided, orderly way of life
Systematic way of deciding
needs resolution and closure
Urgency until decision then calm
Strong work ethic
Outcome oriented
Perceiving (50%)
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Likes a flexible, spontaneous way of life
Experiencing life
Accepting of the world
Prefers options
Resistance to decisions
Deadlines are a time to get started
Life happens--deal with it
Spontaneous, fluid
THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS
RATIONALS
ARTISANS
IDEALISTS
GUARDIANS
CONCRETE COMMUNICATORS
COOPERATIVE in implementing goals
Highly skilled in LOGISTICS
THE GUARDIANS
CONSERVATORS
ADMINISTRATORS
PROTECTORS
INSPECTORS ISTJ
SUPERVISORS
ESTJ
ISFJ
PROVIDERS ESFJ
ABSTRACT COMMUNICATORS
COOPERATIVE in implementing goals,
Highly skilled in DIPLOMATIC INTEGRATION
ADVOCATES
THE IDEALISTS
MENTORS
COUNSELORS INFJ
HEALERS INFP
CHAMPIONS ENFP
TEACHERS ENFJ
ABSTRACT COMMUNICATORS
UTILITARIAN in implementing goals
Highly skilled in STRATEGIC ANALYSIS
ENGINEERS
THE RATIONALS
COORDINATORS
Mastermind INTJ
Architect INTP
Fieldmarshal ENTJ
Inventor ENTP
CONCRETE COMMUNICATORS
UTILITARIAN in implementing goals,
highly skilled in TACTICAL VARIATION
ENTERTAINERS
COMPOSERS ISFP
THE ARTISANS
OPERATORS
CRAFTERS ISTP
PROMOTERS ESTP
PERFORMERS ESFP
Scenario:
Group Personality Profiles
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You have a group
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comprised of these
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Profiles 
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What problems and/or
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possibilities do you see •
as inherent in the group
•
makeup?
•
ISFJ
ESTJ
ENFP
INTP
INTJ
ISFP
ESFP
ESTP
Scenario:
Group Personality Profiles
You have a group comprised of
these profiles 
What problems and/or
possibilities do you see as
inherent in the group makeup?
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ENTJ
ISTP
ESFP
INTJ
INTJ
INFJ
ENFP
Keirsey
Temperament
Distribution
Total Results Counted
= 6440530
Temperament
Percentage
Total
Guardian
43.52
2803032
Idealist
30.09
1938263
Rational
13.85
892232
Artisan
12.53
807003
CMUN 10
Keirsey
Temperament
Distribution
Total Results Counted =
Temperament
Guardian
Percentage
M
F
Total
M
F
Idealist
M
F
M
F
Rational
M
F
M
F
Artisan
M
F
M
F
Extra Credit!!!
• What type is your
instructor?
– The first person to
guess correctly earns
25 extra credit points
– Listen for clues
– ONE GUESS PER
PERSON
Extra Credit!!!
• Clues
– No one in the class
has the same type as
instructor
– Not an Artisan
– Two types strongly
expressed
– Two types extremely
slightly expressed
The Gender Issue
Power/Status and Gender
• Do men and women
have different power
bases in our society?
• How does culture
impact the issue of
power/status and
gender?
Men vs. Women
Group Activity
Divide into gender based
groups:
• All men in one group
• All women in one group
Group Activity
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•
As a group of men/women
you are to brainstorm
answers to questions that
will be given.
Record all ideas without
censoring
Look over list and mark
those ideas that apply to
75% of the population
Group Activity
As a group of men/women who
are representative of all
men/women, give your first
thoughts to the following:
1. How do you think members of
the other sex see themselves as
members of a group?
2. How do you think they think you
see yourselves as members of a
group?
Group Activity
How do you think members
of the other sex see
themselves as members of a
group?
Group Activity
How do you think they think
you see yourselves as
members of a group?
