00:00:11.36 >> Now let's take another look at this same group. 00:00:14.25 This time, the members and the leader are demonstrating more effective group discussion. 00:00:22.96 >> I'm glad we're all here today. 00:00:24.44 Thank you for coming. 00:00:26.54 As you know, we are to submit a set of recommendations on the improvement of the evening services for students. 00:00:34.06 The report will go to President Smith for his final approval, and we have three months to assess our program and make these recommendations. 00:00:43.14 Now, although our recommendations aren't binding, they are dependent upon the money which will become available. 00:00:49.20 And President Smith plans to implement as much of this program as he possibly can. 00:00:55.15 Now, some of you may not know each other yet, so I think it best that we introduce ourselves and get to know each other first. 00:01:02.54 My name is Alice Grover, and the Director of the Evening Student Services. 00:01:07.91 Noah? 00:01:08.88 >> My name is Noah Karesh, and I teach English and Composition in the evening program. 00:01:13.36 >> I'm Bea Gurupatti, and I teach Advertising in the evening program. 00:01:16.97 >> I'm Richard Ellis, and I'm Financial Administrator for the university. 00:01:20.76 >> And my name is Lynn Borech, and I'm a student in the evening classes, and have been invited to sit and represent student concerns. 00:01:26.97 >> Good. 00:01:27.50 Good. 00:01:27.75 Now that we know each other a little bit more, I think it is also important that we systematically approach our project. 00:01:35.73 So I've prepared a discussion guide for us to follow, and this will help you keep up. 00:01:40.79 >> Great. 00:01:43.21 >> Thank you. 00:01:43.44 >> Thank you. 00:01:44.15 >> Mm-hmm. 00:01:45.75 >> This is good. 00:01:47.09 >> We need to get a handle on the current services that we are offering before we can consider the options that we could have for improving them. 00:01:56.40 May I have a volunteer to take notes? 00:01:58.54 >> I'll take notes. 00:01:59.41 >> Thank you, Bea. 00:02:01.18 Lynn, you're probably in the best position to tell us about the evening students and those particular needs. 00:02:08.20 Could we hear from you, please? 00:02:09.86 >> Sure. 00:02:10.97 I think, like many evening students, I arrive here right after work. 00:02:15.31 And I get off work at 5:00, so my big concern is the bookstore. 00:02:19.06 It's very difficult to get to the bookstore in time. 00:02:20.92 In fact, it's impossible, and I'd like to see if we couldn't take a look at extending the bookstore hours. 00:02:25.73 >> And my students are always complaining about not being able to get anything to eat, so I think keeping the snack shop open longer would be a good idea. 00:02:33.74 >> Mm-hmm. 00:02:34.65 >> One of the things I'd like to put on the agenda would be lighting, better lighting in the parking lots. 00:02:39.35 Because I know that, when we ask these students to get out at 9:00 and 10:00 at night, it's just not safe. 00:02:44.83 >> Right. 00:02:44.92 >> I don't know where the money's gonna come from, but I've heard people say they'd like to have the Admissions and Registrations office stay open later. 00:02:50.71 >> Mm. 00:02:51.50 And along that same line, I think that it would be good if we could have a reference librarian in the late hours, too. 00:02:56.79 Because, quite often, when I assign a topic, people will come back and say, "We couldn't get any help." 00:03:02.29 >> Well, I can see where these things would really be very helpful, but I'm worried about the cost. 00:03:06.53 You know, the legislature is going to cut back any appropriations for higher education, so we won't have any additional money to deal with. 00:03:13.79 >> The money. 00:03:15.30 >> Well, Richard, that's important information to have, because it will have some bearing on what we are going to talk about. 00:03:21.27 But before we start assessing the pros and cons of what we have talked about, are we sure we have a complete list of things to talk about? 