CondoOwners

SubmittedbyGroup
Breinholt,Rachel
Drown,Carrie
Hall,Darian
Reddish,Rebecca
Shebilske,McKenzie

SaltLakeCommunityCollege
COMM1010
March31,2016

TableofContents

Executivesummary1
Projectdescription1
Methods2
TheProblem2
AnalysisoftheProblem2
Characteristics3
Stakeholders3
History/Background4
Policies/Politics4
Resources4
Criteria5
GeneralGoal5
SpecificCriteria5
BrainstormingSolutions5
AnalyzingSolutions6
NarrowedSolutions6
FinalSolution7
PossibleNegativeConsequences7
SolutionImplementation8
Conclusion9
WorksCited9
Appendices
Appendix1:TeamContract9
Appendix2:SolutionAnalysisChart11

ExecutiveSummary

Thepurposeofthisreportistosummarizeourgroupsprocessinfindingasolutiontothecase
studygiventousaspartofourGroupCommunicationProject.Ourgoalhasbeentofinda
solutionthatsatisfiesacommunityofresidents,somewithanimalsandsomewithsmall
children,withanaccommodationthatprovidessafetyinthecommonsareaforbothwhile
enjoyingtheoutdoors.
Ourgrouphasusedourclasstextbookasaresourcethatcoversdecisionmakingmethods.Joel
Baumsaid,Howyoudecideisjustasimportantaswhatyoudecide.Theprocessyouusehasa
directimpactonhowmembersfeelaboutthedecision.Itcaninfluencecommitment,excitement,
andbuyin,oritcancreatefeelingsofresentmentandexclusion(Adler,Elmhorst,andLucas
2010,238).InworkingtowardsoursolutionwehavebeenusingtheDeweyReflectiveThinking
ProcessPresentationwherewehavetakenstepstodefineourproblem,analyzeanddetermine
specificcriteriarequiredforthesolution,brainstormmultiplepotentialoptions,organizeand
finallyapprove/takestepstoimplementthemostappropriatesolutionforthesituation.
Ourrecommendationforthecasethatwechoseisforthecommunityleadershipcommitteeto
workasateam,communicatewithresidentsofthecommunityinordertoimplementfeedback
andbuildadesignatedanimalfriendlyspacewithinthecommonsareaalreadyprovided.This
solutionrequirestheleadershipcommitteetoimprovethecommunicationamongstthemembers
andtoworktogetherwiththeresidentsofthecommunitytoachieveasolutionthatprovides
safetyandsecurityforall.Italsoprovidesaspaceforbothanimalownersandresidentswith
childrentoplayinthecommonsareawithouthavingtoworryaboutconflict.Wefoundthiswas
thebestoptionbecauseittakesbothpartiesconcernsintoaccountwithalowcost,low
maintenance,andsafesolution.
ProjectDescription
Themainpurposeofourprojectistocreateasafeplaceforchildrentoplayaswellaskeeping
ourresidentswithanimalshappy.Wehavechosentoprovidetheresidentswithadesignateddog
spacewithinthecommonsareaprovidedthatwillallowfortheanimalownersaswellasthe
residentswithchildrentoenjoytheareaoutsidewithoutworriesofsafety.Wewillprovidea
fencearoundthedesignateddogspaceaswellasaplayareaforthechildrenwherenopetswill
beallowed.Atthecommonareatherewillalsobesomerestrooms,trashbins,bagstopickup
afteryouranimals,andsomepicnictablesfortheresidentstouse.

