The predominant traditional method of teaching case material in graduate business education may have a number of inherent limitations such as an intrinsically hierarchical approach, an overdependence on the discussion-leading skills of the instructor, and the possible promotion of the incomplete or "non-real world" positions of observer, critic and strategic advisor. Inspired by the use of a reflecting model in the family therapy movement in clinical and counseling psychology, psychiatry and social work, the reflecting team model presented here addresses these issues in a novel, unique and flexible manner. Over the last three years, the author has developed, applied and refined a Reflecting Team Model, based theoretically on a number of concepts drawn from diverse disciplines. The context of the model's application was in case-oriented Management Information Systems (MIS) and MIS-related classroom instruction with approximately 300 graduate students. After establishing the theoretical grounding of the model and explicating a number of operational refinements in four qualitatively oriented phases, a recent group of students (N = 39) participated in an application of the model and rated its efficacy on 21 scales derived from the model's grounding assumptions and assumed to have face validity. These results were analyzed with respect to age, gender, major area of undergraduate study and years of professional work experience. Next, another group of students who had experienced the enhanced model were interviewed. The resulting enhanced model was again employed in classroom use with still another group of students (N = 34). Following that, the model was again used with a small group (N = 15) and evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively to gain further insight into its workings and the best modes of application. The results strongly suggest that the Reflecting Team Model does, in fact, address the issues outlined above and that it has wide and even applicability. There is evidence, however, that gender plays a role in the model's acceptance and efficacy, with women apparently more attuned to the assumptions and operation of the model. More post-dissertation analyses need to be done to confirm and replicate these results and to extend the analysis into areas not previously studied.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UMASS/oai:scholarworks.umass.edu:dissertations-8992 |
| Date | 01 January 1994 |
| Creators | Griffith, William Thomas |
| Publisher | ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst |
| Source Sets | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest |
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