The “Course Topics” series from Manage Train Learn and Slide Topics is a collection of over 4000 slides that will help you master a wide range of management and personal development skills. The 202 PowerPoints in this series offer you a complete and in-depth study of each topic. This presentation is on "Group Thinking".

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Group Thinking
Thinking Skills
MTL Course Topics
Group Thinking
THINKING SKILLS

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Group Thinking
Thinking Skills
MTL Course Topics
The Course Topics series from Manage Train Learn is a large collection of topics that will help you as a learner
to quickly and easily master a range of skills in your everyday working life and life outside work. If you are a
trainer, they are perfect for adding to your classroom courses and online learning plans.
COURSE TOPICS FROM MTL
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Thinking Skills
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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Group Thinking
Thinking Skills
MTL Course Topics
INTRODUCTION
Most planned thinking in organisations takes place in a
group setting and most group thinking takes place in and
out of meetings. Thinking with others has a number of
advantages over thinking alone. It increases the number of
ideas we can have; it increases the quality of ideas; it allows
us to scrutinise ideas more carefully; and it ensures that
ideas that get supported have a better chance of successful
implementation.

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THE PROS OF GROUPWORK
A group can be a strong unit for thinking because:
1. more ideas can be produced in a group than by one
person alone
2. there can be greater support for ideas
3. others can build on ideas
4. there is a greater sum of experience in a group than in
individuals working alone
5. a synergistic reaction can result, for example, two
opposing views can result in totally new ideas
6. the greater the involvement of people at the thinking
stage, the more committed people will be at the
implementation stage
7. a group can help try out ideas and act as guinea-pigs.

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THE CONS OF GROUPWORK
There are drawbacks to using the group in problem-solving.
These include the following drawbacks:
1. excessive concern for co-operation can result in
groupthink, the tendency of group members to go along
with what others think for the sake of harmony
2. excessive competition or conflict between individual
team members can sap morale
3. cohesive groups may pay greater attention to the social
side of teamwork than the task
4. individuals can have better quality ideas by themselves
but may be forced to water them down to please the
group
5. group meetings may be poorly run
6. group meetings may consist of the wrong people for the
task in hand
7. the group may waste time on distractions, hidden
agendas, political game-playing.

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Thinking Skills
MTL Course Topics
SHARING IDEAS
The group meeting has traditionally been the most popular
forum at work for discussing ideas. Brainstorming is
invariably conducted in a group meeting setting.
However, with the advent of new technology, groups can
now meet and share ideas without being physically
together. Through connections such as the intranet, the
Internet and e:mail, organisations can bring people together
wherever they are in the world.
Kent Greener, head of knowledge management at BP, gives
an example of global knowledge sharing. A manager in
Columbia was charged with making half his workforce
redundant and needed help. Using the BP intranet, Tap
Web, he asked other managers for advice. As a result the
exercise was completed successfully. This experience has
now been added to a section on downsizing for the benefit
of others who might face a similar situation in the future.

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GROUPWORKING
To be successful as a creative unit, groups need to agree
how they are going to work, who is to play what role and
how decisions are to be made. A creative climate may be
different from the climate that normally prevails in the
workplace.
The following ground rules may help creativity:
1. honesty at all times
2. no putdowns
3. respect for others
4. confidentiality
5. no interruptions
6. no gossiping about others not present
7. no blaming
8. ideas to be owned
9. expression of feelings as well as views
10. everyone is free to contribute or not
11. a method of reaching decisions to be agreed by
everyone.

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EFFECTIVE THINKING GROUPS
In his book "The Human Side of Enterprise", Douglas
McGregor, professor of management at the Massachusetts'
Institute of Technology, listed the 10 features that are
required in an effective task group.
They are:
1. an informal relaxed atmosphere
2. full discussion around the task
3. acceptance of the group objective
4. everyone listens to everyone else
5. disagreements are discussed and not suppressed
6. most decisions are reached by consensus
7. criticism is frank and frequent and never personal
8. people are free to express their feelings about the way
the group works
9. actions are clearly ascribed to group members
10. leadership in the group shifts from time to time based
on expertise and not status.

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SYNECTICS
A group which meets to produce ideas is a synectics group.
Synectics is: "the study of processes leading to invention
with the end aim of solving practical problems especially in
a group." Brainstorming is the most widely-known synectics
technique.
A simple synectics group might be run as follows:
1. a group is formed from people with an interest in the
problem and perhaps one or two outsiders
2. the group is led by someone who has facilitation skills
and is prepared to help, not direct, the group
3. the aim, the problem and the constraints are all
explained to the group
4. the group uses whatever method it likes to consider the
problem. As well as brainstorming, these methods can
include morphing and the Delphi technique
5. the group records and presents its ideas for a solution.