Methods
Thereareseveralstepstothereflectivethinkingsequencethatweworkedthroughtofinda
solutionforthisprojecttobecomeasuccess.Beforebeginningworkonourproject,all5ofour
groupmembersagreedtothetermsofasetcontractinordertoestablishgroupnormsandagree
toourassignedroles.Establishinggroupnormsearlyprovideduswiththeabilitytoavoidsome
oftheharmfulcharacteristicsthatleadtogroupthinkandcouldotherwisepreventusfrom
participatinghonestlyamongsteachotherwhileexaminingideascritically(Adler,Elmhorst,and
Lucas2010,206).Theinitialmeetingalsoallowedusasagrouptoselectoursharedgoalwitha
resultsdrivenstructureinacollaborativeclimatewhichbecameessentialasweassignedtasksto
becompletedwewereabletotrusttheworkofourothergroupmemberstobecarriedoutand
implementedinthemostorganizedandefficientwaywhileworkingtowardsourgoal(Adler,
Elmhorst,andLucas2010,189).Belowwewillprovideamoredetaileddescriptionofthe
methodsthatweworkedthroughaspartofeachstepofthereflectivethinkingsequence.
PartI:ProblemQuestion
Onceourgroupchosethecasestudyweweremostinterestedinfindingasolutionfor,we
summarizedourproblemusinganopenendedquestion.Openendedquestionsareavaluable
toolto,invitebroader,moredetailedrangeofresponses(Adler,Elmhorst,andLucas2010,
146)asopposedtoclosedquestionsthattendtorestrictresponses.
Thequestionweposedasagroupwas,Whatwouldbethebestwaytoaccommodateboth
animalownersandthepeoplewithoutanimals,withrespecttotheirallowedspaceinthe
commonsarea,withasolutionthatisbeneficialtobothparties?
PartII:AnalysisoftheProblem
Evenbeforeattemptingtorecommendanysolutionstothecasestudywechose,itwasimportant
todoathoroughanalysissothatwecouldfindtheweaknessesaswellasidentifythestrengthsin
ordertobuilduponthemwithoursolution.
Duringthisphaseofthereflectivethinkingsequenceitwasappropriatetousethefollowing
questionsaspartofaguideline:Howbadistheproblem?,Whatareitscauses?,Whatforcesare
onourside?Howdotheyhelpus?,Howcanwestrengthenthem?(Adler,Elmhorst,andLucas
2010,236).

A:Characteristics
1. WeakLeadershipCommittee:Weconsideredthisacon,strongcommunication
andwillingnesstoworktogetherwouldbeessentialinourgoaltoimplementinga
fairsolution.
TheleadershipcommitteewillpracticeusingIlanguagethatfocuseson
thespeaker.Thiscanbeaneffectivepracticetoimprovetheir
communicationbecauseitwillallowallmemberstoexpresstheirfeelings
withoutcastingoffjudgementtowardsothermembersideas(Adler,
Elmhorst,andLucas2010,114).
2. AlreadyACommonsAreatoWorkWith/BuildUpon:Weconsideredthisa
pro.Havinganareaalreadydedicatedtothecommonuseofallresidents
provideduswithaplatformtobuildonandremovedtheneedforustocreate
morespace.
3. PlaygroundAlreadyEstablishedForTheChildren:Weconsideredthisapro.
Thischaracteristicisanadditionalpositivecoincidingwiththecharacteristic
above.Withaplaygroundalreadyestablished,itremovestheneedtoconsider
optionsthatinvolveprovingaspaceforthechildrentoplay.
4. NoSeparation/DesignatedSpaceForTheAnimals:Weconsideredthisacon.
Whilealloftheresidentsarepermittedtousethecommonsarea,thereis
currentlynoseparationbetweenthechildrenandanimalsleavingparentsaswell
asanimalownerswithconcernsofsafety.
5. SafetyConcernForTheChildren:Weconsideredthisacon.Thischaracteristic
coincideswiththecharacteristiclistedabove.Withnoseparationbetween
childrenandanimals,residentsremainconcernedaboutpotentialconflicts.
B:Stakeholders
1. FamiliesWithChildren
Thefamilieswouldlikeasolutionthatprovidesanareathatissafefortheir
childrenthatareplaying.
2. ResidentsWithAnimals
Animalownerswantaspacewheretheyareabletobeoutside,exerciseandplay
withtheiranimalswithoutfeelingtheyhavelessofarighttobeinthecommons
areaorhavingtoworrythatchildrenwillapproachtheiranimals,orviceversa,
potentiallycreatingconflict.