Group Activity
How do perceptions impact
what happens:
• Socially
• Academically
• Professionally
Gender and Conflict
 Males
 Demanding and
competitive
 Verbally
aggressive
 Give orders
 Focus on content
 Comparing
Approaches
–
Females
 Cooperativeness,
compromise, and
accommodation
 More likely to engage in
protracted negotiation
 Make proposals and give
reasons for their positions
 Focus on feelings
Collectivist vs. Individualist
Clash of the Cultures
Diversity and Conflict
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Cultural values influence attitudes toward conflict
 Individualist cultures
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Conflict used to air differences
Handled openly and directly
Step along the problem-solving path
Collectivist cultures
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Conflict perceived as a threat
Efforts made to suppress it in public
Dysfunctional, distressing, and dangerous
Culture Quiz
You are invited to give a presentation at a
business meeting in Malaysia. After the meeting
is on its way for half an hour, you still have not
started discussing business - but the hosts are
asking questions about your country, your family
etc. What do you do? Choose the correct
answer:
A: Continue talking until my hosts signal that
they are ready to move over to business
negotiations.
B: Start to mix business issues and private
issues in order to finally start giving the
presentation.
C: Friendly ask my hosts if I could start my
presentation now.
D: Stop talking and start giving the presentation.
Answer = A
• Building trust and establishing personal
relationships are more important in
collectivist countries like Malaysia than
business facts. Therefore it is important to
build up trust and get friendly with you
counterparts, rather than sticking to your
business presentation.
Collectivist vs. Individualist
Rites of passage
• Western/Individualistic
– degrees/promotions/material objects
– Individual achievement is not related to group
• Collectivist:
– recognition of pride for group, not just individual
– Individual achievement/failure = group
achievement/failure
Collectivist vs. Individualist
Rites of passage
• Western/Individualistic
– degrees/promotions/material objects
– Individual achievement is not related to group
– Individual goals more important than group goals
• Collectivist:
– recognition of pride for group, not just individual
– Individual achievement/failure = group
achievement/failure
The end
Welcome
Back!
Problem Solving Procedure
Identify and Define the Problem:
·
Is/Is Not Analysis (p. 231)
·
Journalistic questions
o Who/what/when/why/where/how
Analyze the Problem
·
Force Field Analysis
·
6M Analysis
Generate Possible Solutions
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Select the Best Solution or a
·
Combination of Solutions
Evaluate the Solutions - Pros/Cons
Test and Implement the Solution
Action Chart - Flow Chart
Types of
Problem
Solving
Group
Techniques
Nominal Group Technique

Individuals work on problems individually
through silent brainstorming

Then ideas are shared with the group and
discussed
Delphi Technique
Members brainstorm individually, but never
meet to discuss. Leader corresponds with
individuals, then shares results with group
in writing
Decision Making
Elements of group decision making
1. Present situation assessed
2. Identifies goals
3. Identifies alternatives
4. Evaluates positive an negative
consequences
5. Makes a decision
Decision Making
Methods
• Experts
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Inside: Best informed member
Outside: Authority
Averaging member rankings
Random choice
Majority vote
Minority decision
Consensus
Decision Making
Obstacles
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Failure to accurately analyze
Failure to establish clear goal
Failure to identify positive/negative consequences
Bad information
Critical thinking amiss
Group discussion lacks all voices
true creativity = mistakes
• Mistakes happen-deal with it
• Like conflict, mistakes can help the
process/outcome:
“Even a mistake may turn out to be the
one thing necessary to a worthwhile
achievement.”
• Henry Ford
The end
Welcome
Back!
The Worldview
• Beliefs reflect
worldview
– Beliefs=building blocks
of attitudes
– Attitudes visible through
behavior
FINAL EXAM TOPIC
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Theist
Self Actualization: Living
life to its fullest. Function as
autonomous beings
Esteem Need: The need
for respect or esteem from
self, or others
Belongingness Need:
The need to be a part of a
group
Survival Needs:
Physiological/Safety
Atheist
Atheistic Worldviews
Secular Humanism
Marxism - Leninism
Cosmic Humanism
Post-Modernism
Source
Humanist Manifesto
I & II
Writings of Marx & Lenin
Writings of Ferguson,
Spangler, etc.
