USING REPRESENTATIVE NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE FOR COURSE REVIEW AND AN INTERACTIVE SOLICITATION OF WAYS TO ENHANCE ABSEL'S I... Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 USING REPRESENTATIVE NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE FOR COURSE REVIEW AND AN INTERACTIVE SOLICITATION OF WAYS TO ENHANCE ABSEL’S IMAGE John K. Butler Jr. Clemson University Butlerj24@aol.com ABSTRACT 1. Basic Objectives, target audience, time needed, required materials: a. to demonstrate a long-standing and effective technique for conducting a course-end review. b. to describe briefly how I have used nominal group technique (NGT) to involve students in identifying course topics that need clarification. c. to use NGT in a group of ABSEL experts to solicit ideas for addressing a long-standing problem, ABSEL’s lackluster image. d. target audience – experienced ABSEL members e. time needed – one hour f. required materials – flip chart and magic markers or blackboard and chalk 2. Theoretical grounding: group cohesiveness, group dynamics, normative decision theory. 3. Pedagogical implications and outcomes: improved course-end reviews and enhanced image for ABSEL. INTRODUCTION The course-end review of topics is frequently under- emphasized, and sometimes completely omitted. Despite our flawless and skillful teaching, students still find some topics bewildering. Although students often think they understand most of the important topics, they still don’t know what they don’t know. Consequently, the pre-exam question, “Do you have any last minute questions?” is invariably met with blank stares and silence. To make matters worse, many students seem highly motivated to stampede for the door after the final class, so any questions they ask would simply postpone their freedom, temporary as it might be. After living with this problem and ignoring it for 25 years, I decided to design an exercise that would help students with their reviews of course material. The objectives of this exercise focus on helping me to understand what students’ needs are for a review session in the final class and, thereby, help students to optimize their time in studying for the final exam. Thus the objectives are: 1. To involve students in choosing the topics to be reviewed in the final class. 2. To identify for the teacher the topics that need clarification in the final class. 3. To help students focus their studying on topics they do not understand. The notion of involvement suggested using the task groups that we had formed for other exercises and case analyses. However, with course grades (not to mention real learning) at stake, decisions had to be of good quality. Normative decision theory (Vroom & Jago, 1988) suggests that involving followers in decisions generally improves decision quality, especially when the leader does not have enough information to make the decision. Therefore, a group decision-making style would be appropriate in a situation such as a course-end review when the teacher does not know what topics students find confusing. Unfortunately, real groups often fall victim to several serious problems such as creation of win-lose feelings, dilution of rewards, promotion of compromises, difficulty in reversing bad decisions, and dispersion of accountability. In addition to these limitations, groups can dilute expert knowledge. This problem can occur when one member dominates, causing others to withhold their ideas. The worst scenario in this situation occurs when the dominant member has relatively low competence but relatively high status compared to other group members. Even the most competent expert might not want to challenge a dominant boss (or teacher). Consequently, the best ideas from the most competent members might never surface. Another major threat with groups is groupthink, which can occur in cohesive groups, which are highly influenced by norms that govern their behaviors and outputs. Group harmony is often very important and members feel reluctant to destroy this good feeling. Sometimes this harmony is maintained by withholding good ideas and useful information that would challenge the way the group is headed. This behavior seems a bit adolescent when viewed objectively, but it has occurred in some very prestigious groups. US Government officials have provided at least three high-profile examples of ill-fated decisions attributed to groupthink: attacking Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, escalating the Vietnam War, and prematurely launching the Space 160 mailto:Butlerj24@aol.com Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 ii. a member can cast more than one vote for an idea Shuttle that was ironically named “Challenger.” In all of these situations, group