3. LeadershipCommittee
Thissituationrequiresthebarelyfunctionalleadershipcommitteetocome
togetherandworkasateamtoproduceresultsthataccommodatebothparties.
Thegoalforthecommitteeshouldbeacosteffective,mutuallybeneficial
solutiontoprovideasafelysharedspace.
C:History/Background
Therehasbeenacommonareadevelopedinthecommunity.Thiscommonarea
hasprovidedaspaceforbothanimalownersandfamilieswithchildrentoenjoy
theoutdoorshowever,thespacedoesnotdesignateanyseparationbetweenthe
childrenanddogscausingconcernsofsafetyforbothparties.Thisdevelopedarea
hashelpedfamiliesbyprovidingaplayareafortheirchildren,butdidnottake
intoaccountthepotentialforincidentstooccurduringtheinteractionwiththe
dogs.Theareahashelpedanimalownersbyprovidingaplacetotakethedogs
outdoors,butdoesntallowanyfreedomforthedogstoroamastheownersmust
benearthematalltimes.

D:Policies/Politics
1. Oursolutionwouldneedtoworkwiththecommonsareaalreadyprovidedwhile
maintainingafairnesstobothfamilieswithchildrenaswellasresidentswith
animals.
2. Determineafeasibleestimatedcostfortheprojectthatwouldrequireminimal
upkeepandfutureexpenses.
3. Prioritizingsafetywhilemaintainingbenefittobothpartieswiththesolution.
4. Sticktothefourweektimeframegiven.
E:Resources
1. Asagroupweutilized
CommunicatingAtWork:StrategiesForSuccessIn
BusinessAndTheProfessions,
ourclassassignedtextbook,asaresourceto
followthesuggestedreflectivethinkingsequencecreatedbyJohnDewey.
2. Wecommunicatedasagroupatweeklyvirtualmeetingaswellasusingin
betweencommunicationviaourcanvasmessaging.
3. Welookedintoothercommunitiesandassignedateammemberstovisitresidents
inordertoutilizetheirfeedbackwhileimplementingasolution.
4. Weusedtheinternettoresearchpricingformaterials,equipmentneededforthe
designatedspace,recommendedregulations,andlaborcosts.
4


PartIII:Criteria
A:GeneralGoal
Inordertoworkasateamintheposteffectiveandorganizedwaypossible,we
maintainedthegroupgoaloffindingasolutionthatwouldstrengthenthe
leadershipcommitteeandreasonablyaccommodateboththeresidentswith
childrenandtheresidentswithanimalsconcerningusageofandsafetyinthe
commonsarea.
B:SpecificCriteriaThatMustBeFollowedInOrderToReachOurGoal
Asagroupwedevelopedalistofspecificcriteriathatwouldneedtobemetby
whateversolutionweweregoingtochose.Identifyingspecificrequirementsthat
oursolutionwouldneedtoincludepreventedusfromwastingtimeconsidering
optionsthatwouldnotbeaccepted(Adler,Elmhorst,andLucas2010,237).
1. Applyprinciplesofeffectivecommunicationthatwehavebeencoveringinour
COMM1010class.
2. Beanachievablesolutionwithinourfourweektimeframe.
3. Designateapetfriendlyspacefordogstoroamwithoutstrayingfromthe
commonsareawhilestillprovidedseparationfromtheplaygroundandchildren.
4. Usefeedbackfromcommunitymemberstoensuretheleadershipcommitteeis
meetingtheneedsandaddressingconcernsofthecondoowners.
5. Buildastrongerleadershipcommitteetoimprovecommunicationsothattheyare
abletoanticipateissuesandimplementasolutionthattakesresidentsconcerns,
wants,andneedsintoconsideration.
6. Requireminimaladditionalmaintenancetokeeppricesreasonable.
7. Outlinepotentialemergencysituationsinordertoanticipatefutureissuesand
haveconvenientsolutionsinplace.
PartIV:Brainstorm
Brainstormingaspartofproblemsolvingcanbeusefulin,encouragingfreethinkingand
minimizingconformity(Adler,Elmhorst,andLucas2010,234).Insteadofwastingtimetrying
todiscoverwhatthebestsolutionwouldbe,thisallowedourgrouptogenerateideasformultiple
solutions.Inthisphaseitisnotsoimportanttomakesurethateverysuggestedsolutionmeetsall
ofthepreviouslistedcriteriaasmuchasitisimportanttocomeupwithasmanypotential
solutionsaspossible.Thisisthestepwhere,quantitynotqualityofideasisthegoal(Adler,

