This is important...

How to improve group decision making

When it operates efficiently, a group's decision making will nearly always outperform the ability of any one of its members working on their own. This is especially the case if the group is formed of diverse members. One problem: groups rarely work efficiently.

A new meta-analysis (pdf) of 72 studies, involving 4,795 groups and over 17,000 individuals has shown that groups tend to spend most of their time discussing the information shared by members, which is therefore redundant, rather than discussing information known only to one or a minority of members. This is important because those groups that do share unique information tend to make better decisions...

I was just pondering something to this effect today. I'm working slowly through the idea of a GOTNV (Get out the Non-Voter) effort. My quandry is how to get nonvoters to vote. I think there is a long term dialougue and discussion that must go on between non voters and activists. We activists have to do a lot of listening. We also have to work on our ability to discuss issue that are important to non voters in a way that they feel like they understand.

I remember one day after I was on local tv talking politics with a conservative tv host (who happens to be running for govoner now) and one of my coworkers said, "I saw you on TV."

Oh yeah... how'd I do. Did I do alright?

"I dunno man I had no clue what you guys were talking about," he said with a shrug. Which blew my mind... he totally shut us out and just watched cause he knew me I guess. But it wasn't that complex to me.

We have to rengage nonvoters and I think creating productive discussions is one way that we must begin this process. I'm going to be trying to work through this idea and do something on this issue via DFA. I'm not sure what its going to look like but if you have thoughts or feedback email me at Jim.Nichols@gmail.com.

I digress... we have to start talking outside of our circle...

"...teams who talk more amongst themselves aren’t necessarily sharing useful information. Therefore, they’re not actually coming to a better result. Rather, it’s more important what the teams are talking about, than how much they are talking," said Mesmer-Magnus.

"Teams typically possess an informational advantage over individuals, enabling diverse personal experiences, cultural viewpoints, areas of specialization, and educational backgrounds to bring forth a rich pool of information on which to base decision alternatives and relevant criteria," the researchers concluded. "However, the current findings confirm that although sharing information is important to team outcomes, teams fail to share information when they most need to do so."

This is a side note, but important for Jim as he tends to be disorganized...

Another important factor was discussion structure. Groups particularly benefited from sharing unique information when they employed a highly structured, more focused method of discussion.

One of my biggest problems as Chair of the Henry County Democrats last year was my effectiveness. Part of the trouble was how scattered I can be, I do better with structure... and when it comes to decision making structure is key...

From the In-box

Apprears MoveOn.Org is calling for Summers to be fired as advisors to the President:

Click here to tell Treasury Secretary Geithner: "We can't trust the same people who got us into this financial mess to help lead us out...

Let us not forget that he was a key player (the name Rubin comes to mind as well) in creating this crisis.

sigh... a boy can dream can't he?

This is a riot... or at least a good chuckle.

The enjoyable thing about the internet is you can find some great stuff.  This was cute.

The idealism, youthfulness, and ambition of this reminds me of being on a bus to San Fran talking to this young marxists who talked about the Revolution of 92.  And my best friend and I looked at each other--I was thinking to myself, hmmm somewhere in South America?

I finally stopped them and asked---uh which revolution?

"Oh, the uprising in LA after the Rodney King verdict."

Oh, the riots.  Yeah.  That wasn't a revolution that was a riot.

This is a riot as well... or at least will give you a good chuckle.  Just skip some of the pre-industrial revolution folk-lore that many people have about how government could/would work in a modern complex society of biological entities whom come to the table with different capacities, capabilities, and skill sets.

But at least they are trying.

 

Posted via web from jimnichols's posterous

Headed out...

I'm on my way (kind of late out the door) to a meeting with the new chair of the Field Committee for Henry County Democrats.

My first words of advice: run for the hills....

If she sticks around i'm going to say: Thank you, you have my gratitude.

 

Field is the name of the game.  Elections are 50% + 1 of the vote.  Its not all neat and pretty like some of my Political Theorist/revolutionary/idealists/man on the street  friends like to believe it is.

