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  • 1.  Can we teach how to make good judgments in Business Schools

    Posted 01-04-2002 16:46
    From: Conna Condon [mailto:gandolf@cyberverse.com]

    If you are open to Strategic Decision effectiveness being a Top
    Management Team decision issue rather than individual, you might find
    the following stream of research interesting:


    Source: Journal of Management, July-August 1997 v23 n4 p495(22).

    Title: The effects of top management team size and interaction
    norms on
    cognitive and affective conflict.
    Author: Allen C. Amason and Harry J. Sapienza


    Abstract:
    It is proposed that effective strategic decision making results from a
    company's ability to manage cognitive and affective conflicts. Cognitive
    conflict relates to a task and stems from differences in judgment or
    perspective, while affective conflict is driven by emotion and arises
    from personal differences. While the former promotes the exchange of
    ideas among team members, the latter fosters distrust, suspicion and
    hostility. Forty-eight top management teams were examined to determine
    how they can take advantage of cognitive conflict and avert affective
    conflict. The findings indicate a positive relationship between
    cognitive conflict and team size and openness. The results' implications
    for strategic decision making are discussed.


  • 2.  Can we teach how to make good judgments in Business Schools

    Posted 01-06-2002 12:07
    From: Sylvie Labelle [mailto:cfis@qc.aira.com]

    There are courses in intuition and creativity and creative leadership.
    It is very introspective. Journals, meditation, arts help a lot.

    Sylvie
    cfis@qc.aira.com


  • 3.  Can we teach how to make good judgments in Business Schools

    Posted 01-07-2002 12:11
    From: Alice Macpherson [mailto:Alice.Macpherson@kwantlen.ca]

    I regularly use de Bono's "hats" as a basis for situation analysis in
    leadership training settings.

    I have added two more to give this tool more depth

    1. a Rainbow hat that looks at the differing values that various people
    bring to a situation (a multicultural hat as it were)

    2. a Jester's cap to look at the unintended consequences (which are
    usually larger than the intended consequences) that need to be attended
    to.

    I also believe that Esteban is on the right track when he wonders
    >if in addition to a skill there is also a process involved.

    Problem Based Learning, Case Studies, on the job application build the
    lasting skills, I think.

    best thinking to you all

    Alice Macpherson
    TQ ID MA
    Kwantlen University College

    Life Long Learning includes everyone, all the time.

    please note current email address
    alice.macpherson@kwantlen.ca


  • 4.  Can we teach how to make good judgments in Business Schools

    Posted 01-07-2002 14:54
    From: Sue Vickers-Thompson [mailto:sue.vickersthompson@btinternet.com]

    Alice,
    What about all the recent work on emotional intelligence and
    leadership. Surely EI is a major factor in decision making?
    Sue


  • 5.  Can we teach how to make good judgments in Business Schools

    Posted 01-07-2002 14:55
    From: Conna Condon [mailto:gandolf@cyberverse.com]

    When it comes to identifying people who are creative, innovative,
    intuitive ... all those lovely labels for those of us who don't want to
    stop long enough to logic and justify things ... there is a great test
    in a book called "Peak Learning"

    Some of the top clues:
    Creative, intuitive, innovative types are called groupers and typically:
    Puzzle things out rather than following steps in original order
    ... they may look at the instructions at some point for guidance, but
    not to do them a, b, c,
    Are not detail oriented - they like the big picture and someone else
    can rough through the details.
    May go to a bookstore for a particular book, but will wander around
    the
    bookstore (or library) "nibbling" on all the other books. Same for
    almost
    any store. (my kids have signaling systems to stay in contact, a
    typical bookstore trip is a minimum of 2 hours)
    Don't clean their mess - they won't be able to find anything. It
    may look disorganized to you, but they can put their hands on what they
    need.
    They like to keep finding new ways to do thing.

    Stingers are more linear in their approach.
    They learn best by building new knowledge on prior knowledge ... a -
    b - c - etc.
    They go to a bookstore, get book, pay, leave.
    They are fine with working through the details. Accounting or
    production operations are fine with them. Predictability, reliability.
    They like to follow routines.

    ok... Peak Learning has more of the list. And, those are the extremes
    of the range from total grouper to total stringer. I find my teams need
    both
    types of people on them. I need my detail people, they clean up after
    me.
    :) They catch the things I drop. They point out my holes. Alas, they
    have
    no creative ideas. They cannot conceive how I could possibly work
    better
    with a messy desk. Outside their box. :)

    Conna


  • 6.  Can we teach how to make good judgments in Business Schools

    Posted 01-07-2002 15:16
    From: rusty rae [mailto:thegraduate@centurytel.net]

    What has really been described here and with other posts is the entire
    realm of cognitive science based around linear thinkers and
    associational thinkers. While there are a number of assessments to
    determine dominant thinking style, many of these are based on purely
    subjective means. Perhaps one of the few that is objective in assessing
    thinking styles (approximately 70 percent subjective) is the Thomas
    Indicator Profile. Although not as well known as others, this assessment
    has been developed by Jan Thomas utilizing over 15 years of research and
    development. At this writing, the web site is not quite ready for
    business, but if there are those of you who are interested in obtaining
    additional information about this assessment, if you will email
    directly, I will send a pdf file that contains this info. pax, rusty rae