00:03:29.49 Bea, where are we now? 00:03:31.41 >> So far, we have talked about having the bookstore staying open in the evening, making sure food facilities are open in the evening, and also Admissions and Registrar's offices open in the evening, improving lighting in the parking lot, and making sure that there's a reference librarian available after 5:00 p. 00:03:49.89 m. 00:03:50.07 And anything else that we'd like to add? 00:03:53.35 >> How about academic advisement? 00:03:54.84 >> Okay. 00:03:55.19 >> That's a good one, yeah. 00:03:56.63 That should be on there. 00:03:57.38 >> Good idea. 00:03:58.62 >> Okay. 00:03:59.15 Anything else? 00:04:01.03 >> No. 00:04:01.62 >> You know, maybe we should get into some preliminary assessment right now of what is really the most important -- sort of a priorities listing -- and then we could work off of that. 00:04:10.97 Lynn, as a student, what do you think probably the biggest priority is? 00:04:15.87 >> Well, I definitely think it's the bookstore hours. 00:04:18.04 These other things, especially Registration and so forth, could be handled by mail. 00:04:23.27 If we open the bookstore and had it open longer, it would take care of some of the other problems, too, like a snack. 00:04:29.51 We could get a snack in the bookstore, as well. 00:04:31.27 So I'd like to see us take a look at the bookstore. 00:04:38.31 >> Now that we have our priority listing -- and the bookstore is first on our list -- Richard, how much would it cost to leave the bookstore open another couple of hours, from 5:00 to 7:00 p. 00:04:49.64 m. 00:04:49.82 ? 00:04:50.47 >> We couldn't do it. 00:04:51.70 It's going to cost us $100 for each additional hour that we stay open in personnel and overhead. 00:04:56.71 >> Oh, my. 00:04:57.74 >> Now, if we stay open five days a week for two extra hours, we're talking about 10 extra hours. 00:05:03.24 That's an additional $1,000. 00:05:05.50 >> Maybe we can charge the evening students with an extra fee to cover the costs. 00:05:09.52 >> Hold it. 00:05:09.81 I don't think that's fair, because those students are the ones that are already getting less services. 00:05:14.38 It just doesn't seem right for them to pay more. 00:05:16.49 >> I agree with Noah. 00:05:17.53 I don't think it's fair, and I think it would cause more problems than it would solve. 00:05:20.99 In fact, I might even try looking around for another school. 00:05:24.03 >> Oh, maybe that does seem unfair. 00:05:26.21 Is there some way that we can increase the hours without increasing the cost? 00:05:31.74 >> That's a good thought. 00:05:32.32 >> Possibility. 00:05:33.73 >> Well, you know, for one thing, there are no evening classes on Friday. 00:05:38.75 Maybe we could do something by having the bookstore open and using those hours. 00:05:43.30 >> Oh, good idea. 00:05:44.50 >> Okay. 00:05:45.18 >> Save two hours. 00:05:46.02 >> Yeah. 00:05:46.47 When do classes start in the morning? 00:05:48.30 >> At 8:00. 00:05:49.43 Why? 00:05:50.03 >> Well, I'm thinking that, possibly, the 8:00 students could go to the bookstore at 9:00, after their class. 00:05:56.28 >> Mm-hmm. 00:05:57.13 >> And that way we could save five hours by opening at 9:00 instead of 8:00. 00:06:01.25 Then we'd only have three more hours to cover. 00:06:02.97 >> That's good. 00:06:03.32 >> That might work. 00:06:04.72 Now, if we could just find a way to rearrange the hours. 00:06:07.67 Now we only have three additional hours we have to worry about. 00:06:10.15 >> Mm-hmm. 00:06:10.63 >> I've got it. 00:06:12.05 Evening classes start at 6:00, and we don't really have to -- the bookstore doesn't really have to be open till 7:00. 00:06:21.16 So we could keep it open till 6:15 for people who are late, and that would pick up the additional three hours. 00:06:27.67 And then, when our situation gets better, we can expand. 00:06:31.46 >> That sounds real good. 00:06:32.46 >> That's gonna work. 00:06:33.26 >> Good idea. 00:06:33.74 >> That's gonna do it. 00:06:34.43 >> That can work really well. 00:06:35.82 Now, I do suggest, however, before we definitely decide upon this recommendation, that we run it by, Lynn, some of the other students, see what they think about it, and for the rest of us, by our other colleagues. 00:06:48.41 And let's see if there are any other ideas, or, certainly, any problems that we feel may arise from this type of thing. 