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GROUP DECISION MAKING.
Term Paper ID:23572
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Essay Subject:
Definition, advantages & disadvantages, dangers of & solutions to groupthink.... More...
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6 Pages / 1350 Words
7 sources, 9 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
Definition, advantages & disadvantages, dangers of & solutions to groupthink.
Paper Introduction:
Introduction
In recent years, there has been a trend in management toward participatory management and the use of committees or quality circles which empower groups of employees to control more of their work environment. While many analysts cite the advantages of this trend, there are drawbacks associated with it as well. In addition to the time and resource costs that group decision making requires, there is the very real possibility that "groupthink" will become part of the decision making process. This tendency of highly cohesive groups to engage in self perpetuating and self-reinforcing behavior can lead to lower quality decisions than if different techniques were employed. In these situations, companies and organizations receive less than the full benefit of the group decision making process. This research examines group de
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Realizing that groupthink canappear in any group situation is, therefore, the responsibility of all teammembers, but the leader bears a special burden of recognizing the problem(Bernthal & Insko 68). Management. In many situations, a fewindividuals, or even a single individual, may dominate the discussionswhich lead to a decision. The GDSS helps eliminategroupthink by offering quantitative analytical tools which are notdependent on individuals. Works CitedAiken, Milam & Martin, Jeannette. "Groupthink Remodeled." Human Relations (May 1995): 537-557.Nurick, Aaron J. Introduction In recent years, there has been a trend in management towardparticipatory management and the use of committees or quality circles whichempower groups of employees to control more of their work environment.While many analysts cite the advantages of this trend, there are drawbacksassociated with it as well. Advantages of Group Decision Making Group decision making offers several advantages over individualdecision making. Conclusion Group decision making has strong advantages over individual decisionmaking, but there is also the risk that highly cohesive groups will lapseinto groupthink where only one or two alternatives are explored. Members may alsoconsider the group invulnerable to failure, or share an illusion ofunanimity; this illusion can be reinforced by members' tendencies torationalize decisions on a collective basis. Thistendency of highly cohesive groups to engage in self-perpetuating and self-reinforcing behavior can lead to lower quality decisions than if differenttechniques were employed. Participants can also submit commentsanonymously following the in-person process. All group members should receive training in group dynamics tounderstand how to communicate better with other group members. "Teamthink." Journal of Managerial Psychology (January 1995): 7-15.Neck, Christopher P., & Moorhead, G. This can be adifficult task if the group leader is highly charismatic and creativesince, in many cases, the leader's ideas may well be those which are mostappropriate and the group may simply become used to accepting those ideassince they have "always" worked in the past. "Cohesiveness Without Groupthink." Group & Organization Management (March 1993): 66-87."Creating a Team of Individuals." Journal of Management Development (September 1995): 25-28.Hitt, Michael A., Middlemist, R. These tools include analyzing and managing the group's beliefsand assumptions, encouraging internal dialogue, and creating positivemental images associated with the final decision. To avoid this problem, groups which are seeking solutions to problemsshould encourage the use of brainstorming; in this technique, all proposedsolutions are identified without judgment or criticism. By trainingparticipants to recognize the symptoms of groupthink and work towardavoiding and eliminating it, organizations can greatly enhance theirdecision making abilities. "Enhancing Business Communication with Group Decision Support Systems." Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication (September 1994): 24-26.Bernthal, Paul R., & Insko, Chester A. In order for this method to beeffective, members need to be trained so that the discussions are carriedout without personal attacks, but the group also needs to recognize thatunderstanding the reason something is being done is critical if a gooddecision is to be reached. Combatting Groupthink Combatting the factors which lead to groupthink begins by recognizingthat any organization is vulnerable to the problem. Dennis., & Mathis, Robert L. Theresult of groupthink is less creative solutions and the dominance of asingle individual, or a few individuals, over the group. Mental imagery is often used by individuals to help them accomplish aparticular task or solve a particular problem. Interpersonal conflict can hinder the group decision makingprocess, drawing out the time factor and making smooth implementation ofthe decision impossible. In these situations, companies and organizationsreceive less than the full benefit of the group decision making process.This research examines group decision making and focuses on the elements ofgroupthink and what can be done to combat this tendency. To combat groupthink, groups must recognize that there are tools usedby individual decision makers which can enhance the decision makingprocess. Disadvantages of Group Decision Making While group decision making has marked advantages