Human Relations in Organizations: Applications and Skill Building 8th Edition by Robert Lussier

Exercise 7

Objectives: To better understand your learning style and how to work more effectively with people with different learning styles.
AACSB : The primary AACSB learning standard skills developed through this exercise are reflective thinking and self-management, analytic skills, communication abilities, and teamwork.
Preparation: You should have read the chapter and determined your preferred learning style in Self-Assessment Exercise 2-5.
The entire class breaks into four groups: The accommodators, divergers, convergers, and assimilators meet in different groups.
Each of the four groups elects a spokesperson-recorder. Assume the class was shipwrecked on a deserted island and had to develop an economic system with a division of labor. During this process, what strengths would your group offer each of the other three groups if you were working one-on-one with them? For example, the accommodators state how they would help the divergers if they were the only two styles on the island. Then they assume the convergers and then the assimilators are the only other learning style on the island. Each group does the same. Feel free to refer to the book at any time.
The spokesperson for the accommodators tells the other three groups how they would be helpful to that group if they were the only two styles on the island. The divergers go next, followed by the convergers, and then the assimilators.
Break into as many discussion groups as there are members of the smallest of the four learning style groups. Each discussion group must have at least one person from all four learning styles; some will have more. For example, if the smallest group is the assimilators with five members, establish five discussion groups. If there are nine convergers, send two members to four groups and one to the remaining group. If there are six divergers, send one to four of the groups and two to one of the groups. Try to make the number of students in each discussion group as even as possible.
Elect a spokesperson-recorder. Each group decides which learning style(s) to include in establishing the economic system. During the discussion, the instructor writes the four styles on the board for voting in procedure 6.
The instructor records the votes from each group to be included in establishing the economic system.
Conclusion: The instructor leads a class discussion and/or makes concluding remarks.
Application (2-4 minutes): What have I learned from this exercise? What will I do to be more open to working with people of different learning styles?
Sharing: Volunteers give their answers to the application section.