MediaSpace Wiki

Spring01 Organizational Session20

Group Project

• Ice storm obviously a problem
• Move back Group project presentations until April 16
• Wednesday, April 9
  • Organizations and Societies (Taylor et al, c. 5)
• Monday, April 1
  • The Politics of Control (Taylor et al, c. 6)

Mid-term return and review

Quickly reaching good decisions amidst politics and conflict (continued

• Three Strategies and Six tactics
  1. Focus on issues rather than personalities
  2. Frame decisions as collaborative "best possible" solutions
     • focus on goals
       • with information and alternatives that are focused on those goals.
       • you probably won't solve a problem if you don't agree on what the problem is
     • inject humor (even if it is dumb or forced)
       • decision making is stressful
       • alternative paths for relieving stress helps to redirect lightening that might otherwise focus on personalities
       • the working process is helped when people like each other
       • collaborative decision making works better when people are in a good mood
  3. Maintain fairness and equity
     • maintain a balanced organizational power structure
       • autocratic leadership generates stress (friction)
       • so does weak leadership (jockeying for position)
       • it is important to coordinate rather than dictate
         • producers or directors
           • picking good people and letting them operate
           • listening and "leading" questions
           • "quick decisions involving as many people as possible"
         • not dictators or kings
           • frustration at lack of power
           • jockeying for position
           • groupthink
     • resolve issues without forcing consensus
       • seek consensus with qualification
         1. if consensus is reached, great
         2. if it isn't, the most relevant player decides
            • e.g. the senior manager responsible for the result
            • but based on the input of the team
            • conflicts can't always be resolved
            • but decisions still have to be made
            • if there is no consensus, people will often be satisfied that they were heard (another reason for generating as many alternatives as possible.
              • fairness (e.g. participation and influence) is important to people
  • "We scream a lot, then laugh, and then resolve the issue."