members failed to challenge bad assumptions and failed to disagree with each other for fear of destroying the feeling of harmony. Thus, the groups went down their primrose paths toward disastrous fiascoes (Janis, 1972). iii. ideas are prioritized according to votes END-OF-COURSE REVIEW EXERCISE – MODIFIED NGT The specific objectives and phases of the End-of- Course Review Exercise are as follows. NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE Considering the limitations of free interacting (free-for- all) groups, I decided to use Nominal Group Technique (NGT) for achieving the three objectives (involving students in the process, identifying topics to be covered, and helping students study). NGT has received some attention in the literature on group processes (Paulus & Dzindolet, 1993; Delbeq, Van deVen, & Gustafson, 1975; Rohrbaugh, 1983). Also, I had assisted in using NGT to help managers and engineers identify problems and optimize their processes (for example, Smith, 1995). Objectives: 1. To optimize your time for reviewing the course by – a. Identifying your needs for clarifying and reviewing topics. b. Giving the teacher guidance for developing a review session for the next class. 2. To help you focus on important topics while studying for the final exam. 3. To give a practical example of NGT. Nominal groups are called "nominal" because they are groups in name only. That is, group members do not communicate freely as they do in "real" (free-interacting) groups. Instead, there are certain rules that restrict communication. Phases: 1. Individual Phase (10 min.) Individually make a list of topics that you would like to review before the final exam. These topics would include concepts, models, etc. that you feel need to be clarified or need more explanation. Use the Course Schedule as a guide. Nominal groups tend to outperform real groups in terms of number of ideas, quality of ideas, and creativity of ideas. These findings can be attributed to the fact that nominal groups tend to avoid individual domination and groupthink as well as some of the other disadvantages of real groups. Nominal groups are usually better than real groups in generating ideas. However, real groups tend to outperform nominal groups in evaluating ideas (Green, 1975). Thus, it makes sense to combine the two approaches with the process of individual decision-making. This method combines the advantages of individual, nominal group, and real group decision-making. It does this by dividing the process into three phases as follows. 2. Real Group Phase with Student Teams (15 min.) (Students form into their pre-assigned teams.) a. Combine your individual lists into a team list. b. Prioritize the topics for review according to their importance. c. Choose a representative who will present one of your team topics at a time to the class. 3. Nominal Group Phase (20 min.) (Uses group representatives instead of individuals to present ideas, hence the designation “Representative NGT”.) Use a modified nominal group technique (NGT) to develop a master list of topics for review for the class. Individual Phase (No communication. Private generation of ideas.) a. Team representatives present topics in turn, going around the room until ideas are exhausted. Teams may pass if they are out of ideas. a. Members write down their ideas silently and in private. Nominal Group Phase (Restricted communication for presentation of ideas.) b. Teacher records topics on the board and student recorder copies list on paper. a. Members present their ideas in round- robin fashion while a facilitator records these ideas on a flip chart or blackboard. 4. Real Group Phase with Entire Class (15 min.) (Teacher facilitates open communication among all students for discussion and decision-making.) a. Students discuss and clarify each idea. Real Group Phase b. Students vote on one topic at a time. (Open communication for discussion and decision-making.) i. each student has 3 votes ii. a student can cast more than one vote for any topic a. Members discuss and clarify each idea. iii topics are prioritized according to votes b. Members vote on one idea at a time. c. Student recorder notes priorities on his/her list. i. each member has a specified number of votes d. Teacher makes copies of recorder’s list to give to students at the next class. 