Elmhorst,andLucas2010,235).Followingisalistofsolutionsourgroupsuggestedwhile
brainstorming:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Changethecommunitypoliciestobecomeananimalfreecommunity.
Provide/buildadesignatedanimalfriendlyspace.
Removethecommonsareaalltogether.
Gateinthechildrensplayarea.
Regulatedaysoftheweekavailabletoeachparty:
AvailabletochildrenonMondays,Wednesdays,Fridaysandavailableto
residentswithanimalsPonTuesdays,Thursdayswithalternatingweekendaccess.

6. Buildanadditionalcommonsareaforresidentswithanimalsthatisseparatefromtheone
currentlyprovided.
PartV:SolutionAnalysis
Oncewehadbrainstormedalistofpossiblesolutionswedevelopedachart(asseeninAppendix
2)tohelpuscompareoursolutionsagainsteachotherandhowwelltheyfitintothecriteriawe
developed.Wedidthisbyassigningnumbersfrom05,0meaningitdidnotfitintothecriterion
atalland5beingthattheoptionfitthecriterionbest,toeachsolutionandforeachcategory.
Followingaretheresultsfromourcomparisonlistedinorderfromtheworstfittingsolutionto
thebestsolutionoption.
A:NarrowedSolutions
1. Removethecommonsareaalltogether(Scoring13/30Points):Thisoptiondid
notrequiretheleadershipcommitteetoworktogetherinanyway.Notonlywould
itnotprovideresidentswithanimalsasolutionbutitwouldalsoremoveanarea
thatthechildrenenjoyed.
2. Regulatedaysthateachpartyisabletousecommonsarea(Scoring15/30Points):
Whilethisoptionwouldworktokeepanimalsandchildrenseparated,itdidnt
fairlyprovideopenaccesstoeitherpartyinvolved.
3. Buildtwoseparatecommonsareaalltogether(Scoring15/30Points):Building
twoseparatecommonsareaswouldprovideseparationbetweenanimalsand
childrenbutwouldrequirealargerexpense,additionalmaintenanceforthenew
area,andcouldnotbecompletedinthetimeframewedecidedon.
4. Makethecommunityananimalfreespace(Scoring17/30Points):Thisoptiondid
notrequiretheleadershipcommitteetodetermineafairsolution,itinstead
removedtherightsofoneofthepartiesalltogether.
5. Gatethechildrensplayarea(Scoring19/30Points):Thissolutionwouldhave
providedseparationoftheanimalsandchildreninthecommonsareahowever,it
6