Nietzsche, Foucalt,
Derrida, Rorty
Theology
Atheism
Atheism
Pantheism
Atheism
Philosophy
Naturalism
Dialectical Materialism
Non-Naturalism
Anti-Realism
Ethics
Ethical Relativism
Proletariat Morality
Ethical Relativism
Cultural Realism
Biology
Darwinian Evolution
Darwinian/ Punctuated
Evolution
Darwinian/ Punctuated
Evolution
Punctuated Evolution
Psychology
Monistic SelfActualization
Monistic Pavlovian
Behaviorism
Collective Consciousness
Socially Constructed
Selves
Sociology
Non-traditional, World
State, Ethical Society
Abolition of Home, Church,
& State
Non-traditional Home, Church,
& State
Sexual Egalitarianism
Law
Positive Law
Positive, or Proletariat Law
Self-Law
Critical Legal Studies
Politics
World Government
(Globalism)
New World Order
(Globalism)
New Age Order
Leftism
Economics
Socialism
Socialism/ Communism
Universal Enlightened
Production
Interventionism
History
Historical Evolution
Historical Materialism
Evolutionary Godhood
Historicism
Theistic Worldviews
Islam
Biblical Christianity
Source
Qur’an, Hadith, Sunna
Bible
Theology
Theism
Theism
Philosophy
Supernaturalism
Supernaturalism
Ethics
Ethical Absolutes
Ethical Absolutes
Biology
Creationism
Creation
Psychology
Dualism
Dualism
Sociology
Polygamy, Mosque, Islamic State
Home, State, & Church
Law
Shari ‘a Law
Biblical/Natural Law
Politics
Islamic Theocracy
Justice, Freedom, Order
Economics
Stewardship of Property
Stewardship of Property
History
Historic Determinism (Jihad)
Historical Resurrection
ARISTOTLE’S
THREE PERSUASIVE PROOFS
• ETHOS: Speaker Credibility
•Competence
•Goodwill
•Character
• LOGOS: Logical Appeal/Reasoning
•Drawing conclusions from
evidence
•Inductive vs. Deductive
• PATHOS: Emotional Appeal
•Appeals to the listeners’ needs,
wants, desires, etc.
Habits that Hinder Thinking
Ethical Reasoning vs. Reasoning Fallacies
 Ethical speakers do not use reasoning fallacies
• Argumentum ad Hominem: old fashion name calling, or an
attack on the person and not the issue in question
• Red Herring: using an irrelevant issue or distraction to
divert the focus to another issue (think of a BAD smell)
• False Division/Dichotomy: Polarization of options, when in
reality there exists many options of choice.
• Post Hoc (False Cause): Identification of an issue as the
cause of another problem, when there is not relationship
• Argumentum ad Populum (bandwagon): “But, everyone is
doing it!” An appeal to popular opinion
• Argumentum ad Verecudiam: Appeal to authority, or the
testimony of someone who is not a true expert
Speaking Persuasively
• Attitude: A learned predisposition
–response favorable/unfavorable
• Our likes and dislikes change easily
• Our beliefs or values harder to change.
• Belief: The degree of confidence
• Perception of true or false.
• highly central a beliefs hard to change
• Value: An enduring conception of right
or wrong, good or bad.
• least likely to change over time.
The Worldview
• Beliefs reflect
worldview
– Beliefs=building blocks
of attitudes
– Attitudes visible through
behavior
FINAL EXAM TOPIC
How DO You Know What You Know?
• Epistemology
– How we learn
– Develop our breath and depth of knowledge
– Beliefs, attitudes, and values
• Diversity of experiences
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–
–
–
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Family
Religion
Education
Socioeconomics
Culture
Worldview vs. Evidence
• Exact same evidence = 2 different
conclusions
– “It is not the evidence you mentioned or the
logic used to consider the validity and value of
that evidence, but the conclusions drawn from
that information that I find wrong”
Internal noise can hinder the listener
Agreement/disagreement w/ worldview
Perception vs. Truth
Worldview and Small Group Communication
• Small groups are impacted by and impact the
interaction of group members
• Group Discussion: How would the worldview of the
following members play out in a discussion of
religious beliefs?
–
–
–
–
Lupe: Female, 46, married with 3 children, Hispanic, Catholic
Tom: Male, 34, unmarried, no children, Caucasian, Jewish
Joe: Male, 22, unmarried, 1 child, Caucasian, Atheist
Cindy: Female, 29, married, 2 children, African American,
Evangelical Christian
– Mei: Female, 39, divorced, 4 children, Chinese, Agnostic
– Sandy: Female, 18, single, no children, Christian
– Ahmed: Male, 26, single, no children, Muslim
Worldview and Small Group Communication
• How did the worldview of the group
members impact the process and
discussion?
