Page 132 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

There is usually .1 hetter collective judgment

On the other hand, there are some liabilities to employing

group decision making and problem solving: 2

1. In interactive groups there is pressure to conform. Some-
times these groups become susceptible to what is known
as "group think," in which people begin to think alike and
not tolerate new ideas or ideas contrary to those of the
group.

2. One individual may dominate the interactive group so that
his or her opinions prevail over those of the group. Nomi-
nal groups are designed to overcome this problem.

3. Groups typically require more time to come to decisions
than individuals do.

4. Although groups usually make better decisions than the
average individual, they seldom make better ones than
the superior individual. In fact, superior performance by
a group may result from the efforts of one superior group
member.

5. Spending an excessive amount of time arriving at a con-
sensus may negate the advantages of a good decision.

6. Groups sometimes make riskier decisions than they
should. This propensity of groups is known as the risky
shift.

When you weigh the pros and cons, the advantages win out. But
when using groups to generate creative solutions don't forget their
limitations.

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TECHNIQUES

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