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BRAINSTORMING
The name "brainstorming" was originally used in the 1950's
by Alex Osborn, the founder of an advertising firm. The aim
of brainstorming is to produce the largest quantity of ideas
concerning a problem in the shortest possible time.
Quantity is more important than quality hence, swift
recording, a steady if not torrential run of ideas, and no
critical judgment are essential.
Osborn proposed five rules to make the most of
brainstorming:
1. no evaluation of ideas
2. wild ideas to be encouraged
3. quantity of ideas is important
4. participants should build on each others' ideas
5. apart from the above four, there are no other rules.

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A BRAINSTORMING SESSION
A brainstorming session can be applied to both problems
which have a single solution waiting to be discovered, eg a
machine fault, as well as situations where there is no known
solution, eg how to improve our customer relations.
The following are the steps in a brainstorming session:
1. select a scribe to write down the ideas (speedily)
2. create a relaxed climate
3. start with a brainteaser to warm people up
4. use flipcharts to record ideas that everyone can see
5. ensure nobody dominates
6. encourage a free flow of ideas
7. use a facilitator to guide and support
8. have a set time limit, say, of 10-15 minutes
9. only evaluate ideas once you have finished.

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SPARKING
The first stage in brainstorming is to spark as many different
ideas as you can about the problem.
For example, in response to the problem, "How can we
improve the paperwork systems in the office?", these ideas
might be suggested:
1. buy a concertina file
2. colour-code the paper files
3. microfilm them
4. burn them
5. place them on computer
6. code them according to the Cyrillic alphabet
7. hang them on a line
8. put them in pigeonholes
9. spread them over the walls
10. send them back to where they came from
11. put them in colour-coded waste bins.

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PARADOXICAL INTENTION
Paradoxical intention is a brainstorming technique for
sparking more ideas by deliberately thinking of ways to
make the problem worse.
In the example of how to improve the paperwork in an
office, you could add the following to the list:
1. tell everyone to put things in writing
2. mix the files up
3. leave them in untidy piles
4. remove the filing cabinets
5. don't have a clerk
6. collect others' bills as well.
7. and so on.
It is possible that one idea might paradoxically have the
basis of a solution: in this case, the office could agree to
collect others' bills and turn itself into an archive-centre.

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SEEDING
Seeding is a brainstorming technique that takes a word that
has nothing to do with the problem and seeing what
connections you can make between it and the problem.
For example, if we were looking at ideas to improve the way
we organise office systems, we could at random propose the
word "breakfast". This could then seed the following ideas:
1. keep all the paperwork files in empty cornflakes packets
2. sort the papers out over breakfast
3. stick the papers together with marmalade
4. hold a breakfast meeting to discuss ideas
5. devise a filing cabinet in the shape of a breakfast bar
6. have a daily breakfast-time clear-out of files
7. have a deadline on all incoming paperwork by breakfast
time each day.
8. and so on.

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WORDING
Wording is a brainstorming technique that takes each word
or group of words that spell out what the problem exactly is
and seeing what ideas each word sparks.
For example, in the case of ideas to improve the way we
organise our office paperwork systems, the following might
be suggested:
1. "How...": are there different methods we could try out?
How do others do it? How are we in this mess?
2. "can...": are we capable? do we need expert help? what
skills don't we have that we need?
3. "we...": is there someone else we can pass the problem
to? do we need to change?
4. "organise...": why do we need to organise the papers?
5. "the paperwork...": why papers? can't we computerise?
6. "in the office...": why do they have to stay in the office?
why do they have to come to this office?

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THE AFFINITY DIAGRAM
An Affinity Diagram is a valuable tool for sorting
out a large volume of ideas at the end of a
brainstorming session. It groups those ideas that
are naturally related (ie have an affinity with
each other). The ideas are then sorted into their
natural groupings for easier review by others.
These are the steps and tips in the Sorting stage
of using an Affinity Diagram:
1. After completing the brainstorming, make
sure all ideas are clarified
2. Write them down on both a flipchart and a
card Don't use one word cards as these
don't have enough clarity. If possible put a
noun and verb in the statement.
3. Find one card that sums up the group and
use this as the header. Place it at the top of
the group.
4. Aim for between 5 and 10 headers and
maybe some sub-headers.
5. Keep the process moving but don't discuss
the cards.
6. Draw the finished diagram like a tree chart.
The process of designing an Affinity Diagram is a
creative rather than a logical process. It
produces consensus by sorting ideas rather than
by discussion.