• Climate:
– confirming/disconfirming messages
– Nonverbal communication
– Individual rights/responsibilities
Welcome
Back!
Handling Group Conflict:
How to Disagree Without Becoming Disagreeable
•
•
•
•
•
Define conflict and explain how you feel when
involved in a group conflict
Define groupthink and explain its consequences
Distinguish between competitive and cooperative
conflict orientations
Identify how to use the conflict grid and the benefits
and problems that can result from effective and
ineffective handling of group conflict
Identify behaviors that can be used to resolve
conflicts effectively
Conflict
• “Conflict” means different things to different
people
– Conflict is not necessarily bad, just different
– Conflict is, “disagreement over available options
caused by seemingly incompatible goals among
group members and their thinking that others can
keep them from achieving their goals” (p. 373).
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
- Albert Einstein
Resolving Conflicts

Cooperative vs. Competitive Conflict
 Cooperative – willingness to share rewards to resolve
conflicts
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Competitive – all-or-nothing; must defeat other participants
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Seek mutually beneficial way to resolve disagreement
Win-win situation
See winning as a test of personal worth
Win-lose situation
Transform conflict from competitive to cooperative
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Effective communication techniques
Role reversal
Productive vs. Destructive Results

Productive – all participants are satisfied and believe they
have gained something



Cooperative problem-solving methods
Willingness to trust each other
Destructive – all participants are dissatisfied and believe
they have lost something


Win-lose encounters characterized by misconceptions and
misperceptions; inaccurate, sketchy, and disruptive
communication
Hesitancy to trust each other
GROUP THINK
Group Think
•A type of thought exhibited by group
members who try to minimize conflict and
reach consensus without critically testing,
analyzing, and evaluating ideas.
•Group’s need for unanimity overrides
individual member motivation to
realistically appraise alternative courses
of action
Group think occurs…
• Critical thinking is not
encouraged or rewarded
• Members believe that
their group can do no
wrong (arrogance)
• Members are too
concerned about
justifying their actions
• Members often believe
that they have reached a
true consensus
• Members are too
concerned about
reinforcing the leader’s
beliefs
Desire for consensus
overrides analysis
• Group feels secure
• Rationalization of
decision
• Group’s morality
• Us vs. Them
• Members censor
comments
• Direct pressure to
dissenting members
• Gate keeper of disturbing
outside ideas or opinions
–Can be related to paradigm
shift resistance
• Silence = consensus
What does it
like?
Symptoms of Group think
•
•
•
•
•
Incomplete survey of alternatives
Incomplete survey of objectives
Failure to examine risks of preferred choice
Poor information search
Selective bias in processing information at
hand
• Failure to reappraise alternatives
• Failure to work out contingency plans
Challenger & Columbia Explosions
Organizational Culture
• Shared assumptions, values, beliefs, language,
symbols, and meaning systems that hold the
organization together.
• Patterns of sustained communicative acts or
behaviors
• Cultures develop over time
• Cultures are VERY difficult to change
– Requires drastic measures to make impact on
organizational culture
NASA’s Environment
•
•
•
•
Shuttle as a bus
Lack of funds
Cancelled flights
Communication between NASA and
Morton-Thiokol
• Shuttle operation
• Lack of escape pods
• Maintenance
• How O rings work
• Need for a flexible rocket
• Failure rate
How Cold
is Cold
• Ice only in the
shade or
everywhere?
• Who is
responsible?
How is the
decision
made?
• NASA teleconference
• Morton off line
Group
Think in
Action
Group Think
•A type of thought exhibited by group
members who try to minimize conflict and
reach consensus without critically testing,
analyzing, and evaluating ideas.
•Group’s need for unanimity overrides
individual member motivation to realistically
appraise alternative courses of action
Suggestions to Reduce Group Think
• Gatekeeper should encourage critical, independent
thinking
• Group members should be sensitive to status
differences that may affect decision making
• Invite an outsider to the group to evaluate the
group’s decision-making process
• Assign a group member the role of devil’s advocate
• Ask group members to subdivide into smaller
groups (or work individually) and to consider
potential problems with the suggested solutions
End of Presentation