About the Readings
The reading by Garvin and Roberto presents a framework for generating productive discussion in teams, focused on an inquiry-based approach to problem solving. Since people often bring their own biases into team discussions and want to defend their points of view, implementing this kind of approach can be difficult. Pay attention to the authors’ recommendations for developing a team structure that enables optimal decision making.
The Speed Ventures case puts you in the shoes of a race car team owner working with members of his company to decide whether to enter or withdraw from a particular race.
• Garvin, David A., and Michael A. Roberto. (2001) What you don’t know about making decisions. Harvard Business Review, OnPoint Reprint R0108G.
• Brittain, J. & Sitkin, S. (1986). Speed ventures (Parts A & B). Dispute Resolution Research Center.
Instructions
The Speed Ventures case shares the perspectives of four members of a race car company on the morning of the last competition of the year.
The three-page paper should address three topics:
First, summarize your recommendation for the company, highlighting the information that you see as most important to take into consideration when deciding whether to race or not. You will review all this information with two or three of your classmates and make a collective decision at the end of your in-class team meeting.
Second, outline the decision making process that you believe your team should use to reach a collective decision in the 30 minutes you will be allotted to discuss the case.
• What should be your team’s agenda for this meeting?
• What issues do you need to consider,
• How can you ensure that team members are making a wise decision together?
• Describe the process that you think would be most effective to use to make the shared decision in 30 minutes.
Third, you will have an opportunity to ask questions and seek additional information that might be useful with the team (although it will not be possible to answer every question that your team might raise.)
• What additional information would be most valuable to acquire in order to make a wise decision?
• What assumptions are you making that it would be possible for the team to double-check before your race car approaches the starting line?
• What would you want to know before deciding whether to withdraw from the last race of the season?
• Identify two or three questions that you think the company leaders would reasonably be able to find answers to before they make their final decision.
Requirements
In order to successfully complete this assignment, be sure to:
• Write a three page paper detailing the items listed above.
• Should you need to cite any of your resources, you are required to do so in APA format.
Your paper will not be graded based on whether you make the correct recommendation, but rather on the thoroughness of your thought process, so make sure that you spell out your assumptions and decisions.