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THE DELPHI TECHNIQUE
The Delphi technique takes its name from the site of an
ancient temple in Greece which produced oracles. Just as in
the technique, the Delphic oracles were anonymous.
This is how it works:
1. the group meets and the person who has the problem
outlines the details to the group. He or she may be
questioned in turn by members of the group.
2. the criteria for a solution are agreed in the group. These
may include constraints, such as a limit on how much money
can be spent or a time deadline.
3. each member of the team writes one or more possible
solutions to the problem on a card
4. the cards are all gathered up and solutions are listed
5. using a ranking sheet, the team then rank the ideas
anonymously from 1 to 10 and so create a favoured group
solution.

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MORPHING
"Morphing" was invented by F. Zwicky in 1947 although not
widely used in problem-solving until the 1960's. It is based
on determining what changes need to be made to move
from problem to solution and is more analytical than other
approaches.
The following steps are used:
1. the group leader describes the problem
2. the group defines the factors necessary for a satisfactory
solution
3. the group structures the factors into distinctive categories
4. where the categories cross over, the intersecting cells are
studied
5. each "cell" of the cross-over is evaluated in terms of
solution criteria.

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THE HONEY POT
Pacific, Power and Light (PP and L) is the electric
utility responsible for providing power to the
North-West Cascade Mountain area of the
United States. This area faces severe weather in
spring and autumn each year resulting in heavy
ice deposits on power transmission lines. Lines
frequently come down under the weight of the
ice.
The company's method of removing the iced
lines is to send linesmen through the snow and
up the icy pylons and to physically shake the ice
off the lines. It is a long, arduous, costly and
unpleasant way of dealing with the problem.
A brainstorming session is held to look at what
can be done.
The PP and L group spend a whole morning
looking at the problem but get nowhere.
Frustrated and running out of ideas, the group
decide to take a coffee break.
During coffee, Bill, a linesman, has everyone in
fits of laughter.
"Last week I was chased by a bear. It even
climbed a pylon after me."
As the laughter dies down, someone suggests,
"Why don't we get the bears to climb for us?"
"How?"
"We could put honey pots on top of the pylons."
"No, the raccoons would get there first."
"Anyway we'd need helicopters to put the pots
in place and they'd frighten the bears," says one
of the secretaries. "I remember the vibrations
from helicopters in the Vietnam war when I was
a nurse.“
There was silence as everyone realises they've
struck gold.
Today it is standard practice in PP and L to use
helicopters to remove ice from frozen cable
lines.

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GROUP DECISION-TAKING
It is a good idea for groups to decide in advance what
method of decision-taking they plan to use should they fail
to reach a consensus.
Here are five options:
1. Secret ballot: this can be effective in securing a clear
result but may be divisive.
2. Public voting: the group votes and agrees to go along with
the majority view, even though this may be divisive.
3. Synectics: in synectic problem-solving, the person who
owns the problem chooses the decision he or she favours.
4. Quaker approach: the religious group of Quakers wait, if
necessary in silence, for everyone to agree.
5. Leader decision: an appointed group leader makes the
final decision if the group cannot agree.

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TEAM DECISIONS
When a problem-solving group works with a leader whom
the group accepts, there is a range of possibilities in the way
decisions are reached.
At one extreme, the group can agree that the leader has
ultimate power to take the decision he or she wants. At the
other extreme, the team can agree that they will take, and
abide by, the decision. There are numerous shades of
decision options in-between including the following:
1. the leader decides and tells the team to get on with it
2. the leader decides and explains the decision
3. the leader proposes an idea and asks the team's views
4. the leader consults with the group and uses his or her
power to steer the group in the desired direction
5. the leader defines the problem and is willing to go with
whatever the group decide themselves.

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THE KNOWLEDGE ORGANISATION
A knowledge organisation is an organisation that recognises
the crucial importance of information as a vital resource in
the business. As a resource, information is seen as a
property to be cherished, valued and marketed.
The computer company, ICL, recognised that it was misusing
information when it realised that it simply did not know
how much it knew and that the accumulated knowledge of
its employees was not being used for the business. As a
result, ICL developed a global information service using its
intranet function. The information placed on the system
included information about customers and major partners;
information about products, services, processes and
policies; and specialist expertise.
After one year of operating the site, 10,000 of ICL's
employees around the globe had visited it.

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THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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Thinking Skills
MTL Course Topics
THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn