EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING USING FOCUS GROUPS Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22,1995 225 EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING USING FOCUS GROUPS Frank G. Duserick, Alfred University Ernest L. Enke, Alfred University Amy Rummel, Alfred University ABSTRACT The purpose of this project is to investigate the feasibility of using a Group Decision Support System to enhance group communications and to develop an appreciation of the potential of information technology in decision making in an undergraduate environment. INTRODUCTION For researchers intent on identifying consumer preferences, focus groups have been a prime vehicle for identifying the needs, wants and level of consumer satisfaction. Focus groups traditionally involve a focus group leader or facilitator who guides a group of individuals through a series of pre-planned questions and/or exercises about a particular issue. While the focus group leader is trained to elicit responses from all individuals in the group, group processes are time consuming and slow and are subject to substantial social pressures. The focus of this research is to explore the efficacy of utilizing a Group Decision Support System to support a process of individual discovery and creativity in college undergraduates. For the purpose of this study, a Group Decision Support System (GDSS) is an interactive computer based system that facilitates the solution of unstructured problems by decision makers working together as a group (DeSanctis and Gallupe, 1987). It is a system specially designed to support groups of decision-makers. In addition, it should be easy to learn and should discourage negative group behavior. The goal of a GDSS is to improve the productivity of group meetings either by speeding up the decision making process or by improving the quality or creativity of the resulting group output. The increased productivity and quality are accomplished by providing support to the exchange of ideas, opinions and preferences within the group (Finholt and Sproull 1990). The impact on the work of quality teams as reported by participants in the IRS-Minnesota GDSS project (DeSanctis et al 1991) indicate a high level of satisfaction with a GDSS. More structure is provided when teams confront complex, unstructured decision tasks. When progress stagnates, a GDSS helps move the group forward. It also enhances meeting efficiency by reducing the time to address issues and/or to solicit responses. Moreover, it facilitates full participation and conflict management. Finally, a GDSS permits a substantial amount of flexibility. It can be used differently by different groups addressing the same or similar issue. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The purpose of this research is to assess the creativity, quality and productivity of a focus group in a DSS environment. Each participant is expected to learn the basic concepts of group decision making, to develop a scenario for group decision making and to utilize a GDSS to complete the scenario. The scenarios, the groups and facilitators will be allowed about one hour to complete the assigned tasks. Each facilitator will be responsible for guiding his/her group through a series of questions. The quality and productivity of each group will be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively. The facilitators will utilize VisionQuest, a personal computer based GDSS developed by Collaborative Technologies. The facilitators will be trained how to use this system. They will subsequently be responsible for training the focus group participants. The facilitator’s responsibility will be not only to make the participants comfortable in the use of a GDSS but also to assist the group in completing its agenda. Task and human will be the control variables in the experiment. Since the purpose of the research is to evaluate creativity and productivity of novices using a GDSS, user performance both, as a facilitator and participant will be measured using different scenarios or agendas. The scenarios will be of sufficient robustness to include reasonable complexities encountered in focus group exercises. The main performance variables, (Quality and Productivity) are the degree to which the focus group approach provides responses in terms of perceived quality. Objective comparison of the analyses presented by participants in the human control groups will focus on comparing the focus group’s performance and Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22,1995 226 measuring each participant’s level of satisfaction with a questionnaire. The focus of this proposed research can be broadly stated as follows: “The use of a GDSS approach for will provide better results than traditional methods when conducting market research using focus groups”. This statement implies a comparative