I am a chocoholic, therefore I adore two quite effective learning tasks that involve counting M&M's. This article is focused on the very first action, which uses M&M's to allow participants to experience the consequences of different leadership decision-making fashions. A following article focuses on the next activity, which utilizes M&M's to have the process and impact of a work audit.

Assessing Leadership Decision Making Styles.

That is an activity I believe I accommodated many years ago from one printed for public use from the Pfeiffer Annuals.

Prior to the course, I fill a glass jar to the top with peanut M&M's candy from a massive bag. I use peanut M&M's instead of plain M&M's candies because I want to count the total number of M&M's necessary to fill the jar. A massive bag may have over 500 pieces of candy!

I form seven small groups and assign each a different decision making style they will use to gauge just how many M&M's are in the jar. The team finding the number closest to the total in the jar will acquire the jar and its contents.

1.

This person has been told to exercise control by such ways as telling the group how to sit while waiting for the choice to be made and also how to use their time while she's deciding.

The chief then estimates the amount of candy pieces are in the jar and announces his or her decision to the group.

2. The member with the most expertise makes the choice.

http://www.ameliatoffee.com/ appoint the member with the most training in mathematics to be the leader. This "expert" then considers the amount of candy pieces are from the jar, makes a decision, and announces it to the group.

3. The remarks of the individual members have been vaccinated.

Each member of the team is advised to back away from the group so that s/he cannot understand the responses of other group members and they cannot see his or her answer.

The recorder then asks each member for his or her quote, adds the estimates, and divides the sum by the amount of members. The resulting amount is announced as the group's decision.

4. The member with the most authority chose after a group discussion.

I appoint one member to be the chief, and s/he calls the assembly to order. The "authority" asks the group to discuss how many candy pieces are in the jar.

If the "jurisdiction" thinks s/he knows how many candy pieces are in the jar, the "authority" announces her decision to the bunch. This is not consensus or majority vote- the leader has full responsibility and makes the decision s/he thinks is best.

5. A minority of team members makes the decision.

I appoint an executive committee of 2 associates. The committee meets away from the group to decide how many candy pieces are in the jar. They announce their decision to the category.