CH3. Decision Making Flashcards
Brainstorming Process
1.Group members should not evaluate or criticize
each others’ ideas as they are being generated.
2.Focus on generating as many ideas as possible.
3.Express all ideas that come to mind no matter how “unusual” or “strange”.
4.Attend to the ideas of others and combine or improve them.
Brainstorming: Reducing Barriers
Redicing Barriers
Participants could be asked to individually generate ideas prior to or after a group brainstorm session;
Designate a team member or external person to take on facilitator role for the brainstorming exercise
Record keeping
Follow-up:
Summary notes & next steps to participants
Tips for Brainstorming
Limit group size (no more than 8)
Try to have as diverse a group as possible
Offer individual and group brainstorming (called hybrid brainstorming)
Brainstorming Techniques
Silent Brainstorming – individually write down 15 words that you associate with the word / issue of concern and then share.
**Free Wheel **– members call out ideas and they are recorded as they are called.
Roundtable – facilitator asks each team member for response.
**Chain-writing **– individually write 3 ideas on a paper and pass along to the next person to add new ideas.
Group-sketching – individual draw picture to team issue, pass along for next person to draw related item to picture on paper.
Mind-mapping – cascade of ideas centered around main issue. Starbursting – Write “who, what, when, where, why, and how” at each point of star to
issue team has to address.
Storyboarding – Write down different elements members think belong to addressing the problem; collect all notes, remove duplicates, place and move the notes on a blank wall in order of process. Following agreement, document final solution.
Mindmapping
Starbursting
Analysis of ideas generated:
1. Process Affinity Grouping
1. Group set of generated ideas together that are similar
2. Prioritization Matrix
1. Priorize grouped ideas
3. Decision-making
A. Multi-Voting
B. Consensus
C. Majority
D. Averaging
E. Authority
Group Think
When members of the group display shared ideas, perceptions and viewpoints on issues and problems that need to be tackled.
Cohesive teams tend to suppress dissent, resulting in lack of consideration of variety of ideas / solutions.
If team leader is too dominant, other members may suppress their own views to conform.
Conditions Enabling Group Think
Desire to avoid being seen as foolish.
Desire to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the group.
Desire for ‘quick, easy’ decisions. oDemonstrate united front. oDecision-making under crisis.
Decision-making: Authority w/o Group Discussion
Process
Designated leader makes all decisions without consulting group members
Pros
Takes minimal time to make decision
Commonly used in organizations so it is familiar
Cons
No group interaction
Low on cooperation scale
Team may not understand decision and/or team may be unable to implement decision.
Decision-making: Expert
**Process: **
Select expert from group, let expert consider the issues and let the expert make decisions.
Pros:
Useful when one person on team has overwhelming expertise
Cons:
Team members may have different ideas from expert oNo group interaction
oMay become popularity or power issue
Decision-making: Averaging opinions
Process:
Separately ask each team his/her opinion and average the results Pros:
Extreme opinions and error cancelled out
Group members consulted
Useful when difficult to get team together to talk
Urgent decisions can be made
Cons:
No group interaction
Opinions of least and most knowledgeable members may cancel
Commitment to decision may not be strong
Unresolved conflict may exist or escalate
Decision-making: Authority After Group Discussion
Process:
Team creates ideas, has discussion, designated leader makes final decision
Pros:
Team is used more than previous methods
Cons:
Team is not part of decision
Team may compete for the leader’s attention
Team may tell leader what they want to hear
Still may not have commitment from team to the decision
Decision by Majority Vote/Rule
Process:
Most commonly used method (not synonymous with best method) Discuss decision until 51% or more of the team members make decision
Pros:
oUseful when not enough time to use consensus
oUseful when all member commitment is not needed for implementing decision
Cons:
Minority opinion not discussed
Full group interaction not obtained
May have unaddressed or unresolved conflict
Decision-making: Consensus
Process:
Collective decision arrived at through communication where all team members have an opportunity to speak and to listen to each other
Pros:
Most effective method of team decision-making
All team members express their thoughts and feelings
Team members “feel understood” as active listening is used
Cons:
Takes more time than previous methods
Takes psychological energy and high degree of team member skill (can be negative if team members not committed to process)
