>> Let's take a look at a committee
that has been assembled
by the president of a college
to look into services
for evening students,
and recommend ways
to improve them.
This group consists of Ms.
Alice Grover, the Director of Evening
Student Programs, Mr.
Richard Ellis, the Financial
Administrator, Mr.
Karesh and Ms.
Bee Gudapatti, two faculty members
who teach evening students,
and Ms.
Lynn
Borech, an evening student.
How well do you think they are doing?
Are they likely to provide
sound recommendations?
>> Okay.
We're all here.
Now let's get started.
We need to find out today what extra services
we can offer to our evening students.
And I like the idea of carpooling,
because the parking lots are always full.
That is a consistent problem.
What do you think about a park-and-ride service?
>> well, you know, one of my primary agenda items
would have to be lighting in the parking lot,
because I feel like, when we ask
these students to come out at 9:00 or 10:00
and that lot is dark,
that's not safe.
That's not fair.
>> Yeah, right.
Right.
>> I'd like to see us talk about
extending the bookstore hours.
As a person who works all day, I find it
a real problem getting to the bookstore.
>> My students are always complaining
that they can never get anything to eat,
so I suggest we keep
the snack shop open longer.
>> And a research librarian's
an important thing, too,
because when I assign these topics,
they'll come back to me and say,
"But there's nobody there
to help me find the information."
>> Yeah.
>> I've heard it suggested
that we keep the Admissions
and Registration offices open.
But I'm here to tell you,
we don't have any money for that.
So if you choose that as an option, we're gonna
have to find some way to fund it.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> Well, if we can't spend money,
then maybe we need to go back to park-and-ride,
because that's something
that we can deal with.
We can use a volunteer system there.
>> Yeah.
>> Still, one thing that's a problem for those
of us in the evening classes is the bookstore.
I work until 5:00.
Class is at 6:00.
The bookstore closes at 5:00.
I just don't have time, and I know
many of the other students
don't have time to get
to the bookstore, either.
>> Look, there's no way.
The legislature is already talking
about cutting our budget.
Now, if we keep that bookstore
open until late at night,
we're going to run our budget up
several thousand dollars.
If you choose to do that, you're going
to have to find some way to pay for it.
>> Maybe we can charge the evening students
an extra fee to cover the cost.
>> That's a great idea, because the people
that are using the service
ought to be the ones to pay for it.
>> I don't think the evening students
would see that as fair at all.
>> Now, now, now, now.
Let's not argue.
I want us to be cooperative.
Surely there's a way we can
sell this to the students.
Don't you think so, Bee?
>> Sure.
I could get my advertising class to come up
with an ad campaign as a class project.
>> And we'd need at least $25
each semester from each evening student.
But if we have that, it will work.
>> I think President Smith would go for that.
There's no drain on the budget there.
>> We're gonna have to be careful or we'll be
getting on these committees all the time.
[ Laughter ]
>> Yes, we will.
Now, what other things
can we come up with?
I've only got about 10 minutes left.
Let's talk about an escort service.
>> Well, that's something else
that we can do without money,
because we can get
the Evening Student Council
to coordinate the volunteer program.
>> Yeah.
>> How do you think that would work?
>> Maybe we could come up
with a reference librarian,
one who's retired
and can work on the weekends.
>> Yeah, that's good.
Well, I still think the park-and-ride service
could be handled out of work-study funds,
and maybe with the student-government volunteers
doing the coordinating of that.
>> And I'll tell you something else we can do.
We can have faculty members
come a little bit early, about 30 minutes early,
and voluntarily advise
these students.
And that wouldn't cost us anything, either.
>> No, that won't cost us anything.
But I've got another meeting to go to,
so we're going to have to cut this off.
I think we did great.
We got a lot of recommendations
to hand in there.
And we need to meet just one more time
to sign off on the report.
Next Friday at 2:00.
>> I have to work then.
>> Well, Lynn, I'm really sorry about that,
but maybe we can just send this in
with only four signatures.
It'll be all right.
Next Friday at 2:00.
And thank you for coming today.
>> Yeah.
>> I hardly know where to start in pinpointing
the problems this group experienced.
They did just about everything wrong.
First of all, the designated leader,
Alice, did not clarify the charge
and make sure everyone knew
what they were to do,
and how important the task was.
Also, Alice didn't make sure
members knew each other.
Usually people hesitate to speak up in a group
where the other people are strangers.
This is probably most true for Lynn,
the student member of this group.
Next, Alice started to talk
about solutions
before the members had an idea
of the scope of the problem.
Notice that she fixed right away on
a park-and-ride program, which may be a good idea,
but Lynn indicated that parking
wasn't the most pressing
problem evening students have.
This group's solutions won't work
if they don't address the real problems.
In addition to the lack of orientation
and lack of organization exhibited by Alice,
the other members don't help
the process much, either.
Each one has his or her agenda,
and seems to be more interested in promoting
that agenda than in listening to anyone else.
Members don't acknowledge
anything said by someone else.
Topics change as speakers change.
There's no organization
or structure to the discussion,
and solutions are decided on
without full evaluation.
Alice seems uncomfortable
with conflict.
Lynn, the student member,
who questions the fairness of charging
evening students for services
that are provided
at no charge to day students.
But when Lynn mentions her concern,
Alice says that conflict isn't nice,
and the group
should avoid it.
Lynn, who understandably
feels put down,
doesn't volunteer any other
suggestions or comments.
She just shuts up.
When the meeting is set to sign the report,
it's at a time when Lynn can't make it.
But Alice doesn't see
this as a problem.
As a student member of this committee,
wouldn't you feel put down, unappreciated,
and disgusted
with the process?
Would you feel loyal to the group and committed to
the decision it produces?
Probably not.
Another variable this group
did not handle well
is the evaluation of options.
In part because Alice was
uncomfortable with conflict,
the group did not fully
assess the pros
and cons of the option
they latched onto.
In addition, not everyone in the group --
notably, Lynn -- agreed with this option,
but because no one in the group
tested for consensus,
the members don't even realize
they aren't in full agreement.
Also, do you think the members
of this committee
will remember all the things
they talked about?
No one was taking notes.
The likelihood is that, when it
comes time to write the report,
much of the information
will be lost,
which actually may
not a bad thing,
since the recommendations
were not evaluated,
and probably won't work to solve the most
important problems of evening students.
Here are some of the most
important principles that were violated.
You can probably spot
additional ones, too.
No clarification
or discussion of the charge.
No introduction of members.
No systematic procedure or outline, such as the
General Procedural Model for Problem
Solving, for organizing
the discussion.
Disorganized discussion
with poor listening.
No responding to each other's remarks.
No expressions of doubt
or disagreement.
Conflict not permitted.
No thorough evaluation of options.
No testing for consensus.
No written record of proposals
or decisions.