analysis of products generated by the two methodologies. The principle areas of investigation in this research are quality of output, productivity of the group and level of satisfaction. Does a GDSS approach enable a focus group to provide better responses, both qualitatively and quantitatively? Do participants and facilitators perceive it easier to use and assimilate ideas? Rogers (1979) states that ease-of-use is a primary factor utilized by individuals in determining whether or not to adopt a nontraditional or new approach or product. RESEARCH STRATEGY A laboratory study will be utilized to address the research question in order to control internal validity (Stone 1978), definition and manipulation of independent variables (Fronkin 1 976), extraneous variables (McGrath 1 979), and resistance to innovation (Zaltman 1 973). The task requires each facilitator to guide a focus group of undergraduate students through an agenda. The following agendas were utilized: Stock Selection -Student Investment Fund Legalization of Drugs Aid to Indigenous Peoples Admissions Video Review Grading Systems Musical Selections Trial by Jury. The GDSS facilitators utilize VISIONQUEST from Collaborative Technologies. The agenda that these groups utilize and the group’s responses to each agenda item will be recorded on a database. Undergraduate students in an honors class will be the test subjects. The participants will be seated in a U-shaped electronic meeting room that has networked computers. A large screen projection system is connected to the network to display the work of aggregated information from the total group. It is the responsibility of each facilitator to manage the flow of the group by managing the agenda electronically. The quality and productivity of each facilitator and the group in total is evaluated. Finally, level of satisfaction by the participants and facilitators will be measured. Initial findings indicate that, while the participants explicitly stated a high degree of resistance to computers at the onset, this resistance disappeared over a period of five weeks, as the students became aware of VISIONQUEST’s ease of use. The number of responses to questions posed in a GDSS setting exceeded the responses in a traditional setting by a factor of ten to one. Moreover, the time taken to elicit the GDSS group’s responses was lower by a factor of three. The quality of GDSS output also appeared to be higher because substantially different alternatives were presented. Initially, the participants were looking toward the facilitator for guidance but became self-motivated quickly. In the traditional environment, less than twenty five percent of the participants actually talked while all members in the GDSS actively participated in the exercises. REFERENCES Cohen, W.A. (1988) Enhancing teaching with experiential learning. Marketing Educator, 7, 1-5 DeSanctis, G. and Gallupe, R. “A Foundation for the Study of Group Decision Support Systems”, Management Science, 33, 5 (1987), 589-609. DeSanctis, G. et al. “Using Computing to Facilitate the Quality Improvement Process: The IRS-Minnesota.” Interfaces November 1991. Finholt, T. and Sproull L. S. “Electronic Groups at Work.” Organization Science, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1990 Fromkin, H. & S. Streufest (1976) Laboratory Experimentation Handbook of Industrial Psychology Chicago: Rand McNally, 41 5-465. McGrath, J. (1979) Towards a theory of method for research on organizations Research in Organizations Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear Publishing Co. Nunamaker, J. F., Jr., et al. “Electronic Meeting Systems to Support Group Work”, Communication of the ACM, July 1991. Rogers, E. Innovation Management, 1 979 Stone, E. (1978). Research methods in organization behavior. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman & Co Zaltman, G., R. Duncan, & J. Holbek (1973) Innovations and organizations New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Table of Contents Volume 22, 1995 Simulation Performance, Learning and Struggle Are Good Simulation Performers Consistently Good? Cognitive and Behavioral Consistency in a Computer-Based Marketing-Simulation-Game Environment: An Empirical Investigation of the Decision-Making Process Chalk & Cheese: Executive Short-Course vs. Academic Simulations Revisiting Personality Bias in Total Enterprise Simulations Are Good Strategies Consistently Good? Investigating the Use of a Computer Simulation as an Effective Pedagogical Tool for the Application of a Strategic Model The Problem of determining an Individualized Simulation's Validity as an Assessment Tool A Simulation Based Analysis of the Value of Information in the Hrebiniak Joyce Typology of Adaptation Relative to Porter's Generic Strategies The Impact of Sales and Income Growth on Profitability and Market Measures in Actual and Simulated Industries