OB || Group Decision-Making and Work Teams

PART 4: Group Decision-Making and Work Teams

How groups decide, which techniques help, and what makes a team effective

Two heads are better than one, except when they are not. Groups can make brilliant decisions or terrible ones, depending on how the discussion is run. This part looks at the process of group decision-making, the techniques that improve it, and the kinds of work teams organisations build.

4.1 Group Decision-Making

Group decision-making is the process in which two or more people discuss a problem, evaluate alternatives and select a course of action.

Steps

1. Identify and define the problem.
2. Collect relevant facts and information.
3. Generate possible solutions.
4. Evaluate the costs, benefits, risks and feasibility of each alternative.
5. Select a decision using an agreed method.
6. Implement the decision and assign responsibilities.
7. Review the outcome and improve if necessary.

Advantages and disadvantages

Groupthink

Groupthink (Irving Janis, 1972) occurs when the desire for agreement becomes so strong that members stop examining alternatives critically or voicing doubts. A group can feel united and confident while heading towards a bad decision.

Typical symptoms:

• Illusion of invulnerability: “Nothing can go wrong with us.”
• Collective rationalisation: explaining away warning signs.
• Stereotyping outsiders or critics as weak or foolish.
• Direct pressure on members who disagree.
• Self-censorship: doubters keep quiet.
• Illusion of unanimity: silence is treated as agreement.

How to reduce it: invite different opinions, appoint a devil’s advocate, ask members to name the risks, bring in outside experts, let members think independently before the discussion, and have the leader speak last so that others are not influenced.

Group polarisation

Group polarisation occurs when discussion strengthens the group’s initial leaning. A group that starts off slightly in favour of a risky option may become even more willing to take risks after discussing it (sometimes called the risky shift); a cautious group may become even more cautious.

Individual versus group decisions

4.2 Techniques of Group Decision-Making

A. Brainstorming

Brainstorming (popularised by Alex Osborn in the 1950s) generates a large number of ideas without immediate criticism. The golden rule: no judging during idea generation.

1. Define the problem.
2. Invite ideas from members.
3. Avoid criticism in the first phase.
4. Record every idea.
5. Evaluate and shortlist later.
6. Select the most practical solution.

Example

A footwear shop team suggests festival discounts, social-media promotion, loyalty cards and home delivery to increase sales. All ideas are written down first; only afterwards does the team check cost and feasibility.

Advantages: creativity and participation. Limitations: some members dominate; some ideas may be unrealistic; shy members may hold back.

B. Nominal Group Technique (NGT)

NGT (Delbecq and Van de Ven, 1971) is a structured method in which members first think independently and silently, then share, clarify and rank ideas. It prevents dominant members from controlling the discussion.

1. Explain the problem.
2. Each member writes ideas independently.
3. Members share ideas one by one in turn.
4. The facilitator records all ideas.
5. The group discusses and clarifies alternatives.
6. Members rank or vote on the options.

Useful for balanced participation. Limitations: needs a skilled facilitator and may oversimplify complex problems.

C. Delphi Technique

The Delphi Technique collects opinions from a panel of experts through several rounds of questionnaires. A coordinator summarises responses and shares an anonymous summary so experts can reconsider their views. Members never meet face to face, so no one is influenced by status or personality.

1. Define the problem and select experts.
2. Send the first questionnaire.
3. Summarise the responses.
4. Share an anonymous summary.
5. Repeat rounds if needed.
6. Prepare the final assessment or forecast.

Useful for forecasting and complex expert judgement. Limitations: time-consuming, questionnaire fatigue, quality depends on the experts.

D. Electronic meetings

Participants type their comments into computers or online tools, often anonymously, and results appear instantly on a screen. They support remote participation and record-keeping but may face technical problems, digital-access barriers and misunderstandings.

E. Majority voting

The option that gets the required majority is chosen. It is quick and simple, but minority concerns may be ignored and the most popular choice is not always the best.

F. Consensus

Consensus means reaching a decision that everyone can accept or support, even if it is not each person’s first choice. It improves commitment but can take a long time.

Summary of techniques

4.3 Work Teams

A work team is a group of people with complementary skills who coordinate their efforts to achieve a shared work objective. Katzenbach and Smith (1993) define a team as a small number of people with complementary skills, committed to a common purpose, performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Types of work teams

Characteristics of effective teams

• Clear goals and priorities.
• Suitable skills and team composition.
• Defined roles and responsibilities.
• Open communication and trust.
• Shared commitment and mutual accountability.
• Constructive conflict resolution.
• Adequate resources and training.
• Regular feedback and review.

Belbin’s team roles (extra, but very useful)

Meredith Belbin (1981) found that successful teams are made of people who naturally play different roles. A team full of only brilliant idea people, for example, never finishes anything. Belbin described nine roles:

Common team problems and solutions

Team building

Team building means planned activities that improve relationships, coordination and the team’s ability to achieve results.

• Clarify team goals and how success will be measured.
• Agree on roles, decision rights and working rules.
• Build trust through reliable behaviour and respectful communication.
• Practise problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills.
• Use activities that require cooperation rather than only competition.
• Review what went well and what needs improvement after each task.

Katzenbach and Smith emphasise four ingredients: a meaningful common purpose, specific performance goals, complementary skills and mutual accountability.

Approaches to team building