Diversified Energy

1. What communication problems are manifest in this case? Are they interpersonal? Are they centered on group process skills?

The communication problems that can be seen in this case study occurred due to non existence of one main objective of the meeting and members were not willing to discuss their problems one after the other. When Jack wanted to decide how sales and design can best work with operations, Luke had a different motive of discussing about labor issues which can possibly be interpersonal problems.

2. Where should the blame lie for this group's problem solving difficulties: Jack's leadership or group leading skills? The company structure? The retreat environment? The group members?

The blame lie for this group's problem solving difficulties on all four aspects because, Jack did not show strong leadership skills during the meeting. According to the company structure, there are too many workers to handle under the operations manager (Jack). Also the retreat environment was too informal for a company decision making. Also the group members were not motivated to contribute much to the discussion. For example, Bud was not serious about the meeting as he was more concern about coffee.

3. What should be done to remedy the immediate problem with this group? Be specific and justify your proposal.

Jack should be able to find a way to make Luke focus on the main objective of the meeting. As a leader, Jack should be a leader while being a member of the team and to make a change productive, creative event in order to a build truly effective team.

4. In general, what could Diversified Energy realistically do to maximize group problem solving effectiveness?

Problem solving and decision-making are important skills for a business. Problem-solving often involves decision-making, and decision-making is especially important for management and leadership. Diversified Energy can follow Team Building Activities. The most important step when planning a team-building exercise comes at the very beginning: you must start by figuring out what challenges your team faces. Only then can you choose exercises that will be effective in helping them work through these issues.