00:06:54.54 >> Okay. 00:06:54.82 >> Mm-hmm. 00:06:55.31 Great. 00:06:56.07 >> I'm really pleased at the way this is going. 00:06:57.56 I was just sure you all were going to come up with some kind of pie-in-the-sky suggestions that we could never pay for. 00:07:02.66 [Laughter] >> And so far we're doing pretty well together. 00:07:05.68 >> Yeah. 00:07:05.97 >> I think so. 00:07:07.02 >> Yeah. 00:07:07.67 Well, okay, let's see what's next on the list, then, Bea. 00:07:10.15 Uh, food service. 00:07:12.04 >> Right. 00:07:12.55 You know, it would be nice, since we've worked out the bookstore, or are on the way working on that, if we could do something about food services. 00:07:19.84 Like I said before, we could get a snack in the bookstore, but it would really be nice to be able to get something more substantial. 00:07:26.01 >> Now, wait a minute. 00:07:26.51 Wait a minute. 00:07:27.85 I don't see any way we can rearrange the snack shop hours. 00:07:30.83 I mean, since breakfast for the morning-class people is the second biggest profit-maker for the university, I just can't see cutting that at all. 00:07:40.56 >> Yeah. 00:07:40.77 >> Well, now, Richard, you may be right. 00:07:42.59 But let's not give up too soon. 00:07:44.02 We found a creative solution for our other problems. 00:07:47.23 We might find one for this, too. 00:07:50.14 >> Well, you know, we're coming up to the announced closing time for the meeting, and I've got a class to teach, so I think I'd better be going. 00:07:56.15 >> Well, yes. 00:07:56.76 We should stick to our time that we set to close. 00:08:00.16 I don't want to miss anyone's ideas, however. 00:08:03.54 Let's see where we are now, and set our agenda for next time. 00:08:06.69 Bea? 00:08:07.67 >> So, far, we've made a list of services that we think should be improved, and we've put them in order of importance. 00:08:15.14 For now, we've decided that we're rearrange the bookstore hours to be open till 6:15 on Mondays to Thursdays. 00:08:23.56 We've decided to get suggestions and reactions to what we've decided here from others. 00:08:31.86 And next time we meet, we'll be discussing the food-service problem. 00:08:36.76 >> Good, good. 00:08:38.48 Does anyone have any questions or concerns? 00:08:41.56 >> Well, this isn't really a concern. 00:08:43.05 It's more of a comment. 00:08:44.74 I was a little bit nervous before I joined this committee, but I think we've come up with some really good ideas, and I want to thank you all for inviting me here and for making me feel so comfortable. 00:08:54.59 >> It's been very good. 00:08:55.47 It's been nice having you. 00:08:56.84 >> We're glad you were here. 00:08:58.16 >> Well, we'll meet next week. 00:08:59.64 Is this time and place all right with everyone? 00:09:01.88 >> Mm-hmm. 00:09:02.41 >> So, we're good. 00:09:03.13 >> Well, fine. 00:09:03.90 Then we'll meet here next week, same time, same place. 00:09:07.23 And thank you for coming. 00:09:08.61 >> Thanks. 00:09:08.96 >> Thanks. 00:09:12.22 >> As you can see, this time, the group did it right. 00:09:15.66 First of all, the designated leader took time to explain the charge and share how important it was to the group and the college. 00:09:23.31 Second, Alice made sure that the members got acquainted. 00:09:27.18 Although this kind of activity takes more time than just jumping in and working on the problem, it pays off in the long run because it helps the group handle its primary tension, and helps people feel more comfortable with each other. 00:09:40.17 This benefits the group because people will be more willing to share ideas if they feel secure. 00:09:46.32 Did you notice that Alice minimized the status differences among members by introducing herself by first name and encouraging others to do so? 00:09:55.67 That helps put all members on an equal problem-solving footing, and promotes effective decision-making. 00:10:02.78 The group members spent some time sharing what they knew about the situation with evening students as a way of analyzing the problem before they began to look at possible solutions. 00:10:13.32 Did you notice that when they shared their views, they took time to acknowledge each other's points of view and experiences? 