Group Decision Making

Joining together into groups has been a part of human culture since we were in elementary school. The concept of forming ideas as a group rather than individuals stays with us as humans all the way through the work field as well. Chapter 12 discusses the advantages and disadvantages of group-aided decision making. A simple definition for group-aided decision making is "a type of participatory process in which multiple individuals acting collectively, analyze problems or situations, consider and evaluate alternative courses of action, and select from among the alternatives a solution or solutions" (Hinsz). There are three guidelines that first must be analyzed to determine whether groups would be more beneficial. The first, is if "additional information would increase the quality of the decision, managers should involve those people who can provide the needed information" (Kreitner 355). The second, is if acceptance is important, "managers need to involve those individuals whose acceptance and commitment are important" (Kreitner 355). The last step is, "if people can be developed through their participation," managers should want to involve those whose "development is most important" (Kreitner 355).
Chapter 5 also continues to discuss the different types of group decision making methods. The first, is Brainstorming-a process to generate a quantity of ideas. The second, is the nominal group technique-process to generate ideas and evaluate solutions. Other group problem solving techniques included in chapter 5 are, the Delphi Technique and Computer-Aided Decision Making.

Hinsz, V.B., and G.S. Nickell. "Positive Reactions to Working in Groups in a Study of Group and Individual Goal Decision-Making." Group Dynamics 8 (2004): 253–264.