Group Interaction and Decision Making: Questions and Perspectives

The Impact of the Global Pandemic on Group Interaction and Decision Making

1. The global pandemic and stay at home orders has drastically changed how groups interact. We have rapidly adapted technology to accommodate the increased number of telecommuting employees and quarantined individuals. How has this situation changed how you use of and your view of technology to interact with your groups? This can include school, social, or work. With the increased number of people using virtual communications tools such as Zoom, what is your opinion on the future adoption of this technology? When we return to the post pandemic world, will organizations allow employees to continue to telecommute, will we see a increase or decline in the use of virtual group interaction?

1. What is the purpose of an agenda for a meeting? Why is an agenda important? 

2. What should an effective chairperson do prior to a meeting? What is the chairperson's role during a meeting? After a meeting is over, what should the chairperson do? 

3. Why is it important to record the minutes of a meeting? Who is responsible for the minutes? 

4. Disruptive behavior by group members can undermine a meeting. Identify 3 disruptive behaviors that may pose problems for a group meeting and the strategies you would use to deal with them.

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using voting, consensus seeking, and authority rule as decision-making methods? 

2. Describe the basic assumptions in the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) of group decision making. Describe the 2 phases of the NGT method.

3. What are the differences between decision making and problem solving? How does understanding these distinctions help a group achieve its common goal?

4. Discuss why creativity is an important component of group problem solving. Identify and describe 3 methods for enhancing group creativity.

 1. What is Stuart like, physically?  Is there any interrelationship between his physiology/health status, and his predicament as a homeless person?

2. Can you describe Stuart’s perception of time?  How or why is it affected by living on the street?

3. What are the different dimensions of the “chaotic life”?

4. What is the relationship between Stuart and the author?

5. What are Stuart’s strengths of character?

6. Which of the Brueggeman models of social problem causation appears to be relevant?  Who ascribes to those models?  Do you find the model a plausible explanation?

7. What does Stuart need in order to change his life?

8. Would you like to have Stuart as a friend?  What are the sympathetic aspects of his personality and life story?

9.What are the negative relationships in Stuart’s life?  The positive relationships?

10. Masters often tries to explain things about Stuart.  How does Stuart respond to those efforts?  Why?  What does Stuart think about “answers”?

11. When Stuart talks about “the System,” what does he mean?  What institutions are most important in “the System”?

12. How would you describe the transition from having a childhood home, to living “rough” on the street?  When, why, and how did it happen?

13. What are the physical surroundings of Stuart’s life?  What are the various places where he has lived, especially, where he has spent the night?

14. What are the crimes Stuart has been involved in?  Is he a person to be feared?

15. What role does poverty have in shaping Stuart’s life experience?  Is he impoverished because of his personal qualities, or does he have his personal qualities because of the experience of being impoverished.

16. What differences are there between Stuart’s manner of speaking, and those of the higher classes?  What similarities?