Group Decision Making
As organisations continue to develop and evolve, more and more workplaces are being structured around formalised groups, emphasising the importance of teamwork in achieving a high-performance culture. Depending on the effectiveness of the communication within the group, group decision making can either "increase or decrease the quality of the decision over that made by the individual alone"(Robbins 1984). There are certain advantages that groups offer over individuals in the making of decisions:1. More complete information and knowledge V the collective knowledge, opinions and life experiences of a group far outweighs the often narrow perspective of an individual. The consideration of different angles involved in an issue and the brainstorming of possibilities are crucial in making an effective decision V for this reason a group is often far more likely to make a more informed and higher quality decision than an individual.2. Increases acceptance of a solution V there is a distinct difference between a quality decision and an effective decision. Many decisions fail after implementation because people are not willing to accept the decision. With situation
Self Managing Teams - "Confronted with heavy demands to make effective decisions, managers are turning to a wide variety of groups to solve problems" (Alper, Tjosvold et al. After all ideas have been shared, group discussion and evaluation takes place, followed by each member independently ranking the ideas V the idea with the highest aggregate ranking becomes the final decision. Disadvantages of Group Decision Making"Groups enthral us with their ability to amplify the range of individual achievements. In a ¥nominal' group, members meet formally however before any discussion takes place, each member independently writes down their ideas on the issue. Groupthink¥Groupthink' is a notion theorised by Irving James. These effects result in improved productivity and a decisions of a higher quality V especially if monetary compensation is linked to the group's performance. The members of the group are provided with questionnaires on which they are required to provide potential solutions to the problem. The purpose of this technique is the theory that members are provided with a wide range of stimulating ideas from other members, however as they never meet face-to-face there is no feeling of having to conform to others' stance on an issue. Delphi Technique V this technique is similar to the nominal group technique outlined above, however it is more complex and time consuming (administratively) in that the group members never actually meet face-to-face.
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