To be successful, you must gain some support from the environment, this is especially true when a group approach to solving problems is first introduced. Misunderstanding and confusion about the purpose of groups can lead to many problems. In some situations, people believe that their authority is being challenged when they learn indirectly about a committee. Others who have adequate information about the purpose or procedures may believe it to be a waste of time. Significant others in the environment who have a negative view of the committee can subtly create problems for members. A resentful supervisor can make demands upon a member that result in his or her missing meetings. A peer who feels left out may cause problems by displaying hostility and being uncooperative. Subordinates who feel that they are being overly burdened with a member's responsibilities while the member is in committee sessions might sabotage that member's productivity by delaying tasks or losing important documents,
Such problems can be reduced if actions are taken to arrange the environment for success prior to the first meeting. For example, police officers who were participants in an intensive seven-week instructor's training program were the recipients of considerable hostility from other officers in the department as well as from their spouses.
The other officers thought the trainees were "just off having a good time"; the spouses resented the homework demands on evening and weekend time. The training consultants solved the problem by pro viding written and oral communications about the training program and by inviting the Chief of Police and other officers to visit the training site. Spouses were encouraged to participate as role players in video training tapes, and a number of social activities involving families were arranged. The demoralization experienced by the trainees could have been avoided had the consultants taken these steps prior to the beginning of training. These steps were repeated in subsequent training projects in other departments, and resulted in cooperation from significant others from the first day of training on.
Begin by analyzing who constitutes the environment. Who is likely to be concerned with members’ participation, or to be affected by it? This will invariably include at least the members’ direct supervisors.
Meet with those you've identified to discuss the problem and to explain why the group approach is appropriate, and why the supervisee has been selected to participate. Explain the meta-goal, the nature of participation, and the duration of sessions. In this way significant others in the environment have an opportunity to make suggestions, voice concerns, and provide support. Being given the opportunity to feel involved and to offer support helps to reduce potential resistance and resentment.
In addition to talking to significant others, meet with each member prior to the first meeting. Present the committee in a positive manner and stress its importance. Carefully explain the meta-goal and the outlines of the meetings. Each member should understand what will be expected during the meetings. Do not overlook explaining your responsibilities as leader.
Whenever possible, membership should be voluntary. When members feel they are being invited to participate and that they have the option to decline, they will enter the first meeting with a higher level of commitment. When membership cannot be optional, encourage members to voice any concerns or reservations. This will help reduce possible resistance from unenthusiastic members. At the very least, the members will feel that their positions were heard and considered.
In these preliminary talks you are laying the foundation for the development of a productive group process. Such pre-group talks assist in facilitating trust ("I have been told what to expect"), openness ("I have been asked how I feel"), cohesiveness ("I want to participate" or "the group serves an important function"), and task orientation ("I know the goal of the group").
Leader Goals
The leader's preparatory activities lay a foundation for a productive meeting, but they do not ensure that problem-solving processes will occur and continue. Prior to the first meeting and to each subsequent meeting, it is vital to develop specific goals to guide your actions during the meetings. Although the two are intertwined and are pursued simultaneously, it is convenient to conceptualize the leader's goals in two categories: (1) process goals to control or regulate the group process, and (2) task goals to guide the group to accomplishing the meta-goal. The process goals are aimed at developing an interdependent dynamic which includes trust, openness, cohesiveness, and task orientation. The task goals address themselves to the specific tasks or objectives that must be accomplished by the committee in order to reach the meta-goal.
Evaluating Group Performance
Evaluation should not be left to the last meeting; it should be an ongoing process. When evaluation is not undertaken until the committee's termination, not much can be done if the results indicate less than satisfactory success. There are three basic underpinnings of evaluation: the meta-goal, the behavioral objectives, and the baseline.
Committees are formed to produce a specific product or to effect a specific change in the behavior of employees, or both. When the meta-goal specifies a product, such as the development of a procedure to reduce absenteeism, then objectives and meta-goals are the yard stick of success. One reason objectives are stated precisely is to clearly determine when they are achieved. Accomplishment of objectives within the stated time period is an affirmation of success. If an objective is not attained, the committee knows immediately that something has gone astray; it does not have to go along for months wondering if it's making progress. For example, when a committee has clearly defined what specific policies it will review, and precisely what constitutes a review, it knows when one task is complete. When the meta-goal has been accomplished, there is no further reason for the existence of the committee-it has successfully completed its task.
On the other hand, when the meta-goal specifies a change in behavior, such as a specific reduction in absenteeism in a specific department, the baseline is the first measure in evaluation. A behavior change program may take weeks to produce the desired change specified by the meta-goal. However, by constantly monitoring the frequency of the target behavior and comparing this with the baseline, the committee can determine if its program is effective: If the current absentee rate begins to drop compared with the baseline rate (the rate before the program was implemented), then there is concrete evidence that the procedure is working. It is helpful to chart the data, because it gives a clear picture of change or absence of change.
Of course, the essential component in this type of evaluation is that the behavior be defined discretely enough that one can tell when it is or is not occurring. It is impossible to collect data on "morale," for example. Morale can be defined in terms of its component behaviors, such as making positive statements about the company, coming to work on time, smiling, infrequent absences, socializing with co workers, and so forth. The utilization of objectives aids in focusing on specific behaviors. In short, objectives, meta-goals, and baseline are the evaluation yardsticks and should be utilized throughout the life of the committee.