didnotallowforthedogstosafelybeletoffleashwhichwouldhindertheanimal
ownersabilitytolettheirdogsplay.
6. Providedesignatedanimalspacewithinthecommonsareaalreadyprovided
(Scoring30/30Points)
B:FinalSolution
Beforestartingtobuildthegroundsfortheplayarea,wewilltakesurveysfrom
peoplethatresideintheareaandusetheirfeedbacktoimplementthechanges
theyfeelaremostvaluablewhenputtingthisnewspacetogether.Tocreatea
manageablebudget,wepricedthematerialsandlaborcostsrequiredtoachieve
oursolution.Wewillprovidesecuritytobothpartiesbydesignatingaseparate
newlygatedspaceinthecommonsareaalreadyfortheanimalstoplayoffleash
aswellassomeagilityequipmentinthepetarea.Thisspacewillhaveawater
stationaswellasacoveringtoprovideshadeandprotectionintheeventofbad
weather.Inadditionwewillprovideastationforselfwastedisposalwithbags
andwastebinstherefore,reducingtherequirementforanyextramaintenanceand
somepicnictablesforconvenienceoftheresidents.Therestofthecommonsarea
willremainaplaygroundforthechildren.Withthehelpourourcomparison
chart,wedecidedthiswouldbethebestsolutionforourcasestudy.Itrespectsthe
childrensaccesstotheirplayareawhileprovidingaspaceforotherresidentsto
allowtheirpetstoexerciseandplayoffleashremovingtheconcernsofsafetyfor
thechildrencomingincontactwiththeanimalsthatarenotonleashes,andthat
theanimalsdontcrossthegateintothechildrensplayground.
C:PossibleNegativeConsequences
Evenonceasolutionhasbeendecidedon,itisimportanttofollowuponthe
actualpractice.Anticipatingproblemsearlyisfarbetterthanbeingcaughtby
surprise(Adler,Elmhorst,andLucas2010,237).Followingisalistofsome
contingenciesweanticipatethatwouldpresentthepotentialtointerferewithour
solutionaswellasalistofrulesandregulationsthatwouldhelppreventthese
fromoccurring.
Designatedspacewouldhavetoolargeanumberofanimalsinsidethegated
areaatonetime.(Overcrowding)
Spreadofinfectionorviruses/bacteriabetweenseparatefamilyanimals.
Animalsgettingintothechildrensplayarea.
Residentsallowingtheiranimalstoplayinthechildrensplaygroundwithouta
leash.

PREVENTIVEMEASURES/REGULATIONS
Dogsremainonleashwhileoutsidethegatedarea.
Dogownersmustpickupaftertheirownanimals.
Childrenmustbeaccompaniedbyanadultandusecautionatalltimeswhilein
thecommonsarea.
Limitnumberofanimalsinsideatanygiventime.
Ifownerswouldliketousethedesignatedareafortheiranimals,require
currentuptodatevaccinations.(i.e.Bordetella,Parvo,Rabies,etc.)
Haveasecure,selfclosing,gatethatanimalscannotjumpoveroropeneasily
andensuresgaitefficientlycloses.

PartVI:ImplementationofChosenSolution
Aftercollectivelydecidingonthesolutionwefeltwouldbestsatisfybothpartiesinourcase
study,wewerereadytoimplementoursolution.Atoneofourweeklymeetingswe
communicatedaboutwhattaskswouldneedtobecompletedandwhatresourceswewouldneed
toputourplantoaction.Inthismeetingweassignedindividualtaskstomaximizethetimespent
whileworkingtowardachievingourgoal.Ourindividualresponsibilitiesareoutlinedbelow:
CarrieDrownOrganizeleadershipcommittee:Assignmemberstovisitresidentsdoorto
doorandreceivefeedbackonhowtheyfeelabouttheproposedsolutionandwhatthey
feelwouldbebeneficialadditionstothecommonsarea.

BeccaReddishMeetwithandcomparepricestofindthemostcosteffectivematerials
requiredfortheproject.

McKenzieShebilskeDesigndesignatedseparatearea,andcreatethespaceforthe
animalstoplaysafelywithoutinvadingthechildrensspaceofplay.
DarianHallPriceagilityequipmentsothattheanimalshaveitemstoplayonandexert
energywhileinthecommonsarea.Also,reviewsanitaryregulationsandcomeupwith
environmentallysuitableoptionsforwastedisposalandwaterstationsetup.
RachelBreinholtPlananeventfortheresidentstoexplorethenewareaandmingle
withtheirneighborsoncetheparkisfinished.


