個案總覽

A three-man skylab crew, after repeatedly unsuccessful attempts to influence Houston Mission Control to slow down the work pace, turns off radio communication and refuses to talk. Questions for the class: What leads up to this break? How does one repair it?

Managers enhance their understanding of communication by attending to images, settings, and body language. The imagery people use in their speech offers important clues regarding the world they inhabit. Because words are symbols, their meaning varies greatly depending on who is using them. A failure to understand this often results in misunderstandings between managers. The use of concrete as opposed to abstract words, of joking as a method of communicating risky statements, and of "I" rather than "we," often reveals important clues to meaning as does labeling, certain question-asking techniques, and evidence of either-or thinking.

Presents a model for understanding the behavior and evolution of primary, stable work groups over time. Model describes contextual factors, design factors and emergent culture as determinants of group behavior and performance. In addition, describes emergent behavior, norms, roles, and rituals as aspects of group life.