NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

HRM301 Organizational Behavior

Dr. Naomi Rotter

Session 17: Decision Making -- Group Processes

Objectives:

After today's session you should be able to:

1. Summarize the advantages and disadvantages of using groups to make decisions.

2. Describe situations here groups make better decisions than individuals and individuals do better than groups.

3. Explaining group-think and how it hinders effective decision making in groups.

4. Describe techniques to improve the quality of group decision making.

I. Group Decisions

A. Advantages

1. Decision quality

2. Decision acceptance and commitment

B. Disadvantages

1. Time to reach a decision

2. Conflict

3. Domination

C. Situations for groups and for individuals

1. Simple problems

A. Group resources

B. Group acceptance

2. Complex problems

A. Group resources

B. Group rules

II. Group process in decision making

A. Handling risk

B. Decision valence

II. Groupthink

A. Antecedents

B. Symptoms

C. Consequences

III. Improving the Effectiveness of Group Decisions

A. Group training

B. Brainstorming

C. Delphi technique

D. Nominal group technique

E. Managing controversy - the devil's advocate

F. Electronic groups