Conclusion
OurgroupoffiveclassmatesinCOMM101decidedonanoptionthatwillworkforallparties
involvedboththeresidentswithchildren,andthosewhohavepets.UsingtheDeweyReflective
ThinkingProcess,wevebeenabletolistouttheprosandconsofeachviableoption,thenwe
decidedthemostcosteffectiveandbestfittingsolution.Followingthismethodhasbeenhelpful
toallinvolvedtoensurewewerethoroughindetail,thinkingingoutsidethebox,andfindingthe
bestanswerforeveryone.
Oursolutionistobuildadesignateddogspacewithinthecommonsarea.Thiswaybothanimals,
children,andotherresidentscanenjoytheoutdoors.Parentswontneedtoworryaboutthe
animalsharmingtheirchildrenorsteppinginamess,andtheanimalscanrunfreeandgetout
someenergy.Thisoptionkeepsallpartieshappy,iscosteffective,andbringscommunity
togethernesswhileenjoyingthissharedspace.
WorksCited
RonaldB.Adler,JeanneMarquardtElmhorst,andKristenLucas,
CommunicatingAtWork:
StrategiesForSuccessInBusinessAndTheProfessions,
EleventhEdition(TheMcGrawHill
Companies,Inc.,2010).

Appendix1:GroupTeamContract
Class:COMM1010
Semester:Spring2016
DateCreated:March3,2016
TeamMembers/ContactInformation

Breinholt,Rachel
Rachel.breinholt@gmail.com
/8014146074
Drown,Carrie
Carrie.drown101@gmail.com
/8016083827
Hall,Darian
Darianhall88@gmail.com
/8636047818
9

Reddish,Rebecca

Shebilske,McKenzie

Breddish13@gmail.com
/8015208520

Mshebil1@bruinmail.slcc.edu
/8019284030

TeamNorms
WewillplanwhentohaveourmeetingsonSundays(theweekprior)Ifsomeoneis
unabletomakeit,wewillnotifythegroupthedaybeforeandmakesuretocontributeto
theassignment.Wewillallbeinvolvedandactiveincommunicatingourthoughtsand
ideas.
RelationalNorms
Wecommittoworkingasateam,beingproactiveincheckingourmessagestoensurewe
areuptodateonourteamworkandbeingefficienttosubmitworkontime.
RelationalRoles
ParticipationencouragerRachel
PraisegiverCarrie
EmpatheticListenerDarian
EvaluatorofEmotionalClimateRebecca
HarmonizerMcKenzie
TaskRoles

Information/OpinionSeekerRachel
StarterorenergizerCarrie
SummarizerDarian
DiagnoserRebecca
GatekeeperMcKenzie

10

Appendix2:SolutionAnalysisChart

SOLUTION1:
AnimalFree
Community

SOLUTION2:
Provide
Designated
AnimalSpace

SOLUTION3:
Removethe
Commons
AreaAll
Together

SOLUTION4:
Gatethe
ChildrensPlay
Area

SOLUTION5:
RegulateDays
ThatEach
PartyIsAble
ToUse
CommonsArea

Applyprinciplesof
effective
communicationthat
wearelearningin
class.

Achievableinfour
weektimeframe.

Designatepetfriendly
spacefordogsto
roamwithoutstraying
fromcommonsarea.

Usefeedbackfrom
communitymembers
toensureleadership
committeeaddresses
concernsofresidents.

Improve
communication
amongleadership
committee.

Requireminimal
additional
maintenancetokeep
pricesreasonable.

17

30

13

19

15

15

TOTALS

SOLUTION6:
BuildTwo
Separate
CommonsAreas

11