over individualdecision making, there are also disadvantages associated with it thatmanagers need to be aware of. These are examples of limited dialogue in which the decisionis already made and the group is expected to reinforce, not discuss, thedecision. Inaddition, the cost of having more than one person involved in the processcan be high, particularly when senior members of the organization areinvolved. Forexample, a group charged with finding ways to reduce the man-hoursassociated with a particular task may arrive at a different decision if thereason is to reduce equipment use rather than to lay off workers.Identifying the assumptions and beliefs associated with a decision may,therefore, be a way to ensure that all participants understand the actualgoal of the group (Manz & Neck 7). Another symptom of groupthinkis the tendency among members to discount information from outside thegroup which does not agree with the general group consensus. In addition to the time and resource coststhat group decision making requires, there is the very real possibilitythat "groupthink" will become part of the decision making process. Such a technique can help groups come up with a large numberof creative solutions that would otherwise be overlooked, and can encourageparticipation by even the most reticent of members. The decisionby Coca-Cola to remove "Classic" Coke from the shelves and replace it with"New" Coke illustrates many of the symptoms of groupthink, including theorganization's belief that it was invulnerable ("Creating" 25). Because members of a group often have differentspecialties, the group typically receives more information or knowledgeabout the problem at hand. Finally, groupthink may evolve and taint thedecision making process (Hitt, Middlemist, & Mathis 122). Factors Which Contribute to Groupthink Groupthink symptoms include direct social pressure placed on a memberwho argues against the group's shared beliefs; having witnessed this typeof action in the past, members can begin to self-censor their own thoughtsor concerns when those deviate from the group consensus. In thisway, personality conflicts can be handled in such a way that they are notdetrimental to the decision making process, and group members can learn howto criticize ideas without causing hurt feelings. In addition, the use of anonymous comments canhelp elicit honest responses from all participants (Aiken & Martin 24). Only afterparticipants have no more alternatives are the items discussedindividually. In the area of beliefs and assumptions, group members need to betrained to ask questions about why a particular task is being done as wellas to find the best way to do that task. "Facilitating Effective Work Teams." SAM Advanced Management Journal (Winter 1993): 22-25. In addition to simplybeing the "nice" way to conduct business, strong interpersonal skills alsoenhance the likelihood that group members will have stronger support ofdecisions that are eventually reached, enhancing the implementation process(Nurick 23). Mental imagery can also beused in group situations to help the group identify potential problem areas(as well as areas of benefit) that might be associated with a particulardecision. In recent years, group decision support systems (GDSS) have gainedincreasing popularity as a way to improve group decision making and avoidgroupthink. This leads inevitably to groupthink. In addition, the group may well be able togenerate a larger number of alternatives, which can lead to more creativedecisions than individuals. Some group leaders simply present a decision andthen open up the floor for discussion, while other leaders present adecision and ask if there are any questions about how the decision is to beimplemented. NY: West, 1989.Manz, Charles C., & Neck, Christopher P. In this way, the group can develop "what if" scenarios regardingparticular decisions and use those scenarios to help develop more creativeand better decisions. A GDSS is typically based on a local area computer networkwhere group participants meet face-to-face and record comments, ranksolution alternatives, edit group documents, or perform other tasks using acomputerized environment. In addition, participation in groupdiscussions can increase acceptance among group members and thus result inhigher levels of commitment to the decision earlier in the process.Lastly, participation in the decision making process can lead to betterunderstanding of the reason the decision is adopted; this can result in asmoothing implementation of the decision (Hitt, Middlemist, & Mathis 122). Groupthink The term "groupthink" was coined by Janis in the early 197 s todescribe the phenomenon in which individuals within a group concur with agroup decision even when they have personal concerns about the decision.Groupthink can evolve in highly cohesive groups, but is also found ingroups dominated by only one or several members. While it is up to thegroup leader to try to avoid groupthink, it must also be acknowledged thatthe group leader is often the one who contributes the ideas which aresubject to groupthink ("Creating" 25). To begin with, group decision makingtypically requires more time than decisions made by individuals; groupswhich are too large for the task at hand may have great difficulty reachingconsensus, extending the time period associated with the decision. The internal dialogue that a group goes through is also a critical wayin which groups can fight groupthink. Verbalizing the beliefs and assumptions associated with any decisionis important because it is unlikely that all group participants will havethe same set of assumptions when the decision making process begins. Groups can use thesesame tools in order to avoid the pitfall of groupthink (Neck & Moorhead538).
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