Question

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of management training on the decision-making abilities of supervisors in a large corporation. Sixteen supervisors were selected, and eight were randomly chosen to receive managerial training. Four trained and four untrained supervisors were then randomly selected to function in a situation in which a standard problem arose. The other eight supervisors were presented with an emergency situation in which standard procedures could not be used. The response was a management behavior rating for each supervisor as assessed by a rating scheme devised by the experimenter. a. What are the experimental units in this experiment? b. What are the two factors considered in the experiment? c. What are the levels of each factor? d. How many treatments are there in the experiment? e. What type of experimental design has been used?

Short answer

Answer: The experimental units are the 16 supervisors. Two factors considered are Management Training and Type of Situation. The levels of each factor are Trained and Untrained for Management Training, and Standard Problem and Emergency Situation for Type of Situation. There are 4 treatments, and the type of experimental design is a 2x2 Factorial Design.

Step-by-step solution

a. Experimental Units

The experimental units in this experiment are the 16 supervisors selected from the large corporation.

b. Factors Considered

In this experiment, there are two factors considered: 1. Management Training (whether the supervisors received the training or not) 2. The Type of Situation (standard problem situation or emergency situation)

c. Levels of Each Factor

For the factors mentioned in part (b), the levels of each factor are as follows: 1. Management Training: - Trained (supervisors who received managerial training) - Untrained (supervisors who did not receive managerial training) 2. Type of Situation: - Standard Problem (supervisors working in a situation where standard procedures could be used) - Emergency Situation (supervisors working in a situation where standard procedures could not be used)

d. Number of Treatments

There are 2 factors with 2 levels each, so there are a total of 2 x 2 = 4 treatments in the experiment.

e. Experimental Design Type

The experimental design used in this experiment can be identified as a 2x2 Factorial Design. This is because there are 2 factors (Management Training and Type of Situation), and each factor has 2 levels. In a factorial design, all possible combinations of the levels of the factors are used, which results in a total of 4 treatments, as calculated in part (d).

Key concepts

Factorial Design

Factorial design is a crucial concept in experimental design, particularly used to study interactions between two or more factors. In our experiment, we use a factorial design to explore how management training and type of situation affect supervisors' decision-making abilities. This approach allows researchers to understand not only the individual effect of each factor but also their combined impact. Factorial designs are often represented in the format of "NxM", where "N" and "M" are the levels of each factor, as in our 2x2 factorial design.

**Benefits of a Factorial Design**
Factorial designs provide several advantages:

• They are efficient as they test multiple factors simultaneously.
• They can uncover interactions between factors that single-factor experiments might miss.
• They maximize the amount of information obtained from limited experimental trials.

In the context of management training, this design allows us to see not only how training alone influences decision-making but also how it interacts with different situational types.

Management Training

Management training can significantly impact supervisors' ability to make decisions in the workplace. In the experiment outlined, management training is defined as one of the two main factors examined. Training encompasses various learning programs designed to enhance the skills and abilities of individuals in managerial roles.

**Importance of Management Training**
Effective management training helps:

• Improve decision-making abilities by providing new strategies and perspectives.
• Enhance problem-solving skills.
• Increase the confidence of supervisors when handling challenging situations.

The experiment allows us to assess whether trained supervisors perform better under different types of situations compared to those without such training.

Experimental Units

In any experiment, identifying the experimental units is critical. They are the smallest division of the subjects to which treatments are independently assigned. In this experiment, the 16 supervisors from the corporation serve as the experimental units. They are the individuals who receive either the management training treatment or no treatment and are then assessed in different situational contexts.

**Role of Experimental Units**
Understanding the role of experimental units helps ensure that the experiment is well-structured and that findings are valid and replicable.

• Experimental units are crucial for accurate data collection and analysis.
• They provide the context for observing the effects and outcomes of different treatments.

In the experiment, each supervisor, whether trained or untrained, was observed under either a standard or an emergency situation to determine their decision-making abilities.

Decision-making Abilities

Decision-making abilities are critical in managerial positions, as they significantly impact organizational success. In this experiment, the primary focus is to measure how management training and different situational conditions affect these abilities among supervisors.

**Aspects of Decision-making Abilities**
Effective decision-making involves several aspects:

• Assessing and analyzing situations swiftly and accurately.
• Choosing the best course of action from multiple alternatives.
• Implementing decisions efficiently under varying conditions.

The experiment uses a rating scheme to objectively evaluate supervisors' decision-making performance. By dissecting these abilities, the study aims to determine if targeted training alters supervisors' performance compared to when they tackle untrained scenarios.