161 Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 30, 2003 162 5. Discussion of Topics in order of priorities – next class, the last of the course. AT THE ABSEL CONFERENCE I would like to illustrate this exercise in an interactive session at the conference in Baltimore. However, the question would be changed from, “What course topics need more clarification?” to “What can ABSEL do to improve its image among deans and department chairs?” The question of ABSEL’s lackluster image has been addressed myriad times in board meetings, conference sessions, emails, hot tubs, and bar rooms. However, it has never been addressed using NGT – at least not to my knowledge. Members, and potential members, need to know that their deans and department chairs will reward them for their participation at ABSEL conferences. Thus, ABSEL’s image seems to be vital to its health if not its survival. REFERENCES Delbecq, A. L., VandeVan, A.H., & Gustafson, D. H. (1975). Group techniques for program planning. Scott, Foresman: Glenview, IL. Green, T. B. (1975). An empirical analysis of nominal and interacting groups. Academy of Management Journal, 18, 63-73. Janis, I. L. (1972). Victims of Groupthink: A psychological study of foreign-policy decisions and fiascoes. Houghton Mifflin: Boston. Paulus, P. B., & Dzindolet, M. T. (1993). Social influence processes in group brainstorming. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 575-586. Rohrbaugh, J. (1981). Improving the quality of group judgment: Social judgment analysis and the nominal group technique. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 28, 272-288. Smith, W. P. (1995). Process optimization for manufacturers: A step by step approach for manufacturers to reveal process opportunities. ETSI Consulting: Candler, NC. Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (1988). The new leadership: Managing participation in organizations. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Table of Contents Volume 30, 2003 The Optimal Timing For Introducing Business Simulations Can Handicapped Students Access Your Class Web Site? The Competition Game: Decision Making In A Dynamic Environment Pan-Pacific Enterprises: Strategic Decision Making Simulation Study Of Stochastic Channel Redistribution The Impact Of Business War Games: Quantifying Training Effectiveness Experiential Learning: Introducing Faculty And Staff To A University Leadership Development Program The Feasibility Of The Balanced Scorecard For Business Games A Misuse Of Pims For The Validation Of Marketing Management Simulation Games Incorporating Technology Into The 21st Century Classroom: Are We Facilitating Academic Dishonesty? Improving The Effectiveness Of Peer Evaluations The Use Of A Simulation In An Integrated Mba Curriculum Student Portfolios In Business Education Student Portfolios In Business Education At Ashland University Using SAP ERP Technology To Integrate The Undergraduate Business Curriculum Board Games And Teaching Textile Marketing And Finance Blogging: A New Threat To Student Research? The Way We Talk! Take II Strategic Management: An Evaluation Of The Use Of Three Learning Methods In Hong Kong Adoption Of Discussion-Based Teaching And Assessment In Teaching Strategic Management In Hong Kong The Tobin Q As A Company Performance Indicator Using Representative Nominal Group Technique For Course Review And An Interactive Solicitation Of Ways To Enhance Absel's Image Making Teaching Matter: The Art And Science Of Teaching Business Communication Beyond Sex, Age, And Race: Exploring The Deeper Contents Of Diversity Teaching & Learning The Facilitation Process A Brief On Debriefing: What It Is And What It Isn't Changing Perceptions Of The Importance Of Leadership: The Contribution Of Individual Spirit Harmonics In Leadership Knowledge, Skills And Sustainable Values In Learning Organizations: Some Implications From The Multicultural Virtual Classroom Challenges Of Teaching Undergraduate Organizational Behavior In A Nontraditional Time Format Interactive Online Positioning With The Web-Based Product Positioning Map Graphics Package The Longitudinal Effects Of Entrepreneurship Training On Risk Tolerance: A Look At Similarities And Differences Between Male And Female Undergraduate Students Revisiting Strategy Learning In A Total Enterprise Simulation What Are Simulations For?: Learning Objectives As A Simulation Selection Device Gaming Agency Markets Cooperate For Profits Or Compete For Market? Study Of Oligopolistic Pricing With A Business Game The Design Of A Business Simulation Using A System-Dynamics-Based Approach Modeling The Product Development Function For An Entrepreneurial Firm Simulation Performance And Forecast Accuracy? Is That All? Business Manager Identification Of Competitors In Real World And Simulation Settings Monte Carlo Simulation Analysis On The Costs Reduction Argument Of Interest Rate Swaps Ebiz Game: A Scalable Online Business Simulation Game For Entrepreneurship Training A Model For Online Education Delivery And A Look At Online Delivery Effectiveness Incorporating "Company Reputation" into Total Enterprise Simulations The Genesis And Future Of The Absel "Classicos" Initiative