SPC 3425 Group Project Assignment

This group project consists of three different scenarios that you, as a group, will need to come to a consensus on to determine the importance of each item related to the specific scenario. The group members will be determined by your Professor and you will be notified in advance. You will have the ability to meet with your group members via adobe connect or within blackboard messaging system where your group's activity will be monitored by the professor. In addition to the Adobe Connect meetings, all of you will be required to write a short 3-4 page essay paper about the experience.

Coming to a Consensus Groups are complex systems in which the actions of individual members affect everyone in the group as well as the outcome of group work. Working in groups is an inescapable part of everyday life; most people spend a considerable amount of time and energy working in groups. Group communication is the interaction of three or more interdependent people working to achieve a common goal. A clear goal is the most significant factor separating successful groups from unsuccessful groups. An effective group has both a clear understanding of its goal and a belief that its goal is meaningful and worthwhile. Effective group goals require attention to their clarity, challenge, commitment, compatibility, cooperation, and cost. Clear, elevated goals challenge group members and give them the opportunity to excel both as individuals and as a group.

Specific goals lead to higher performance than do generalized goals. Decision making results in a judgment or choice from different alternatives in a group. Problem solving is a complex process in which groups analyze a problem and agree to a plan that will solve it or reduce its negative effects. Groups make decisions by voting, seeking consensus, and/or relying on authority rule. Groups should be wary of false consensus, which occurs when members reluctantly give in to group pressures or an external authority.

Scenario Type 1: Plane Crash You and your companions have just survived the crash of a small plane. Both the pilot and copilot were killed in the crash. It is mid-January, and you are in Northern Canada. The daily temperature is 25 below zero, and the night time temperature is 40 below zero. There is snow on the ground, and the countryside is wooded with several creeks crisscrossing the area. The nearest town is 20 miles away. You are all dressed in city clothes appropriate for a business meeting. Your group of survivors managed to salvage the following items: A ball of steel wool A small ax A loaded .45-caliber pistol Can of Crisco shortening Newspapers (one per person) Cigarette lighter (without fluid) Extra shirt and pants for each survivor 20 x 20 ft. piece of heavy-duty canvas A sectional air map made of plastic One quart of 100-proof whiskey A compass Family-size chocolate bars (one per person) Your task as a group is to list the above 12 items in order of importance for your survival. Additionally, list the uses for each. You must come to a consensus as a group for this.Scenario two consists of survival on the moon and specific items that you and your team members need to rank according to what you think are most important.

Scenario Type 2: Survival on the Moon You and two of your crew are returning to the base ship on the sunlit side of the moon after carrying out a 72-hour exploration trip. Your small rocket craft has crash-landed about 300 kilometers from the base ship. You and the crew need to reach the base ship. In addition to your spacesuits, your crew was able to remove the following items from the rocket craft: 4 packages of food concentrate 20m nylon rope 1 portable heating unit 1 magnetic compass 1 box of matches 1 first-aid kit 2 50-kg tanks of oxygen 20 L of water 1 star chart 1 case of dehydrated milk 1 solar-powered radio set 3 signal flares 1 large piece of insulating fabric 1 flashlight 2 45-caliber pistols, loaded Your task as a group is to list the above 15 items in order of importance for your survival. Additionally, list the uses for each. You must come to a consensus as a group for this. Scenario three consists of being lost at sea and specific items that you and your team members need to rank according to what you think are more important.

Scenario Type 3: Lost at Sea You and your team have chartered a yacht. None of you have any previous sailing experience and you have hired an experience skipper and two-person crew. As you sail through the southern Pacific Ocean a fire breaks out and much of the yacht and its contents are destroyed. The yacht is slowing sinking, your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio have been damaged. The yacht skipper and crew have been lost whilst trying to fight the fire. Your best guestimate is that you are approximately 1000 miles South West of the nearest landfall. You and your friends have managed to save the following 15 items, undamaged and intact after the fire: 1. A sextant 2. A shaving mirror 3. A quantity of mosquito netting 4. A five gallon can of water 5. A case of army rations 6. Maps of the Pacific Ocean 7. A floating seat cushion 8. A 2 gallon can of oil/petrol mixture 9. A small transistor radio 10. 20 square feet of Opaque plastic sheeting 11. Shark repellent 12. One quart of 160 percent proof rum 13. 15ft nylon rope 14. 2 boxes of chocolate bars 15. A fishing kit Your task as a group is to list the above 15 items in order of importance for your survival. Additionally, list the uses for each. You must come to a consensus as a group for this.

Questions Below are the questions that you need to complete individually in a 3-4 page essay format following APA or MLA. Once you have completed this you will then need to turn your work into turnitin.com before the due date posted on your syllabus. You will need to answer the following questions using specifics and examples from your group scenario discussions and relate the theory/information from your text to the following questions

. • How were decisions made?

•How were meetings conducted?

• Who influenced the decisions and how?

• How could better decisions have been made?

• Did people listen to each other? If not why not?

• What roles did group members adopt?

• How was conflict managed?

• What kinds of behavior helped or hindered the group?

• How did people feel about the decisions?

• How satisfied was each person with the decision (ask each participant to rate his / her satisfaction out of 10, then obtain a group average and compare / discuss with other groups' satisfaction levels)

• What have you learnt about the functioning of this group?

• How would you do the activity differently if you were asked to do it again?

• What situations at work/home/school do you think are like this exercise?