A Comparison of a Stand Alone Version of a Simulation with the Traditional Competitive Version Computer-Assisted Gaming of International Business Analyzing Simulations with Computer-Based Programs and Applying the Experience to a Real-World Business A Preliminary Investigation of the Use of a Bankruptcy Indicator in a Simulation Environment Graduates' Views on the Use of Computer Simulation Games Versus Cases as Pedagogical Tools An Analytical Advertising Model Approach to the Determination of Market Demand Dealing with the Complexity Paradox in Business Simulation Games A Prototyping Approach for Incorporating Large Data Bases into Media Planning Simulations: An Example Using Magazine Media Through the Looking Glass, Inc: Superior-Subordinate Personality Type and the Leniency effect Evaluating the Effectiveness of Role Playing Simulation and Other Methods in Teaching Managerial Skills Student and Teacher Perceptions of a Management Simulation Course Performance Evaluation: The Effect on the Propensity to Create Budgetary Slack Management Team Formation for Large Scale Simulations Comparative Static Analysis with the Complete PPA Package: A Strategic Market Planning Tool Consistency in Intent: Learning Objectives at the 1994 Intercollegiate Business Policy Competition A New Twist on an Old Game: The Business Strategy Game: A Global Industry Simulation 3ed Evaluation of Performance in Management Simulation: A Management Coefficients Model Building SimuWorlds: Strategic Management Games of the Future Bulls and Bears: A Stock Market Simulation A Systems Thinking Paradigm and Think Computer Simulation Model of Broadcast and Cable Television Industry Competition Jacket Factory The Sales Management Simulation The Marketing Management Simulation A Demonstration of Promodel Demonstrating A New, Cross-Functional Business Simulation: Vision+ A Cost Chain For The Business Strategy Game Simulation Special Session On Experiential Teaching Compensation Dilemmas: An Exercise In Ethical Decision-Making Organizational Storytelling: Telling Tales In The Business Classroom Evaluating Experiential Training: Case Study And Recommendations The Internship Portfolio: An Innovative Tool For Experiential Learning, Critical Thinking, And Communication An Ethnographic Analysis Of The Pedagogical Impact Of Cooperative Communicating Consumer Behavior: A Long-Term Integrated Exercise Using Personal Consumption Journals And Consumer Analysis Papers An Experiential Paradigm For Teaching Business Problem Solving Developing Leadership Skills The Spss® Student Assistant: The Integration of A Statistical Analysis Program Into A Marketing Research Textbook Negotiating With Your Students Using TQM Principles To Transform Accounting Systems Into An Experiential Exercise Enhancing The Effectiveness Of Outdoor-Based Experiential Training Using Virtual Reality Concepts Case Writing In A Developing Country: An Indonesian Example Experiential Learning Using Focus Groups How Real Should Experiential Pedagogy Be? A Viewpoint From Our Students Reengineering The Internship: A New Approach To Experiential Learning Utilizing The Cosmopolitan/Local And Marginal Man Constructs To Measure Students' Propensity For Creativity Developing Experiential Processes For Teaching Quantitative Techniques For Business Team Learning Roles: A Cooperative Learning Technique Creating the Ultimate Small Business Student Experience: Melding Score/Ace with SBI The Development of Trust in Work Teams: The Impact of Touch Some Outcomes of Experiential Learning: How the Cultural Dynamics of Different Countries are reflected in Workplace Norms & Values Incorporation of Job Analysis Results in Various Forms of Selection Interviews Chudesno, Inc.: An Evaluation of an Experiential Training and Development Simulation An Exercise for Exploring the Relationship between Jungian Psychological Types and Organizational Dynamics Partnership: A Radical Approach to Experiential Learning Partnership: A Nice Idea, But How Do I Get Started? Recognizing Discrimination at Work Using Critical Incident Skills Questions to Help Students Become More Successful at Job Interviewing The Video Project Introduction to Psychological Type Theory Come On Down Understanding Facilitation for Development and Continuous Learning: A Micro-Workshop Leadership and Empowerment: An Experiential Exercise in Decision Making Experiential Exercises and Pedagogy Track Workshop: Selecting a Manager for Maquiladora, Inc. Experiential Training In Multi-Cultural Corporate Settings The Role of Facilitation as an Aid to Complete Learning An Experiential Exercise to Illustrate Difference in Information Processing Behaviors and Styles How to Deliver Accessible Survey Results Age Diversity in the Workplace- Family Feud Style Nafta Standoff: A Cross-Cultural negotiating Role-Play Three Strikes and You're Out!: A Downsizing Experiential Exercise