SUCCESS FACTORS IN EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING FOR CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING TEAMS Development In Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 18, 1991 SUCCESS FACTORS IN EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING FOR CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING TEAMS Carroll C. Halterman and Nancy S. Sampson, University of Denver ABSTRACT Members of successful creative problem-solving teams see the most important work-team characteristic. to be: (1) a challenging goal; (2) liking, trusting, and helping each other; and (3) a competent, respected, and fair leader. They value “mutual trust” much more than do members of either engineering design teams or project teams. But they value “team design,” “outside support,” and “member job-knowledge” less. THE EXAMINATION OF CREATIVE TEAMS Odyssey of the Mind [OM] is an internationally recognized experientially based program for building and developing innovative teams. Its success demands that we understand its philosophy and procedures. 014, Initiated by Dr. C. S. Miklaus and sponsored by IBM, prepares students to solve “long term” problems (complex, multi-dimensional situations) by requiring a total team effort (Micklus and Micklus, 1989). OM guidelines clearly specify that coaches are merely facilitators” and that solutions must come from team members. The team’s solution must be perfected for a live demonstration before multiple judges, who determine how well the team has met the diverse requirements. No more than five members may actually present the judged solution. As many au twelve different criteria are applied by the trained judging teams. Since teams are also judged for spontaneous problem solving (brainstorming) they practice and drill for speed and productivity. Local, regional, and national competitions are held, and winners advance. Six hundred thirty eight teams competed at the 1990 World Finals! 135 This sample was gathered from entire teams, including coaches. Some responses in 1989 came from Colorado teams competing there at the Division and State levels. Other 1989 and all 1990 responses were from the World Finals competitors. Eight specific characteristics of successful teams (Larson and LaFasto, TABLE 1. SUCCESS FACTOR RATING BY TEAM Creative N = 233 Design N = 284 Project N=414 Meanc Dv. MeanD DV. Meanp Dv (lowest number = highest importance 1. Goal* 1.48 .84 1.31 .604 1.37 .64 2. Trust 1.68 .99 2.23 .924 2.01 .84 3. Leader 1.69 1.06 1.71 .823 1.56 .72 4. Job 1.87 1.04 1.59 .787 1.57 .72 5. Expect 1.97 1.15 1.78 .869 1.85 .79 6. Do 2.01 1.13 2.15 1.07 2.02 .87 7. Design 2.31 1.27 1.72 .940 1.69 .79 8. Support 2.57 1.33 1.67 .987 1.83 .87 1989; Halterman, Liu and Halterman, 1990) were assessed: (1) Team members know the projects goals, and are challenged by them; (2) Members like, trust, and help each other; (3) The team leader is seen am competent, respected, and fair; (4) Team members know their jobs, and how to get them done; (5) Team member have high performance standards, and expect high performance from each other; (6) Members will do whatever is needed for the projects success; (7) The team is designed to get results; and (8) The project gets outside support, resources, and recognition. Respondents were asked to indicate, on a 5-point Likert scale, “the extent to which you believe (the particular characteristic) is necessary f or an effective [problem- solving] team.” Results were processed by SPSSX. Key results for the OM teams are shown in Table 1. (See the column headed “CREATIVE.”) OM Ratings were compared to those of design engineering teams and project teams. Each sees the most important characteristic to be a challenging goal. “Trust” (“members like, trust, and help each other”) was found to be considerably more important to creative teams. However, creative teams expressed lower opinions of the value m for “team design”, ‘outside support”, and members’ ‘job knowledge” (Refer to Table 1, above, and Figure 1, following). Figure 1 clearly displays the difference. between creative teams and others. Importantly, this research join. others in pointing a finger toward the critical nature of trust to the success of creative teams (Meeker, 1984; and Mumford and Gustaf son, 1988) FIGURE 1. SUCCESS FACTOR RATINGS BY References Halterman, Carroll C Li Liu, and Eve Halterman (1990) Gender- related differences. Journal of the Colorado-Wyoming Academy of Science, April 31 Larson, C.E. & F.M.J. Lafasto (1989) Teamwork Newbury Park, California: Sage Publications. Meeker, B.F. (1984). Cooperative orientation, trust, and reciprocity. Human Relations, 37, 225–243 Micklus, C. Samuel, & Carole Micklus (1989) Odyssey of the Mind Program Handbook. IBM, 31 pp Mumford, M.D., & S.D. Gustafson (1988) Creativity syndrome: Integration, application, and innovation. