Debra R. Comer

A Model of Social Loafing in Real Work Groups

Social loafing is the decline in member effort that often occurs in groups. This paper discusses factors that may contribute to social loafing, and proposes a model integrating these factors. The model attempts to move social loafing research from the laboratory to the workplace. Recommendations are offered for reducing social loafing in work groups.

Organizational Newcomers' Acquisition of Information from Peers:

Two studies focused on the particular processes by which organizational newcomers acquire information from their peers. Analysis of semistructured interviews with 30 nonsupervisory professional new hires at one organization and of questionnaires completed by 73 new hires from a variety of organizations and occupational groups indicated the types of information newcomers acquire from peers, the channels through which they acquire it, and the relationship between type and channel. Results also suggested that information acquisition is affected by type of organization entered, newcomer-peer work interactions, and newcomer occupation and experience level, but not by organizational size. Directions for future research on organizational entry processes and implications for practitioners are discussed.

Self-Organization in Small Groups: A Study of Group Effectiveness Within Non-Equilibrium Conditions

Dissipative self-organization, a theoretical framework with roots in physics and biochemistry, has often been proposed as having relevance to change in social systems. Specifically, the processes and design features associated with dissipative self-organization have been used to describe the dynamics of social groups and organizations, especially in cases where highly turbulent and/or near-chaos conditions are present. A study assessing the usefulness of the self-organization paradigm as applied to the small group is described herein. The study took place within the context of a Tavistock-like group intervention, wherein the necessary condition for self-organization, a situation of turbulence, was induced within experimental groups. Based upon an approach suggested by Ackoff (1981), the general self-organization model served as a hypothetical idealized design of a self-organizing task group. A quasi-experimental design provided a test of whether the presence of self-organizing characteristics made any difference in group effectiveness among experimental groups and in a comparison condition where turbulence was not induced. The study provided preliminary support for the usefulness of the paradigm in understanding small group dynamics within the turbulent or non-equilibrium conditions. Specifically, task effectiveness within the experimental condition was found to correlate significantly with the degree to which groups developed the properties or design features specified by the self-organization paradigm. Consistent with the model, fewer significant relationships were found within the comparison condition between effectiveness and the presence of self-organization design features.

Not just a mickey mouse exercise : Using Disney's The Lion King to teach leadership

Disney’s animated feature The Lion King is presented as a vehicle for fostering undergraduate management and organizational behavior students’ experiential learning and application of fundamental leadership concepts (bases of power and leader skills, traits, and behaviors) and more complex leadership themes (a leader’s need to overcome self-doubt, a group’s overdependence on its leader, a leader’s spirituality, the consequences of abdicating responsibility, and the impact of allies and enemies on a leader). Questions based on the movie are provided to prompt group discussion and individual reflection about leadership.

Enhancing Discussions in the Asynchronous Online Classroom The Lack of Face-to-Face Interaction Does Not Lessen the Lesson

This article addresses educators’ concerns about using asynchronous online discussions in lieu of face-to-face discussions. Drawing from research on asynchronous online education and Bloom’s taxonomy, the authors introduce the system of “original examples” and “value-added comments” that they have developed to promote engaging and meaningful discussions in which students learn course material from one another. The authors describe how to integrate this system into an online course and provide guidelines for instructor facilitation. They offer evidence that online asynchronous discussions facilitate students’ learning and may be more inclusive than face-to-face discussions for some students. Finally, the authors share their observations and suggestions for implementation.

All I'm askin' is for a little respect 1 : How can we promote civility in our classrooms?

Across geographical regions and academic disciplines, faculty members are lamenting the rise in behavior problems in the classroom. We present here a review of the literature on classroom incivility and a categorization of uncivil behaviors. Next, attributing classroom incivility, in part, to cultural characteristics of our current undergraduates, we compare Millennials to earlier generations and discuss the impact of specific cultural characteristics on their classroom behavior. Then, using transactional and transformational leadership theories to frame our recommendations, we combine insights from research on Millennial culture to offer pedagogical methods for helping to prevent incivility, as well as how to respond to it and how to fortify ourselves against it.

Business Ethics Everywhere: An Experiential Exercise to Develop Students’ Ability to Identify and Respond to Ethical Issues in Business

This article introduces an experiential exercise that enhances students’ ability to identify ethical issues and to respond to them in ways that consider the relationship between organizational factors and ethical action. Students identify a required number of ethical incidents in their workplaces during a specified period. Students submit a written description for each incident, drawing from moral philosophical frameworks and/or other ethical concepts to label the issue as one that either exemplifies a “best practice” or “raises concern.” For “best practice” examples, students consider the implications of the practice on the organization and its stakeholders and whether and how the practice could be improved. For examples that “raise concern,” students explain what the ethically appropriate action would be, indicate whether they would take that action, report any reservations they have about taking that right action, and consider how to behave ethically in a way that would bring about desired outcomes without incurring negative outcomes. Then, a subset of submissions is selected for an in-class discussion. Using examples from students’ own experiences engages them and underscores for them the relevance of business ethics issues. Instructions for facilitating classroom discussion and variations for adapting the exercise are provided.

Unsavory Problems at Tasty’s: A Role-Play about Whistle-Blowing:

This article presents a role-play exercise to make the topic of whistle-blowing personally salient to undergraduates. Students identify with the prospective whistle-blower, whose decision affects several stakeholders. The protagonist merely suspects her manager of stealing, until she hears concrete evidence of his thefts from her assistant manager, who does not want to take action. The exercise helps prepare students to decide how to act if they observe workplace wrongdoing, demonstrates that different ethical frameworks may point to different decisions, promotes examination of possible consequences of whistle-blowing, and highlights how organizational factors affect employees’ ethical behavior and the outcomes of their behavior.

Gender Relations and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: Michael Crichton's Disclosure as a Teaching Tool

In Crichtons best-selling novel Disclosure, a high-level manager who rejects the sexual advances of his new boss (who is also his ex-lover) is accused by her of sexual harassment. Meanwhile, their high-tech West Coast company is being considered for possible acquisition by a New York publishing conglomerate that would appear to be intolerant of even the tiniest intimation of impropriety. This novel can be used as the foundation for provocative discussion of topics, including the gray areas of sexual harassment, the relationship between sexual harassment and power, and the nature of gender relations in organizations.

Getting Behind the Scenes of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours Using a Documentary on the Making of a Music Album to Learn About Task Groups

The authors present an efficient and easy-to-implement experiential exercise that reinforces for students key concepts about task groups (i.e., group cohesiveness, conflict within groups, group effectiveness, group norms, and group roles). The exercise, which uses a documentary about the making of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album to demonstrate the complexity of an ongoing group that created a high-caliber product even in the face of substantial interpersonal issues, combines film and music in a new way in the management classroom.