TEAMWORK IN GROUP MODEL-BUILDING

Ongoing research at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Poli cy is focusing on strategies for efficient and effective model buildin g in groups. The intent is to involve a relatively large client group in the business of model formulation. Recent projects have explored st rategies for accelerated group model building in the context of three public policy problem areas: foster care in New York State, Medicaid c osts in the state of Vermont, and homelessness policy initiatives in N ew York City. Five roles appear to be essential to support effective g roup model building: the facilitator, the modeler/reflector, the proce ss coach, the recorder, and the gatekeeper. This article identifies th e five roles, briefly discusses the problem areas, sketches the design of the group model-building efforts, and hypothesizes principles and strategies to guide future group model building.