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 27 - 43 Table of Contents Volume 18, 1991 Personality Types and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Using DIS 'n DAT as a Decision Support System for a Marketing Simulation Game Theoretical Derivation of a Market Demand Function for Business Simulators The Ethnographic Case Study: An Experiential Approach to Teaching Retail Management Electronic Bulletin Board Systems (BBS): Support Software for Computer Simulations The New Budget Game Negame: A Cross-Cultural Role-Play to Introduce Students to the Familiarization Stage of Negotiations Modeling Short-Run Cost and Production Functions Using Sheppard's Lemma in Computerized Business Simulations Increasing Simulation Realism through the Modeling of Step Costs Predicting Simulation Performance: Differences Between Groups and Individuals A Facility Location Case to Stimulate Classroom Interaction Educational Effectiveness of Business Simulation Gaming: A Comparative Study of Students and Practitioner Perspective Ethical Dilemmas in Experiential Learning: Issues and Strategies A Critical Review and Assessment of ABSEL's Award-Winning Procedures and Protocols Political Risk: A Simulation for Business Practitioners Upside Down: A Cross-Cultural Game in Experiential Learning Gorby's Dilemma: From Communism to Free Enterprise in Two Hours Strategic Market: Planning with the COMPLETE Product Portfolio Analysis Package: A Marketing Decision Support System Career Concepts and Total Enterprise Simulation Performance Experiential Learning in Human Resources: A Performance Appraisal Application Managerial Motivation and Realism Among MBA Student as Viewed through The Looking Glass, Inc. Simulation An Experiential Approach to Teaching Data Analysis Using MYSTAT: Rationale, Procedures and Results Practicing What Was Preached: A Sequential Learning Model put to the Test Student Attitudes about Policy Course Simulations An Investigation of the Relationship Between Simulation Play, Performance Level and Recency of Play on Exam Scores The Effect of Leadership and Cognitive Processing Styles upon Peer Performance Evaluation: Implication for the Utilization of Simulations in Business Pedagogy On the Transfer of Market Oriented Business Games to Socialist Cultures An Application of Financial Analysis of the Business Firm in a Simulated Competitive Environment Collective Bargaining Simulation: An Exercise based on a Familiar Theme Making Business Policy a Strategic Management Experience A Student Exercise for Intergrating the Concepts of Power and Motivation The Boundaries Extended: An Experiment Comparing Dialectical Inquiry, Devil's Advocacy and Consensus Using the Executive Game Using a Simulation Package to Develop a Simulation Exercise in Cost Accounting Success Factors in Experiential Training for Creative Problem-Solving Teams An Experiential Approach for teaching Quality management Critical Success Ratios: A Comparison of Two Business Simulations in a Multi-Year Environment Stocklogs: A Classroom Exercise for Teaching the Logistical Relationship of Location and Inventory The Organizational Leadership Program Simulating Business Decision-Making: Using Statistical Cases for Classroom Exercises Scripting for the Classroom Upgrading the Business Strategy and Policy Game Developing Student Team-Building and Leadership Skills Using Computer-Aided Experiential learning Strategies Organizing and Outward Bound Field Trip An Architecture for Extensible Simulation Games Performance in the Capstone Business Course: What is the effect of Pedagogy, Learning Styles, and Student Motivation? Operational Strategy with Participant-Modifiable Parameters An Example of a Personal Selling Case Transformed into a Role Play Scenario Instructional Software: It's Evolution and Current State of the Art in the Business Curriculum Ascertaining Performance Variables for use in Determining Student's Grades in Courses Employing a Business Simulation Designing Management Seminars Using Business Simulations The Accounting Information Systems Course: Bridging the Gap between the Classroom and the Real World The Good Cooks Guide to Training Excellence: Working with Passion A Demonstration on Multiple Data Collection Methods: Seeing Strategic Issues Through the Looking Glass Simulation Systems Analysis and Design: Why Undergraduate Education gets a Failing Grade Accommodating Organizational Culture: An Evaluation of Management Development Delivery Modes in Varying Organizational Cultures Modeling Total Quality into Business Simulations The Political Futures Game Meeting Meeting Objectives