THE VIDEO PROJECT Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 260 THE VIDEO PROJECT Royce L. Abrahamson, Southwest Texas State University Ted Halatin, Southwest Texas State University ABSTRACT Modern organizations in the public and private sector are facing great challenges at both the domestic and international level. To maintain a competitive posture, organizations must have manager and nonmanagers who can utilize new technologies and organizational behavior skills in daily operations. To enhance the operations in this competitive environment, many private and public organizations are relying extensively on self-managed teams. By use of a video project, graduate students use video technology to enhance research projects while experiencing the concept of self- managed teams. INTRODUCTION Business students often find that the same technology used in daily business operations can be used to prepare and enhance their course research projects and presentations. The use of technology is popular among graduate students enrolled in MBA programs as many of them are working or have worked in business organizations supported with technological devices. Course Project The organizational behavior (OB) course, part of the core curriculum in the MBA program at Southwest Texas State University, allows students to both experience and study various dimensions of human behavior at the individual, group and organization levels. A course project requires teams of students to organize primary and secondary information and to present the results both as a written report for the instructor and as a taped video presentation for the class. The requirements are that the presentation for the class be entirely or in part a student- produced video tape that presents and enhances the research report. Student Guidelines While some of the students may have had experience or be associated with people or organizations involved in video production, many students find this to be a first opportunity to produce and present a research video. As a primer for students who are new to video technology, arrangements are made for an orientation at the university media center which includes a television studio and production facility. Printed guidelines and tips for preparing video projects are provided to the students by the media center. In addition, students are encouraged to review popular publications that discuss video production techniques for non-professionals. Most students have access to camcorders and related video equipment. A limited amount of equipment is available through the university media center for student use. Student Presentations The video projects are played in class as a part of the presentation. A follow-up session includes an open forum during which time the team responds to questions from the audience. The questions may be related to the research topic, the process of self-managed team and group dynamics, or the production of the video. Added Benefits of Video One of the most significant benefits of this project is that all students must be actively involved in the effort and the final product. Unlike the traditional research project in which subsections can be “farmed out” to individual members and later pieced together into a single paper or presentation, the video project requires all members to be actively involved in all aspects of the project from the beginning to the end. Students learn about OB when they develop their self-managed team to write the script, arrange and conduct interviews, search secondary sources, rehearse presentations, critique and edit taped materials, as well as learn some of the mechanics of video tape production. This active involvement allows the students to experience 03 in a real-time environment. The students learn about themselves by seeing and hearing themselves on the video screen. This is valuable for those individuals who have never seen themselves on video. In addition, each individual has opportunities for a private and personalized self-critique. Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 261 Errors, glitches, and other distractions that often occur in many oral presentations can be avoided by editing. The video presentation can be refined until the final product is the group’s best effort. This allows the students to focus on the quality dimension, which is a primary concern in organizations emphasizing total quality management. Student Reactions While some students are skeptical of the assignment at the outset, the reviews are very positive at the end of the course. The students indicate that the project serves a genuine purpose in broadening their knowledge and communication skills, especially at the MBA level. 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