AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISE TO ILLUSTRATE DIFFERENCES IN INFORMATION PROCESSING BEHAVIORS AND STYLES Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 274 AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISE TO ILLUSTRATE DIFFERENCES IN INFORMATION PROCESSING BEHAVIORS AND STYLES Karen L. Williams, University of Texas at San Antonio ABSTRACT The following describes the use of an experiential exercise in an introductory principles of information systems management course to illustrate differences in information processing styles and potential implications for computer- based information systems use and design. PURPOSE - To provide an information processing activity for participants to experience - To give participants an opportunity to observe and identify differences in information processing behaviors & styles • To provide a forum for discussing these differences and their potential consequences, both positive and negative, on interpersonal communication, particularly in group or team settings - To discuss implications of these differences for information systems use and design MATERIALS: Facilitator: Copy of the "Unscrambling the Bank Accounts: Group Problem Solving” exercise (1987 Annual: Developing Human Resources, p. 51-56) Chalk board/chalk or flipchart paper/easel/markers/tape Participants: One copy of the “Unscrambling the Bank Accounts Fact Sheet” (p. 54) for each participant A set of “Unscrambling the Bank Accounts Data Cards” for each group (I include the “wild card” clues listed as an option on p.52) Paper and pencil for each participant LOGISTICS: Group size: 2 or more groups of 4-7 members Time: approximately 1 hour Physical setting: a room that allows groups to work without disturbing one another EXERCISE: 1. The facilitator describes the purpose of the activity. 2. Participants are asked to form groups of 4 • 7 members. 3. Each participant is given a copy of the fact sheet, paper and pencil. 4. Each group is given one set of the data cards and told to distribute them among their group in some way so that each person has some of the clues. The exact method of distribution is left up to the group. The participants are told that they may not pass their individual clues around to other group members - but they may read them/tell them to the group. The groups are then instructed to work on the problem as a group and to inform the facilitator when their group has solved the problem. 5. When a group indicates it has finished, the facilitator checks that group’s answers using the “Unscrambling the Bank Accounts Answer Sheet.” If any part of the answer is wrong, the group is told to continue working on the problem because the answer is incorrect. 6. After all teams are finished, the exercise is processed. PROCESSING THE EXERCISE: The following questions/issues can be used to process this activity: 1. How did your group go about distributing the “clues” to individual participants? Why did you choose this method and what were the possible implications of this? Developments In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 22, 1995 275 2. Once the clues were distributed, how did your group “organize” or go about sharing the data? 3. What are the differences between verbally communicating your clues/information versus being able to pass the clues around for others to read? 4. What is the difference between information thateach of us “owns” or has in our own heads, versus information we receive from others? Do we process it or use it differently and if so how? What about the “source” of the information? 5. Was there any “extra” information that you did not need to solve this problem? What impact did that have on the process? Once these and any other questions/issues have been adequately addressed, a brief “lecturette” on information processing styles can be given. I use a brief input based on the two dimensions of perception and judgement (based on Myers-Briggs interpretation of the Jungian types). I follow this with a discussion of the implications of this for (1) personal information processing and decision making, and (2) interpersonal communication and information processing between individuals, including group or team settings. The potential for conflicting as well as complementary styles and the impacts on group process and decision making are noted. Finally, I discuss the four possible type combinations (from the Myers Briggs Type Indicator) in relation to computer based information systems and their development and use in both individual and group decision-making in organizations. COMMENTS: Since this exercise was originally designed as a group problem solving exercise, many group process issues can also be addressed. I encourage participants to consider and share their own experiences and insights as we discuss the various questions/issues. Although I do not “time” the exercise or conduct it as a competition, it was originally designed and can be executed that way. As a variation, participants can be given the option to do the exercise alone, as opposed to being part of a group. In processing the activity, comparisons can be made between the experience of individual versus group problem solving (advantages /disadvantages). 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