Using self-directed work group concepts for successful classroom group experiences

Global markets and sophisticated information technology have increased the pace of competition. To succeed in this new environment, firms are evolving their organizational structure from purely hierarchical to more team-oriented groups. As a result, university recruiters want engineering and business graduates to perform well in groups. Unfortunately, there is some evidence that universities have not been able to meet this goal (Davis et al. 1997 and Siegel and Sorensen 1994). To provide their students with productive group experiences, the authors studied the characteristics of successful group environments and now create similar situations in their classrooms. Patterning their groups after self-directed work groups (SDWGs), they have developed and refined a structure that allows students to control long-term group activities, including task organization, compensation and problem resolution (Zuidema and Kleiner 1994). They have used these forms in a range of computer science classes and upper-division accounting and CIS classes. They present the structure they impose and anecdotal results from these experiences.