...Leading Ideas: Revisiting the Abilene Paradox: Is Management of Agreement Still an Issue? | |by Kathryn J. Deiss, ARL Office of Leadership and Management Services Program Manager In 1974, Professor Jerry Harvey of George Washington University developed a parable from a real-life experience to describe the issues surrounding how individuals reach agreement, or, more specifically, believe they have reached agreement. Twenty-five years later the lessons and insights his parable generates are still valid and provocative for organizations and the individuals who work together in those organizations. The Parable of the Abilene Paradox1 Four adults are sitting on a porch in 104-degree heat in the small town of Coleman, Texas, some 53 miles from Abilene. They are engaging in as little motion as possible, drinking lemonade, watching the fan spin lazily, and occasionally playing the odd game of dominoes. The characters are a married couple and the wife’s parents. At some point, the wife’s father suggests they drive to Abilene to eat at a cafeteria there. The son-in-law thinks this is a crazy idea but doesn’t see any need to upset the apple cart, so he goes along with it, as do the two women. They get in their unair-conditioned Buick and drive through a dust storm to Abilene. They eat a mediocre lunch at the cafeteria and return to Coleman exhausted, hot, and generally unhappy with the experience. It is not until they return home that it is revealed that none of them really wanted...
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...How to Figure Out What is Going On in a Groupi (Some Key Elements of Group Dynamics and Team-Building) We are used to focusing on the content of group activities—what the group is talking about and doing. In order to understand the group process, we must also pay attention to how the group is doing its work and how its members are interacting—communicating, making decisions, and so on. The following dimensions of group behavior provide information about the nature, structure and processes of work groups and teams. A. WHAT MAKES A WORK GROUP EFFECTIVE The effectiveness of a work group can be measured by the degree to which it: 1. Accomplishes its task appropriately. 2. Enhances ability of its members to work together in the future (social system.) 3. Members experience personal growth and well-being. In order to achieve these objectives, the group must engage in appropriate processes that reflectii: 1. Sufficient effort to accomplish the task at an acceptable level of performance. 2. Adequate knowledge and skill brought to bear on the task. 3. Task performance strategies appropriate to the work and the setting Therefore, members of the group must not only pay attention to the content of group activities--that is, what the group is talking about and doing--but also to the group process—that is, how the group is going about its work and how its members are interacting. B. TASK AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF THE GROUP PROCESSiii Behavior in a group can be considered in terms of its...
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...An Introduction to Organisational Behaviour for Managers and Engineers This page intentionally left blank An Introduction to Organisational Behaviour for Managers and Engineers A Group and Multicultural Approach First Edition Duncan Kitchin AMSTERDAM BOSTON HEIDELBERG LONDON NEW YORK OXFORD PARIS SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK First edition 2010 Copyright Ó 2010 Duncan Kitchin. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. The right of Duncan Kitchin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (þ44) 1865 843830, fax: (þ44) 1865 853333, E-mail: permissions@elsevier. com. You may also complete your request online via the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting ‘‘Support & Contact’’ then ‘‘Copyright and Permission’’ and then ‘‘Obtaining Permissions.’’ British Library Cataloguing in Publication...
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...MORE ADVANCE NOISE FOR QUIET “An intriguing and potentially lifealtering examination of the human psyche that is sure to benefit both introverts and extroverts alike.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Gentle is powerful … Solitude is socially productive … These important counterintuitive ideas are among the many reasons to take Quiet to a quiet corner and absorb its brilliant, thought-provoking message.” —ROSABETH MOSS KANTER, professor at Harvard Business School, author of Confidence and SuperCorp “An informative, well-researched book on the power of quietness and the 3/929 virtues of having a rich inner life. It dispels the myth that you have to be extroverted to be happy and successful.” —JUDITH ORLOFF, M.D., author of Emotional Freedom “In this engaging and beautifully written book, Susan Cain makes a powerful case for the wisdom of introspection. She also warns us ably about the downside to our culture’s noisiness, including all that it risks drowning out. Above the din, Susan’s own voice remains a compelling presence—thoughtful, generous, calm, and eloquent. Quiet deserves a very large readership.” —CHRISTOPHER LANE, author of Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness 4/929 “Susan Cain’s quest to understand introversion, a beautifully wrought journey from the lab bench to the motivational speaker’s hall, offers convincing evidence for valuing substance over style, steak over sizzle, and qualities that are, in America, often derided. This book is brilliant...
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