Group decision making

Group decision making is a specific situation, during which important decision are discussed and undertaken by two or more people. It is characterised by consensus and agreement between people, often having different point of view on the decision problem.

Advantages of group decision making

• Greater knowledge and information (reduction of uncertainty),
• More alternatives
• Different approaches to solve the problem,
• Acceptance of the decision by the members of the group,
• Greater understanding of and satisfaction with the decision,
• Higher quality decisions
• Problems identification (setting priorities) can be performed by all interested employees,
• Joint problem solving results in better choice of action needed.

Disadvantages of group decision making

• Excessive conformism (less willingness to take risks),
• The blurring of differences, blurring responsibility,
• The agreement more important than solutions - too quick decisions,
• Groups are less accurate than the best individuals,
• Dominating person can undermine efforts of group (by reducing or interrupting the discussion, inhibiting creativity, limiting the different views, hindering participation units)
• Too much interaction, a long time needed to make a decision.
• The impact of emotions, norms and precepts of cultural needs and interests of the decisions
• Obedience and loyalty can lead to the wrong decision (groupthink),
• Removal of alternatives between which there are big discrepancies, to ease analysis process.
• Making less risky decisions
• Tendency to dominate the group by formal (or informal) leader
• A long time needed to solve the problem

See also:

• Impact of information on decision-making
• Selection process in conditions of certainty and uncertainty

Group decision making — recommended articles

Marston model — Social Style — Decision process models — Belbin team role inventory — Levels of leadership — Stress interview — Cross-cultural leadership — Atmosphere at work — Sales techniques

References

• Janis, I. L. (1982). Groupthink: Psychological studies of policy decisions and fiascoes (Vol. 349). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Janis, I. L. (1971). Groupthink. Psychology today, 5(6), 43-46.
• Hart, P. (1990). Groupthink in government: A study of small groups and policy failure. Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers.
• Newell, A., & Simon, H. A. (1972). Human problem solving (Vol. 104, No. 9). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
• Simon, H. A. (1978). Information-processing theory of human problem solving. Handbook of learning and cognitive processes, 5, 271-295.

Author: Krzysztof Wozniak