00:10:20.54 This demonstrated that they were listening to each other, and it helped keep the discussion organized and focused. 00:10:27.42 When the members began to jump ahead to solutions before completing the job of assessing the current situation, Alice pulled them back on track. 00:10:36.81 Did you notice that when Richard related concerns about costs, the other members acknowledged these as legitimate. 00:10:43.76 Competent group members encourage all points of view to be shared -- all of them. 00:10:49.38 Did you observe also that conflict was used creatively to spark additional assessment of options? 00:10:56.20 Instead of suppressing the disagreement, members freely expressed their concerns about costs and ways of financing costs, for example. 00:11:05.52 This pushed the members to did deeper to find an acceptable option that met the criteria of not incurring additional costs, while at the same time providing better services. 00:11:16.63 The option the group selected, rearranging the bookstore hours, came about partly because members did not jump at the first option that was presented without at least some evaluation. 00:11:27.81 In addition, this group has agreed to have a second-chance meeting. 00:11:32.15 Members like the option of rearranging bookstore hours, but they recognize that others may find flaws they have missed. 00:11:40.69 That's why they have decided to share their tentative solution with other people outside the group before committing themselves to including it as an option in their report. 00:11:50.43 They'll make their final assessment at a subsequent meeting. 00:11:55.06 The group members showed several signs of cohesiveness, and reinforced their contributions throughout the meeting. 00:12:01.82 For example, Richard shared that he had been afraid that others wouldn't try to keep a lid on costs. 00:12:08.10 And Lynn expressed appreciation for the rest of the members encouraging her contributions and making her feel welcome. 00:12:16.06 Now, Alice demonstrated several behaviors that characterize effective leaders. 00:12:20.59 She made sure members knew what they were doing, and the important work of the group got done. 00:12:26.90 For instance, she asked for a volunteer to take notes so no important information would be lost, and she asked Bea to provide an internal summary so members would know where they were. 00:12:38.44 Alice kept the discussion organized and structured, encouraging both creative and critical thinking, kept to the announced time schedule, and provided closure to the meeting. 00:12:50.62 In addition to the actions of Alice, the members behaved appropriately for a problem-solving group. 00:12:56.01 The demonstrated good listening skills. 00:12:58.51 They freely shared opinions and concerns. 00:13:02.00 They listed possible solutions before evaluating. 00:13:05.89 They handled conflict appropriately, and they rewarded each other for work well done. 00:13:12.48 They exhibited both creative and critical thinking. 00:13:17.18 When groups perform effectively, these are among the things they do well. 00:13:22.39 You can no doubt think of other things this group did well, and perhaps some things they could improve. 00:13:28.00 However, the members have made a good start. 00:13:31.05 This group is on its way to doing an excellent job in completing its charge. 00:13:39.18 Once again, there are several principles for effective group discussion. 00:13:45.78 Understand the charge. 00:13:49.31 Get to know each other. 00:13:50.44 Minimize status differences. 00:13:54.27 Keep the discussion organized. 00:13:56.37 Use a systematic procedure for problem solving. 00:14:01.10 Listen to each other, and acknowledge each other's contributions. 00:14:05.88 Establish a climate that supports both agreement and disagreement. 00:14:11.27 Evaluate options thoroughly. 00:14:15.25 Encourage full participation by all members in all aspects of decision-making and problem solving. 00:14:21.64 Promote teamwork. 00:14:24.14 Make sure the important work of the group, such as recording decisions, is being done by someone. 00:14:31.40 Encourage both creative thinking and critical thinking, but not at the same time.