UESTION 3
a) Name and discuss any three Group decision-making techniques. (9 marks)
Group decision-making techniques are methods used to structure the process of collective decision making to reach a consensus, prioritize options, and make efficient and effective decisions involving multiple stakeholders. Here are three commonly used group decision-making techniques:
1. Brainstorming:
Brainstorming is a technique designed to generate a large number of ideas for the solution of a problem. In a brainstorming session, all members of the group are encouraged to think freely and suggest as many ideas as possible, no matter how outlandish they might seem, without any criticism or judgment from others. The goal is to promote creative thinking and to expand the pool of ideas from which the group can choose.
After the brainstorming session, the group can sift through the ideas, combine them, improve them, and eventually narrow down the list to the best options. The merits of brainstorming are that it encourages full participation from all members, harnesses the collective thinking of the group, and can contribute to team building.
2. The Delphi Technique:
The Delphi Technique is a method where a group of experts or stakeholders answer questionnaires in two or more rounds. After each round, a facilitator provides an anonymous summary of the experts’ forecasts and reasons for their judgments. This process continues until the group reaches a consensus. The key to the Delphi method is the anonymity of the participants, which helps prevent the dominance of any individual and allows for the acquisition of unbiased information.
The Delphi Technique is particularly useful for long-term forecasting and has the advantage of reducing the impact of groupthink by discouraging the bandwagon effect and minimizing direct confrontation.
3. Nominal Group Technique (NGT):
The Nominal Group Technique is a structured method for group brainstorming that encourages contributions from everyone. The process involves the following steps:
- Each member of the group writes down their ideas independently.
- Each member takes turns to present one idea to the group, with no discussion at this stage. Every idea is recorded for all to see.
- After all ideas are presented, the group discusses them to clarify and evaluate them.
- Each member silently and independently ranks the ideas, usually by assigning a score or by voting for their top choices.
- The scores or votes are tallied, and the highest-scoring ideas are selected.
NGT can be particularly helpful in ensuring that all group members have an equal voice and is effective in resolving complex problems where there are many possible solutions.
Each of these techniques has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of which to use can depend on factors like the nature of the problem, the size and composition of the group, and the desired outcomes (e.g., generating creative ideas vs. coming to a strong consensus).