Module 3 – Case
GROUP DECISION MAKING
Case Assignment
Making decisions as a group can be very challenging. It can
lead to conflict and take up huge amounts of time, and often it is difficult to
come to an agreement. Fortunately, several different techniques have been
developed to overcome some of these difficulties. No one technique is
considered the best for all situations, as all of the techniques have
advantages and disadvantages.
For this assignment, first thoroughly review the background
readings and pay close attention to three group decision-making processes—the
Delphi technique, brainstorming, and the Nominal Group Technique. Pay close
attention to the discussion of these methods in the assigned readings,
particularly Braintools (Brainstorming), CDC (Nominal Group Technique) and
Haughey (Delphi).
Below are three different scenarios. For each scenario,
explain which group decision-making technique you would choose out of brainstorming,
nominal group, or Delphi. Justify your answer with references from the required
background materials. Your paper should be 4–5 pages in length:
The company you work for is in crisis. Several new
competitors have been rapidly growing and taking away your customers. Your
company’s sales are steadily dropping. You and the rest of the top management
team know that creative new strategies are needed in order to keep up with the
new competitors. Nobody is sure what needs to be done, but it is clear something
drastic and original needs to happen in order to keep the company afloat. The
top management team members are all extroverts who are not afraid to speak up
at meetings, but they are often prone to conventional thinking. Which group
decision-making technique do you recommend? Explain your reasoning, using the
background readings to support your answer.
Your company is facing cost overruns and needs solutions on
how best to cut costs. The top management team includes both introverts and
extroverts, with the extroverts usually dominating the conversation at
meetings. Furthermore, meetings with this group often go off the agenda and
drift into tangential subjects. A quick decision needs be made with input from
all members of the team. Which group decision-making technique do you
recommend? Explain your reasoning, using the background readings to support
your answer.
Your company needs to purchase a new software system as the
old one is out of date. Your team consists of IT managers from all of the
company’s overseas divisions. These managers are highly skilled and very
knowledgeable about the different software options, but it is difficult to
arrange a meeting with them due to the time differences and their very busy
schedules. The decision is not urgent, but you need to make a decision within
the next three months. Which group decision-making technique do you recommend?
Explain your reasoning, using the background readings to support your answer.
Conclude your paper with a discussion about which of the
three group decision-making processes (nominal group, brainstorming, or Delphi)
is the most useful to you, considering the types of decision situations in
which you are typically involved. Explain your reasoning, and use references
from the background materials to support your answer.
Assignment Expectations
Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all
steps listed in the instructions.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to cite readings from the background materials
page. Rely primarily on the required background readings as your sources of
information.
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the
Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and
14 on in-text citations.
Module 3 – SLP
GROUP DECISION MAKING
One of the biggest complaints among managers is the huge
amount of time they have to spend in meetings. Ideally the purpose of meetings
is to put everyone’s heads together to solve a problem or make a decision. But
far too often they can lead to unproductive, time-wasting conversations and
even conflict.
For this assignment, think about some recent meetings you’ve
attended where a significant decision had to be made. Think carefully about how
some of the problems regarding group decision making that were discussed in the
background readings apply to what you’ve experienced. Then write a 2- to 3-page
paper addressing the following issues:
Are all voices equally heard, or are some people afraid to
speak up? Are participants in the meeting afraid to contradict senior
management?
Is time spent at the meetings productive, or is a lot of
time wasted?
Are the decisions that are made solid ones? Or do they
suffer from problems mentioned in the background materials such as groupthink?
Are ideas expressed at meetings creative and original, or
are original ideas discouraged?
Based on what you’ve described in Questions 1–4 above, what
kind of group decision-making process would you recommend be used in meetings
you attend? Base your answer on readings from the background materials such as
Moshal (2009), and Sims (2002).
SLP Assignment Expectations
Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all
steps listed in the instructions.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions; don’t go
off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background
materials.
Make sure to cite readings from the background materials
page. Rely primarily on the required background readings as your sources of
information.
Include both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the
Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 13 and
14 on in-text citations.
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