 

This ain't a game... its a war of attrition.  Field is the chess board.

Posted via web from jimnichols's posterous

t r u t h o u t | Beyond Scarcity: Reinventing Wealth in a Progressive World

Beyond Scarcity: Reinventing Wealth in a Progressive World

We are bound to make the world in our own image. So, we had better be sure we have the right values in mind as we think about ourselves in this historic transition.

Phil Ochs --Joe Hill

Medea Benjamin inauguration

Second verse (Obama), same as the first (Clinton)

Lei-off: Obama snubs Dean

I'm hearing the 50 state stratedgy is dead... Obama machine,doesn't want or need true grassroots...

Ah yes, the sorry state of the Democratic Party--why i'm not running for Chair in Henry County again; its not worth my time.

I found this comment post very to the point

Obama is a creature of the Village -- Dean never was, and it was his 50 State strategy that made him persona non grata for Emmanuel and the rest of the corrupt Democratic establishment.
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Keep in mind that the political media is concentrated in DC, and Dean's strategy was all about returning power, money, and influence to state and local party organizations. And since KT and her "political reporter" ilk need the DC establishment for their sources, influence peddlers like Rahm and Schumer received far more favorable media treatment than did Dean.
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But ultimately, Dean really has no one but himself to blame for this -- he threw his private support behind Obama in a manner that guaranteed Obama the nomination, and did so to advance his own agenda . Dean wanted to piggyback his 50 State Strategy on Obama's grassroots organization, and fell out of favor because he wanted to continue to empower state and local party organizations, while Obama wants to centralize power in his hands and use the Democratic Party for his own personal benefit and self-aggrandizement. Dean found out too late that Obama's organizational efforts were designed to advance only one thing -- Barack Obama's personal power.
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So instead of genuine grass-roots organizing, and listening to what Democrats across the country have to say, we now have the astroturf of Change.gov, in which Obama sets the agenda for the grassroots, ignores their concerns when they conflict with his personal empowerment agenda, and co-opts grassroots concerns when they can be folded into the overall strategy of Obama self-aggrandizement.

Nothing like a little propaganda push

Insurers Seek Presence at Health Care Sessions
When supporters of President-elect Barack Obama hold house parties to discuss ways of fixing the health care system over the next two weeks, they may find some unexpected guests.

The health insurance industry is encouraging its employees and satisfied customers to attend. A trade group representing some of the nation’s largest health care businesses, including drug companies, is organizing several meetings. The American Medical Association and other medical societies are encouraging doctors to get involved.

Nothing like a little good old fashioned profit motive to bring more civic participation:

Insurers are also fighting Mr. Obama’s proposal to cut the Medicare payments they receive for providing comprehensive care to more than 10 million of the 44 million Medicare beneficiaries. Many independent studies have found that Medicare overpays the private plans.

I was on tv... who let that happen?

Was on local tv two weeks ago and they just posted it up.
I goofed on the tax brackets... 90% until Kennedy... 50% with Reagan...

Also did too much hedging... but then again I get myself in trouble with Democrats more so than Republicans. I also didn't articulate it well--and it also speaks to my comfort zone being behind the written word where I can cite the specifics accurately--but I kept deferring to experts. What I always try to get people to see/do is to dig into the issues.

The anti-intellectual climate we've had since Reagan has allowed for Sarah Palin types to be considered legitimate policy makers. These folks may hold legitimate opinions and feelings but no one need take seriously ideas that have no bases in empirical and real world scenarios. So I like promoting the idea that specialist do have something important to contribute.

I can't be an expert in every field and most find folks whose sole purpose is to learn that field. I go to a plumber for my toilet, a climatologist for my global warming questions, a biologist for evolution questions, an economist for the economy, and a pyschiatirst for my bi-polar. Just-so storys and sounds good feel good--"makes sense to me!" policy positions; though sometimes valid, vital, and democratic; aren't always up to date on the way the world acutally works. Its a complex place you know...

