Group Decision-Making Techniques: Is it innovative?

 

An important role of company leaders is to make group-based decisions. Engaging the opinions and perspectives of others, as part of the decision-making process, is most beneficial. However, as group sizes increase, opinions will vary, which may in result complicate the decision-making process. Hence, there are several techniques that, if followed, can provide a much-needed structure that will help make effective and meaningful decisions. 

When choosing a group decision-making technique, the group must identify the technique that best fits their culture and the situation to be resolved. Following an inclusive technique will also ensure that all opinions are heard and will in return increase engagement and overall productivity within an organization (Dagher, 2021). 

 One of the most known techniques is the Delphi technique. In the case that a group of experts can provide a more valid consensus on a complex idea than an individual expert can, the Delphi technique helps the group identify and organize top opinions. Broken down into 6 steps, the Delphi technique combines the opinions and ideas of a larger group, then extracts potential lists and tasks from each idea. These lists are then placed on the table for the larger group to discuss and condense until a majority decision is made. Following these steps enables subject matter experts to collect as many ideas as the group can provide and identify the most important factors in each opinion. Although there are several arguments against the effectiveness of the Delphi technique, mostly around its “validity, the dominance of possible thought collectives and the reproduction of possible power structures”, this technique has proven to be useful when implemented in an appropriate environment (Niederberger & Spranger, 2020). 

Another well-known group-decision making technique, which is somewhat similar to the Delphi technique, is the Stepladder technique. Also broken down into 5 steps, the Stepladder technique starts by having the subject matter expert present the task or challenge to the group, giving all enough time to individually brainstorm potential ideas. Then, starting with a two-person group, each individual shares their opinion. The small group is then joined by a third individual to share their ideas before hearing the other two individual’s ideas. The same process is repeated, with one new person joining the group at a time to present their ideas before hearing others’ opinions and prior to any discussion on the best possible approach. Following these steps “encourages each team member to give their personal opinion on a matter, before anyone can be influenced by the rest of the group”, and hence prov
ides a set of arguably unbiased opinions that best meet the group’s overall goals (Dagher, 2021).

While both techniques follow a similar approach of including the group’s opinions and ideas as part of the elimination and decision-making process, the Stepladder approach encourages the observational aspect more than the Delphi technique, which may aid in making more idealistic decisions. The main goal of both techniques is to ensure no single individual is dominating the discussion, and that all opinions are equally heard and analyzed, with the overall benefit of the organization kept in mind.

References:
Dagher, K. (2021, June 21). 10 of the Most Effective Group Decision Making Techniques. Fellow. Retrieved September 1, 2022, from https://fellow.app/blog/productivity/group-decision-making-techniques/#delphi 

Niederberger, M., & Spranger, J. (2020). Delphi Technique in Health Sciences: A Map. Frontiers in Public Health, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00457

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