TECHNICAL APPENDIX B

TEAM-BUILDING TECHNIQUES

Introductory Exercise for Team Members

Often, membership on an ecosystem planning team is the first time that people with diverse responsibilities and positions on campus have met or talked with each other. The following process offers a simple yet informative and interesting way for the planning team members to become acquainted. The planning team leader should:

1. Prepare to pair each team member with another he/she does not know.

2. Explain to team members that they will be paired off with another member and be given ten minutes to learn as much as possible about each other's background, interests, and job in order to introduce the colleague to the team.

3. Have team members join in assigned pairs and interview each other.

4. Reassemble the team after ten minutes and allow a few minutes for team members to prepare their colleague's introduction.

5. When everyone is ready, ask each team member in turn to introduce the colleague he/she interviewed.

Brainstorming Process

The purpose of this brainstorming process is to stimulate as many ideas as possible about a subject in a time-limited period and to deal with the ideas in an orderly manner. The process contains three steps--idea giving, idea review, and idea selection. In step one, a free flow of creative ideas is generated. In step two, these ideas are evaluated and otherwise screened for their potential usefulness; to assist their review, the ideas should be grouped or put into categories. In step three, the ideas having greatest potential are selected.

Process Preparations

1. Designate two people to record the ideas that will be offered by members of the group during the first step of the brainstorming process. Two people are recommended because they can alternate the recording of ideas. (This maintains the flow of thoughts by reducing the number of requests to repeat an idea that can otherwise occur if one person tried to record all the ideas.)

2. Have a supply of paper and pencils or pens for the recorders.

3. Have a blackboard or large newsprint sheets and chalk or markers available for use in steps two and three, the review and selection of ideas.

4. Have a watch or clock with which to time the idea-producing session in the brainstorming process.

Process Directions

1. Formulate the subject to be brainstormed about into a question specific enough on which to focus everyone's thinking. When ideas for a broad topic are needed, use several idea-producing sessions and focus each to generate ideas about one aspect of the topic. For example, if the subject to be brainstormed about is learning skills that will be incorporated into a program, the topic could be considered in a series of sessions according to each category of students intended to participate or according to each type of ability the participants are expected to acquire.

2. Explain the purpose and procedures of brainstorming to the members of the group.

3. Practice an idea-producing session with a light or humorous topic such as, How could men's pants be improved? before using the technique on the actual subject matter.

Process Procedures

1. Each member of the group is to suggest as many ideas as possible in answer to the question. In giving ideas to the group, members should not be inhibited by issues of practicality or values. Rather, they should be free-wheeling in their suggestions because an outlandish idea can often contain the seeds for something that is unique and possible, or the idea can trigger another idea that is workable.

2. The triggering of ideas is common to the brainstorming technique. "Hitchhiking" on another member's idea with a related idea is encouraged.

3. Because the brainstorming process relies on all types of ideas, the making of judgmental or critical comments about suggested ideas should be confined to the review of ideas in step two and is prohibited during the idea-producing session in step one.

4. Each idea should be recorded but not the name of the member who suggested the idea. It may also be helpful for the group's leader to repeat each idea and indicate which recorder is to write it down. It would also be helpful if those recording take down only words that are key to the idea rather than every word.

5. Set a 10- or 15-minute limit for step one. However, the group may prefer a variation or modification on this time limit. Group members might choose to set a longer time period for idea giving or they may wish to brainstorm ideas for ten minutes, have these read back to them, and then go on with an additional ten minutes of idea giving.

6. Group the suggested ideas for review and decide which of them are most promising.

7. Based on group consensus, rank-order the most promising ideas to establish each idea's priority.

8. Select the ideas with greatest potential and high-ranking priority.

Field-Force Analysis

This term is applied to a number of similar formats which facilitate (1) decision making, or (2) decision implementation. It can be utilized by either individuals or groups.

The decision or possible decision is listed at the top of the page. Positive or "driving" forces or reasons are listed on one side of a center line, and negative or "restraining" forces on the other.

A number value or a general description (large, medium, small) is assigned to each force listed.

When a decision is to be made, the balance of the forces often argues powerfully in one direction or the other. When the decision has been tentatively made, the forces are studied to determine if they could be altered in support of the decision. The question is, Could we add more driving forces or do something to add weight to existing ones? Or, Could we reduce the number or weight of restraining forces? In a group, a brainstorming procedure is often useful in answering these questions. If it is possible to alter the forces, it may be more feasible to move ahead with a decision.

Example: Tentative Decision: Offer a workshop on human sexuality to incoming freshmen. Number Scale: 1 (small) -- 10 (large)

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It seems that the decision to offer the workshop is feasible. However, group members may want to see if they can devise a strategy to gain approval from the dean (the largest restraining force) before proceeding further. Otherwise, they may encounter continuing problems in implementing this program.