Your instructor will divide your class randomly into groups of four to six people. Acting as a team, with everyone offering ideas and one person serving as official recorder, each group will be responsible for writing a one-page memo to your present class. The subject matter of your group’s memo will be “My advice for managing people today is . . .” The fun part of this exercise (and its creative element) involves writing the memo from the viewpoint of the person assigned to your group by your instructor.

Among the memo viewpoints your instructor may assign are:

• An ancient Egyptian pyramid builder.

• Henri Fayol.

• Frederick Taylor.

• Mary Parker Follett.

• Douglas McGregor.

• A contingency management theorist.

• A Japanese auto company executive.

• The chief executive officer of IBM in the year 2030.

• Commander of the Starship Enterprise II in the year 3001.

• Others as assigned by your instructor.

Use your imagination, make sure everyone participates, and try to be true to any historical facts you’ve encountered.

Attempt to be as specific and realistic as possible. Remember, the idea is to provide advice about managing people from another point in time (or from a particular point of view at the present time).

Make sure you manage your 20-minute time limit carefully. A recommended approach is to spend 2 to 3 minutes putting the exercise into proper perspective. Next, take about 10 to 12 minutes brainstorming ideas for your memo, with your recorder jotting down key ideas and phrases.

Have your recorder use the remaining time to write your group’s one-page memo, with constructive comments and help from the others. Pick a spokesperson to read your group’s memo to the class.