PARTICIPANT TYPE DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSE TO EXPERIENTIAL METHODS: AN INFORMAL LOOK Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 8, 1981 113 PARTICIPANT TYPE DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSE TO EXPERIENTIAL METHODS: AN INFORMAL LOOK John W. Trinkaus, Baruch College (C.U.N.Y.) ABSTRACT Experiential techniques were employed and evaluated in two non-degree granting university operations: a continuing education program and a management development project. Existence of sufficient structural similarities in both of these undertakings permitted a reasonable contrast and comparison of the operational results achieved. Based on this inquiry it would appear that the setting might well be a significant determinant of the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of experiential techniques in ancillary instructional situations. Further, the study suggests the potential need for companion sets of contingency operating instructions to accompany experiential exercises. INTRODUCTION It is generally agreed that in conventional academic programs experiential techniques are an effective educational technique. To determine if there is support for the thought that the same might well hold true in other teaching situations within the academic community, experiential methods were selectively tried in two different settings: a continuing education program and a management development project. While these two instances are outside the mainstream of the regular credit-bearing college course tracks, they are auxiliary efforts which are common to many universities. Further, they normally have meaningful similarities which permit reasonable structuring of informal comparison inquiries. For example, both are generally: operational during regular academic semesters; use, to a considerable extent, those materials employed in similar regular college courses; and, are conducted by full-time university faculty teaching in the area. Too, in this instance, both shared commonalities which further facilitated this study. For example, the two had as their primary objective student acquisition of a similar basic set of management concepts and the development of expertise in their use. Also, each of the two student groups were mixed relative to such student characteristics as age, race, sex, and participant educational levels (which ranged from high- school graduates to holders of masters degrees). Further, all the students were employed in managerial positions and were attending their course on a limited voluntary basis on their own time. The total length of the training was about the same, as were the major topics covered, their sequence, and the time spent on each. As for differences, perhaps one of the most significant was that the students in the continuing education program were a heterogeneous group, in that they all came from different organizations and were strangers to each other. Conversely, those in the management development project were a homogeneous group, being drawn from the same organization and were well-known to each other. Also, those in the former group were all at entry-level positions, while those in the latter were at mid-level. Too, students in continuing education paid a tuition fee, which in many instances was refundable by their employers. Those in management development were not involved with fees, the entire cost of the project being assumed by their organization under a contractual arrangement. Lastly, the continuing education students were under significantly less employer pressure to attend sessions than those in the management development project. PROCEDURE The continuing education group consisted of 33 Students enrolled in a management certificate program at a northeastern university during the Fall 1979 semester. While the major instructional techniques employed were traditional lecture and discussion methods, experiential exercises were used throughout the course. These exercises were primarily role plays, hybrid critical incidents, and self-analysis studies. With the exception of an examination at the end of the course, consisting of short case studies, there were no other formal evaluations of student performance. While attendance records were maintained, they were for administrative purposes only. The management development group was made up of 30 students employed by a large municipal social agency in a major northeastern city. All worked in the area of personnel services. The project was conducted in a similar setting as the continuing education program: same facilities, time period, and instructor. The major instructional method, however, was somewhat different, being about equally divided between lecturettes, cassettes, and experiential techniques. While there was objective pre- and post-testing, designed to try and measure the effectiveness of the overall project, this instrumentation was not employed in evaluating student performance per se. Again, attendance records were maintained only for record purposes. The continuing education program ran two hours per week for ten weeks, while the management development project was conducted in three sessions of seven hours each. The major topics covered, in both situations, were: the management process, motivation, and leadership. Peripheral subjects treated included time management, stress, and conflict resolution. A generic approach was employed in that the material was not cast in a private, public, or not-for- profit sector context. Further, in both settings, an intellectual environment was maintained in which an open exchange of ideas and thoughts was encouraged. The following three research questions provided the underpinnings for this informal inquiry. 1. Do experiential methods appear to be a suitable instructional method for university-based continuing education programs and management development projects? 2. Are there specific techniques within the field which seem to be better, or worse, than the others for use in these two settings? Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 8, 1981 114 3. What, if any, are the apparent major benefits and costs in using experiential techniques in these two situations? Inputs to formulate indications of what might well be the answers to these three questions was gleaned using informal observations and unstructured student feedback. FINDINGS Generally, experiential techniques were not well received by the students enrolled in the continuing education program. If one used student acceptance as a measure of effectiveness, it may well be concluded that they were not a suitable instructional method. This negative reception appeared to be related to the expectations of the program participants, in that they seemed to want maximum teaching in class. learning was to be pursued, on an individual basis, between classes. The informal objective appeared to be to gather in as much information as possible during each class session: transformation of the attained information into learning to be affected between sessions. Conversely, experiential techniques appeared to be well received by the students in the management development project. Again, assuming student acceptance to be a valid measure, it can probably be said that they were a suitable instructional method. Here the objective of the formal sessions, as far as the students were concerned, seemed to focus on learning. Teaching, in the form of self-acquisition of information, was to be accomplished between sessions. The participants appeared to feel that their time in class could best be spent in taking advantage of the group setting to transform acquired knowledge into useful learning. As for specific techniques which seemed to be better or worse than others, in the case of the continuing education program, exercises that appeared to be comparatively well received were those that dealt with self-analysis. In particular, those that provided the student with an immediate personal reading of the figure of merit of a particular personally posed ability, expertise, knowledge level, or the like were received with relative enthusiasm. Techniques not comparatively well received appeared to be those in which there was no immediate apparent individual return. Unless there was some student-perceived tangible instantaneous payoff, it seemed as if the exercise was considered by the participants to be a time waster. Again, somewhat of a reverse finding was noted in the case of the management development group. While all types of exercises appeared to be favorably received, there was a certain hesitancy noted with the self- analysis variety. They seemed to be viewed, at times, as potentially threatening, although on balance the reception was decidedly more favorable than unfavorable. Concerning particularly noted benefits, in the case of the continuing education program, the exercises served well as icebreakers. When the class first started there were only strangers pursuing their own self-interest. Following usage of the first exercise, there was significant movement toward a collective group seeking common goals. Further, there was a favorable spill-over effect resulting from the increased class cohesiveness in the form of a shortening of the distance between instructor and student. As to costs in the continuing education setting, two can be cited in particular. First were the losses associated with fitting loose time requirements of some experiential techniques into rigid class schedules. This inability to affect congruence resulted in diminished levels of efficiency. Second, there was the problem of start-up. As many experientials methods are cast in a particular setting, members of a mixed background group come up to operating speed at different times, depending on how quickly they relate to the environmental packaging of the exercise. The resulting staggering of the forward motion of the participants makes it difficult to fix an optimum rate at which the exercise should be unfolded. In the management development project there were also major benefits worth noting. Initially, the students assumed an operating set in the class which paralleled their organizational arrangement on the job. This posture tended, at times, to restrict a free interchange of thought. The use of experiential exercises helped overcome this barrier and relatively quickly a free-flowing exchange, unrestricted by carry-overs from the work place, became the standard operating procedure. Too, experiential techniques served well in revitalizing student interest if it started to lag. Breaks, or shifts, in the instructional method appeared to work well in precluding boredom, especially in the longer session setting. As to the costs in the management development project arrangement, there was the problem of how best to truncate a lively discussion. Having gotten the group into motion, if a stop was improperly applied, the exercise could terminate on a dysfunctional note. Too, while there is a high probability that in any group there will be those that dislike experiential work, they will generally hold this feeling in check and participate. Here, however, such dislike was rather outwardly displayed, there was a reluctance to participate, and some mild disruptive behavior was shown. While this negativism was troublesome, perhaps more troublesome was the fact that the fall-out carried forward long after the end of the experiential exercise. DISCUSSION It is recognized that this study is a preliminary inquiry of an informal nature, which was fitted to the constraints and influences of the involved environmental and organizational setting. While participant observation and anecdotal feedback do form the major underpinnings of the findings, there is a sufficient validity to the inquiry, when measured in terms of the intent of the study, to warrant serious thought. As to suggested insights growing out of this work, it may well be said that experiential techniques, like many management concepts, are situationally bound. For example, in continuing education programs, the informal contract generally appears to be one dealing with the supplying and purchasing of tangible information. An immediate and obvious worth must be perceived for the attachment of value. As experiential techniques normally enhance practices, and over the long run, normally they are felt to be of limited worth to those seeking a quick on-the-spot return. Conversely, in management development projects it is generally the perception of the participants that they have the basic tools, but lack sufficient expertise in their use. Consequently, things are desired which can sharpen, or enhance, skill ability to transform principles into practices. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 8, 1981 115 In both settings, exercises which privately tell people something about themselves are generally well received. But, if that something is not private, or there is a threat that it may not remain private, that apparently changes the situation. If the reading’ is unfavorable, and there is a possibility that this fact may become known to an employer, or an enemy, then the exercise will probably be viewed with disfavor regardless of the setting. As to the cost and benefits noted, they were generally similar to those of a credit bearing course case. n particular, underscored was the worth of experiential techniques as a method of enhancing the togetherness of the group, with the accompanying lessening of student perceived input reception barriers attributable to class members and the instructor. Not anticipated, however, was the cost associated with the use of exercises not cast in a familiar context. For example, while one would normally anticipate that talking about the allocation of a specific item, a new truck for instance, to a group of personnel specialists would be no problem, apparently mentally substituting a typewriter for a truck can be troublesome for some. Trying to maintain a generic approach to topical coverage is dysfunctional too. Certain specificness is required to achieve some level of reasonable effectiveness and efficiency. While similar findings growing out of this inquiry can be made, perhaps of more importance are the following points. First, experiential techniques appear to be suitable for use in university ancillary Instructional endeavors. Second, it would seem that exercises cannot simply be transferred for usage from one setting to another. A certain amount of selection and modification is required to achieve a match with the environment and the composition of the group. Third, perhaps thinking by those interested in experiential methods should now be turned outward to consider such issues as to where the field might well be going, how it may best get there, and what will be its mission on arrival. EPILOGUE Two kinds of exercises were used: individual and small group. Individual exercises were those that the students could generally conduct on their own. Group exercises were those that required the student to work in concert with others in the class. The intent of the former was to develop a keener inner understanding of the presented managerial concepts, primarily through self-assessment. The objective of the latter was to promote an enhanced appreciation of the specific managerial principles being offered, basically through peer comparisons of thought, approach, and perception. For both, the particular exercises selected for use were established standardized techniques drawn from the literature. About six months following completion of the two classes, a number of students from each were informally queried as to the desirability of continued use of these experiential techniques in teaching situations similar to those with which they had been associated. Those who were involved in the continuing education program generally expressed the opinion that use of the exercises should be continued, but more emphasis should be placed on individual types and less on group varieties. Those who were in the management development project agreed, too, that the exercises should continue to be used, but, conversely, felt that the thrust should be on group, rather than individual, types. Thus, while there was agreement as to the worth of experiential exercises, there was disagreement as to the most suitable type. That there should be disagreement is understandable as the settings and group compositions were different. However, there is not much information available in the field, upon which the practitioner can draw, as to the where and when of exercise use, how exercises may best be modified to enhance compatibility with various operating arrangements, and how the cost/benefit ratio may be improved under differing end goals and objectives. What this suggests is the need for more and better research in the subject area beyond the bounds of the development of improved experiential techniques, and their use in traditional degree-granting programs. Unfortunately, however, the research methodology which perhaps relates best to this need, a holistic approach, is not that which is normally considered to be choice in the academic arena. Soft inquiries are often equated to the treatment of that which is of comparatively little importance or significance, and hence not normally pursued. Exploratory case studies, for example, are generally perceived to be of less worth than rigorous hypothesis-testing research. However, this is not to suggest that analytically oriented work is not desirable or required, only that deep quantitatively enriched studies are not the only types of inquiries needed. Certainly numbers are important, but perhaps of equal importance are better insights and understandings of the implications of experiential techniques to the overall field of university teaching and learning, coupled with a better understanding as to how techniques which comprise this discipline may best be employed in the various educational settings to be found in academia. Table of Contents Volume 8, 1981 The Promotion: Human Sexuality in Organization The Simulation of Chaos Leadership Development in a Simulated Urban/Suburban (U/S) Environment Tomed: A Computer Game Emphasizing Social Responsibility/or/why the Pop-Top Can? Integrated Brain Activity and the Manager's Job: Utilizing the Troika Model What does R2 Have to do with a Product Management Course? An Analysis of the Effects of Jungian Problem-Solving Style Dimensions on Marketing Decisions Bargaining Behavior in Personal Selling and Buying Exchanges Extending the Simulation Product Life Cycle A Generalized Algorithm for Designing and Developing Business Simulations Operationalizing a Test of a Model of the Use of Simulation Games and Experiential Exercises Pygmalion and Perception: An Experiential Exercise Behavioral Consequences of Reward Regarding Employee Absenteeism in an Industrial Setting: An Operant Conditioning Approach The Simlab Program: The Use of Experimental Simulation and Process Analysis for the Development of Management and Organizations Designs for Research on Simulation-Games, Cases, and Other Experiential Exercises The Role of Students in The Case Method Weaknesses in Research Design Critical Variables in Research on the Educational Value of Management Games Research Questions for Cases Research on the Learning Effectiveness of Business Simulation Games - A Review of the State of the Science The Effects of Valuation Techniques on Holding Cost During Inflationary Periods: A Simulation Exercise The Operations Simulation - A Study in Game Development Applying Guided Design to the Production/Operations Management Course: A Progress Report and Evaluation Terminal Data Entry and Retrieval Systems Simulations and Microprocessors Microcomputers and Related Technology for Simulation Gaming Microcomputers - A New Technology for Innovations in Business Simulations Microprocessor Controlled Interactive Video Simulation Business Game Design: From Theory to Practice The Success of a Computerized Simulation in Microeconomic Pedagogy The Test Preview Game: Applying the Game Show Format Providing a Real World View of the Personal Function: A Simulation Finding an Effective Means of Teaching Managerial Behavioral Skills: Two Different Experiential Teaching Methods Compared A Management Development Program Based on the Experiential Learning Model Participant Type Differences in Response to Experiential Methods: An Informal Look Preparing Student Groups to Participate in Experiential Group Projects: An Organizational Development Approach An Instrument for the Assessment of Learning Dimensions: A Progress Report of the Learning Dimension Scale (LDS) An Empirical Analysis Relating the Learning Style Inventory to Memory and Logical Ability Teaching Styles in Simulation Experiential Learning Versus Traditional Teaching Styles Student Perceptions of Effective Teaching Behaviors Problems in Evaluation of Experiential Learning in Management Education Students' Perceptions of Learning by Simulation A Relative Evaluation of Experiential and Simulation Learning in Terms of Perceptions of Effected Changes in Students Overview of Computer Based Business Games in Business Policy Classes Behavioral Decision Theory and Business Policy Giving Accounting Students Writing Experience as Job Preparation Getting to First Base with MBO: An exercise for Writing and Evaluating Objectives Dimensions of Conflict in Experiential Learning Consumer Alienation and Perceived Relevance of the Business Simulation Using the Self-Reference Criterion to Simulate Culture in Internationalized Business Course Experiential Learning in a Cross Cultural Setting- The Practice of Simulation Approach to Business Education in Japanese Universities Student' Perceptions of the Use of a Computerized Simulation in Teaching Management Information Systems Using the Case Study Approach to Develop a Microcomputer Bases, Fully Integrated, Data Base Driven, Management Information System The Case Study as a Tool for Organizational Change: Applying the Steel Ax to the Designers of Management Information Systems Toward a Theory of Teaching Business Policy A Case Study in the Use of Experiential Learning (A Management Game Simulation) to Enhance Student Understanding of Strategy Evaluation and Policy Formulation Suggestions for Integration of the Business Administration Core Publishing Opportunities and Requirements for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning Materials How do we Apply Experiential Learning Intercollegiate Case Competitions for M.B.A. Students: Initiation and Implementation Teaching Business Policy and Strategy Using the Incident Process The Learning Co-Op Approach to the Core Policy Course Meeting the Managerial Skill Shortage - Is Academia Up to It? An Empirical Analysis of Experiential Learning Reinforcement International Experiential Learning: Experience is the Best Teacher Encouraging Student Participation During International Academic Programs European Summer Study Program: Can you, Should you, What Does it Take? Travel Seminars in Europe: How can I Direct One? International Experiential Learning: Student Evaluation ABSEL: Empirical Findings on the State of the Association Sensitivity of Performance Scores in Business Simulations Improving the Learning of a Business Simulation Game by Increasing the Process Content Student Participation in Deciding Performance Criteria for Grading in an OB Course: An Exercise and a Case Study Markup for Profit: A Simulated Self-Administered Experience in Retail Pricing The Investment Decision Game: An Experiential Learning Approach to Stock Market Decisions Through Gaming CHIPS: A Marketing Channels management Game External Validation: An Experimental Approach to Determining the Worth of Simulation Games Teaching Performance Appraisal Skills: An Experiential Approach In Support of Experiential learning: Results of a Follow-Up Survey The Introductory Management Course: Taking Theory Application One Step Further Decision Efficiency and Effectiveness in a Business Simulation The Implications of Cognitive Processing Variables and the Complex Decision Simulating the Simulation for Enhanced Player Rationality Simulation/Experiential Learning Audit