Instructor’s resource manual and test bank for joining together: Group Theory and Group Skills, 11e (стр. 21 )

4. The observer ties A’s hands behind his back and blindfolds B. B is not to say a word during the entire building process.

5. The observer takes notes on how well the two people work together. How good are the directions? How well are they carried out? How cooperative are the two persons? What communication problems exist? What could they have done differently?

6. If the container is not finished in twenty minutes, the two people stop. The group then combines with another group of three, and the two groups discuss the following questions:

a. How did the person playing A feel?

b. How did the person playing B feel?

c. What does the container look like? If it were made of wood and nails instead of cardboard and tape, would it hold water? (If there is a hole in the bottom, the answer is “no.”)

d. What would have improved the cooperation between A and B?

e. What did you learn about the division of labor in a cooperative task?

7. Each group of six shares its major conclusions and experiences with the rest of the class.

Broken Squares

The purpose of this exercise is to explore the results of cooperation and competition among group members in solving a group problem. The exercise is done in groups of five participants and two observers. Tables that seat five should be used. At least four groups are recommended, but two may do in a pinch. Place the tables far enough apart so that members of one group cannot observe the activities of the other groups. One set of squares is needed for each group of five. (Instructions for making a set of squares may be found in the Appendix of the textbook.) Approximately one hour is needed for the exercise. The procedure for the coordinator is as follows:

1. Introduce the exercise as one focusing on how goals are defined by members of a group. State that it will consist of completing a group task involving a puzzle.

2. Hand out the observation instructions to the observers. Within each group, give each participant an instruction sheet and an envelope containing pieces of the puzzle (see the directions for making a set of squares). Half of the groups should receive instructions that they are to act cooperatively; the other half should be told to act competitively. State that the envelopes are not to be opened until the signal is given. Review the instructions with each group in such a way that cooperative groups do not hear the instructions to the competitive groups, and vice versa. Ask if the observers understand their role.

3. Give the signal to begin. The groups are to work until all of them have solved the puzzle. Each group should be timed carefully by its observers. If a group becomes deadlocked for more than twenty-five minutes, this phase of the exercise should be ended.

4. Collect the observation sheets and record the information as directed in the table. While you are doing this, the groups should pair off—a cooperative group with a competitive group—and share and discuss their instructions and experiences with each other. Group observers are to participate fully in this the end of the discussion, the groups should have recorded their conclusions about the differences between working in a cooperatively oriented and a competitively oriented problem-solving group.

5. Share the results of the discussions among all the groups. Then present the information gathered by the observers. Using the material in the following section on goal structures, define cooperation and competition and discuss the impact of goal structures on group functioning and effectiveness.

You may conduct this exercise with only one group by leaving out the instructions about cooperative and competitive orientations and the comparison between cooperative and competitive groups. The issue of goal structure can still be discussed profitably.

Instructions to Each Member of the Cooperative Group

Each member of your group has an envelope containing pieces of cardboard for forming squares. When the signal is given to begin, the task of the group is to form one square in front of each member. Only parts of the pieces for forming the five squares are in each envelope. The exercise has two goals: your individual goal of forming a square in front of yourself as fast as possible and the group’s goal of having squares formed in front of every member as fast as possible. The individual goal is accomplished when you have a completed square in front of you. The group goal is accomplished when all group members have completed squares in front of them.

You are to role play a member of a group whose members are all highly cooperative. To you the group goal is far more important than the individual goal. Your job is to cooperate with the other group members as much as possible in order to accomplish the group goal in the shortest period of time possible. To you the other group members are your partners, and you are concerned with helping them put together a completed square. All members of your group have received the same instructions.

The rules for the exercise are as follows:

1. No talking, pointing, or any other kind of communication is allowed among the five members of your group.

2. No person may ask another member for a piece of the puzzle or in any way signal that another person is to give him or her a puzzle piece.

3. Members may give puzzle pieces to other members.

4. Members may not throw their pieces into the center for others to take; they have to give the pieces directly to one person.

5. Anyone may give away all the pieces of his or her puzzle, even if he or she has already formed a square.

6. Part of the role of the observers is to enforce these rules.

Instructions to Each Member of the Competitive Group

Every person in this group has an envelope that contains pieces of cardboard for forming squares. When the signal is given to begin, your task is to form a square in front of you.
Only parts of the pieces for forming the five squares are in each envelope. The exercise
has two goals: your individual goal of forming a square in front of you as fast as possible and the group’s goal of forming squares in front of every member as fast as possible. The individual goal is accomplished when you have a completed square in front of you.
The group goal is accomplished when all group members have completed squares in front of them.

You are to role play a member of a group whose members are all highly competitive. To you the individual goal is far more important than the group goal. Your job is to compete with the other group members to see who can get a complete square in front of himself or herself first. At the end of the exercise group members will be ranked on the basis of their speed in completing their square. The member finishing first will be labeled the best person in the group, the person finishing second will be labeled the second best person in the group, and so on, with the last person finishing being labeled the worst person in the group. The other group members are your competitors, and you are concerned with completing your square before they do. If you complete your square and then decide to give a piece
of it away, you lose your previous rank in terms of the order of members completing
their squares and must start over. All members of your group have received the same ­instructions.

The rules for the exercise are as follows:

1. No talking, pointing, or any other kind of communicating is allowed among the five members of your group.

2. No person may ask another member for a piece of the puzzle or in any way signal that another person is to give him or her a puzzle piece.

3. Members may give puzzle pieces to other members.

4. Members may not throw their pieces into the center for others to take; they have to give the pieces directly to one person.

5. Part of the role of the observers is to enforce these rules.

Instructions for Observers

Your job is part observer, part recorder, and part rule enforcer. Do your best to strictly enforce the rules on the instruction sheet for participants. Then observe and record as accurately as possible the items listed below. The information you record will be used in a discussion of the results of the exercise.

1. Did the group complete the task? Yes or No?

2. How long did it take the group to complete the task? How many minutes and seconds?

3. Number of times a group member took a puzzle piece from another member:

Number of times a group member gave a puzzle piece to another member:

4. Number of members who finished their square and then divorced themselves from the struggles of the rest of the group:

5. Were there any critical turning points at which cooperation or competition increased?

6. What behaviors in the group showed cooperativeness or competitiveness?

Data from Observation Sheets
	Cooperative	Competitive
Number of groups completing the task
Time for task completion
Number of times a member gave away a puzzle piece
Number of members who cut themselves off from others
Cooperative behaviors
Competitive behaviors

Answer to Broken Square Exercise:

For each five-member group you will need a set of five envelopes containing pieces of cardboard that have been cut in different patterns and that, when properly arranged with pieces from some of the other four envelopes, will form five squares of equal size. To prepare a set, cut out five cardboard squares of equal size, approximately 6 × 6 inches. Place the squares in a row and make them as below, penciling the letters “a,” “b,” “c,” and so on lightly so that they can later be erased. The lines should be so drawn that when the pieces are cut out, all pieces marked “a” will be exactly the same size, the pieces marked “c” will be the same size, and the pieces marked “f” will be the same using multiples of 3 inches, several combinations will be possible that will enable participants to form one or two squares, but one combination is possible that will form five squares 6 × 6 inches. After drawing the lines of the 6 × 6-inch squares and labeling them with the lowercase letters, cut each square as marked into smaller pieces to make the parts of the puzzle. Mark the five envelopes “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “E” and distribute the cardboard pieces among them as follows: