„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

8. To recognize and appreciate other people’s special talents, professions,
experiences, and points of view. Users select a “best” or “most appropriate”
definition, which is often one they understand best or one in which they have a
vested interest. Differences are frequently based on personal preferences, type of
organization, culture, or nationality. Globalization of business requires customers
and suppliers around the world to communicate accurately and effectively.
Guidelines for Using Operational Definitions
People who work together to develop operational definitions to be used in benchmarking
learn a great deal from the various processes of working together. Group discussions,
disagreement, and communication in general broaden the variety and scope of resulting
definitions. Defining and redefining similar words to achieve the “best” definitions
increases the precision of the end result. Those who work together learn together.
Group Methods
Brainstorming and Nominal Group Technique are two of the group methods that can be
used to generate operational definitions (Smith, 1995a).
Assumptions underlying the use of group methods are based on material previously
discussed, including the use of key-result areas; the need for adequate information
sources from representative people and types of output; and the benefit of a wide range
of definitions on which consensus is gradually reached.
Brainstorming
This fast-paced, unstructured group technique is one way to obtain as many basic ideas
as possible in a short time period. Group members call out their ideas or answers as
quickly as they think of them. No one criticizes or evaluates other people’s
contributions. Recorders write down what is said.
1. People can brainstorm individually by writing out as many synonyms or short
definitions for quality as they can in five or ten minutes. They can also
brainstorm as a group. Lists may have ten to fifteen items, like “excellence,”
“superior,” “high grade,” “outstanding,” “superior,” “best,” “supreme,” or “topof-the-line.”
At a later date, or in the next group meeting, each synonym is
defined in terms of how it is used or what it really means.
2. People meet in a group and evaluate each definition. A rating scale may be used
to evaluate and rank each definition along the dimensions of relevancy, clarity,
or contribution to value. Individuals or groups select or rate definitions that most
closely fit their work group or standards for quality or meet other important jobrelated
criteria.
3. Group members then discuss each definition until they either reach consensus or
“agree to disagree.” Lack of agreement indicates that there are different
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The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer