Effective Group Decision-Making: Techniques & Strategies

Effective Methods in Group Decision Making

To make decisions by consensus, different techniques can be employed, including the Nominal Group Technique and brainstorming.

Nominal Group Technique

The Nominal Group Technique is a structured method for problem-solving in groups. A moderator presents a problem, and for 6-8 minutes, each group member silently writes down their ideas and potential solutions. The ideas are then discussed individually to clarify any doubts. Subsequently, group members independently rank the ideas based on their own perspectives.

Decision-Making by Majority

When unanimous agreement cannot be reached, voting is a straightforward method to arrive at a decision. Each member casts a vote for their preferred option. There are different types of majority voting:

Decisions by Absolute Majority

This requires more than half of the total group membership, not just those present.

Simple Majority

This requires more than half of the attendees present.

Creativity in Decision Making

Creativity is the ability to discover new or improved solutions to a problem. It is a vital source of innovative solutions and involves attitudes such as:

• Trying to view problems from different perspectives.
• Making an effort to see things with fresh eyes, free from bias.
• Having confidence in oneself.

Obstacles to creativity can include established models that resist innovation. Education and ingrained ways of thinking, judging, and perceiving can also hinder creativity. While logic is generally positive and necessary, it can sometimes impede ideas considered irrational or unconventional.

Techniques to Promote Creativity

Several techniques can foster creativity, including:

• List of attributes
• Array of discoveries
• Morphological analysis
• Synectics
• Affinity diagram method
• Lateral thinking
• Brainstorming

Brainstorming

Brainstorming involves generating a large number of ideas on a particular subject, even if they seem illogical. This technique is valuable when seeking novel solutions and aims to surface all possible alternatives. The primary rule is to avoid criticizing any idea during the generation phase. After this phase, a separate group evaluates the ideas based on originality, quality, effectiveness, realism, and applicability. Selected ideas are then implemented and their results are evaluated.

Synectics and Delphi Method

These are additional techniques used to foster creative problem-solving and decision-making.