Thats why pretty much to a person--aside from my Libertarian friends--I argue down conservatives to the point that they "have their reasons" for voting conservative. Which is fine... as long as we don't pretend those reasons are based in anything other than sounds good feels good policy. Gravity is 9.8 meters per second squared as they say.

Once they lose their talking heads lecture points,cut the hyperbole and pejorative talk about Liberals and Democrats, and get down to the issues they tend to be shockingly silent for all the certainty and disdain they have for others policy views it speaks volumes. Intimidation and logical fallcies don't work on me and I actively look to 'pick a fight' if you will.

But for my first gig as a talking head I think I didn't do too bad. (Of coarse I support the train going to hampton!) And I didn't get any shots in on the nonsense about Republicans supporting "Free markets" over government intervention--ever hear of patent protections or immigration controls or food safety regulations... or or or... they just support certain forms of protectionism's that help certain sectors of the economy. They like socializing the costs and privatizing the profits. It falls in line with the "rich people work hard" (as if poor people don't) and that all those benefits come out of pure old fashioned sweat--nonsense if there ever was. Check out Herbert Simon, or listen to Warren Buffet talk about the importance of social capital if you were confused.

Anyways hopefully I'll be a little less nervous next time and can do a little less ummm's and ahh's and more specifics. I know them I was just afraid my memory would bungle something.

And it just hit me.. .I didn't even talk about the health care crisis! I guess the Martin/Obama messaging of the economy the economy the economy worked on me just as well as everyone else.

Sigh...

Mental health group formed to provide assistance

By Valerie Baldowski

vbaldowski@henryherald.com

A new mental health advocacy group has been formed to address the needs of those afflicted with mental health issues.

The group, called Georgia Mental Health United, was founded with the help of a $40,000 grant from the Atlanta United Way. Three of those organizing the new initiative are Henry County Democratic Committee Chairman Jim Nichols, Dawn A. Randolph, and Ellyn Jeager.

Randolph is president of DIR Consulting Group LLC, a public-policy consulting firm in Stockbridge. Jeager is interim executive director of Mental Health American of Georgia.

Nichols, the point of contact in Henry County, said the group is still in the fledgling stages, but hopes to educate the public about mental health issues. "It's basically trying to grow a grassroots organization that allows people to find out more about this issue," he said. "It's a brand new program [and] we are just getting off the ground."

The group will provide an opportunity for those affected by mental illness to get help and find out more information. "One in five people have mental health issues," said Nichols, who said he, himself, is bipolar. "It's empowering people and families concerned about mental illness. This has a huge impact on people."

The problems patients face are serious, he continued, and they need extra assistance to live a normal life. "People who are bipolar, who go untreated or undertreated, have problems," Nichols said. He added that other challenges can include drug abuse, incarceration and dysfunctional relationships.

Randolph, who like Jeager, is a statewide coordinator for the group, explained that the grant should last until June 2009. The money will be used for educating and training 200 volunteers to become mental health issue advocates in five regions of the state. "It's a good start," Randolph said. "It's never enough money, but we're grateful for what we have."

The organization's first training session was Nov. 22 in Atlanta. Subsequent training sessions are scheduled for Dec. 12 in Savannah, Dec. 13 in Augusta, Dec. 19 in Tifton and Dec. 20 in Carrollton.

After the legislative session starts Jan. 3, there will be weekly conference calls to mental health advocates, aimed at making it easier to get information on mental health issues, she said.

One of the critical problems, she said, centers around the lack of bus service in some areas, including Henry. "A lot of folks live in rural areas," Randolph emphasized. "If they have a crisis, how will they get treatment? When it comes to these types of services, we might just as well be in Tifton."

She said if legislators do not realize the importance of mental health services, funds for them will be cut, once the legislative session begins. One of the basic resources, she said, a crisis hot line, could be eliminated.

For more information, call Nichols at (770) 312-6736.