Question: The Paper Airplane Contest

Objectives

1. To examine the role of attitudes in completing a group-based task.

2. To determine the impact of job satisfaction, job involvement, and engagement on task performance.

Introduction In this chapter, we discussed the impact of an individual's values and attitudes on a variety of outcomes such as performance and turnover. We did not consider, however, that these same concepts apply in the context of working on a team project. The purpose of this exercise is to examine the role of abilities and attitudes when working on a team project to build a paper airplane. The quality of the team's work will be assessed by measuring three aspects of your team's airplane: (1) how far it flies, (2) how far it flies with a payload, and (3) design characteristics.78

Instructions

Your instructor will divide the class into groups of three to six people. Each team should pick a team name. Once formed, begin to plan what type of plane you want to design and actually construct. Keep in mind that the quality of your work will be measured through the three criteria noted above. You will be provided with one 8.5-by-11-inch sheet of blank paper and adhesive tape. Try not to make mistakes, as you will not be given more than one piece of paper. Use these materials to construct one airplane.

Decorate your plane as you see fit. It is recommended that you decorate your plane before actually building it. Once all groups complete their work, a contest will be held to determine the best overall plane. There will be three rounds to complete this assessment. In the first round, each team will be asked to launch their plane and distance flown will be measured. The second round entails adding a payload-a paperclip-to your plane and then flying it once again. Distance flown will be measured. The final round entails a subjective evaluation by the entire class of the plane's design. Each team's overall performance will be assessed and posted.

Questions for Discussion

1. How did the group decide to design the plane?

2. Did the team consider each member's abilities when designing and flying the plane? Explain.

3. Were all team members equally involved in the task and equally satisfied with the team's final product? Discuss why or why not.

4. What did you notice or infer about the attitudes of each group member based on how he or she approached the group exercise?

5. How could the team have increased its members' job involvement, engagement, and task performance? Provide specific recommendations.

6. What values in the Schwartz model (discussed early in the chapter; see Figure 2.1) do you see as predicting successful participation in this group exercise?