There is a growing trend in many organizations where task groups play a role in decision making. The manner in which organizations are run and the way duties are carried out shows a great improvement in management strategies. Self managing groups have received great emphasis in terms of decision making and planning. Managers are delegating important operational and strategic planning duties to selected task groups in the organizations. Although this have proven to be a success to some extent, the decision making process is not easy and could lead to the passing of uninformed decisions by virtue of majority. This paper addresses the issue of use of groups for decision making, the common strategies applied as well as the problems associated with this approach. It also discusses the strategies that could be employed to determine efficiency in group decision making.
The group decision making process involve the use of different techniques to reach a stand that is taken to be the decision of the group. Some of these techniques include the widely used majority vote where the group discusses issues until majority of the members agree on one thing. The use of simple majority is said to be the best way to reach decisions but critics say that it suppresses the view of the minority (Gupta, 2006). The other technique used is consensus where the members discuss until they agree on what to do. The problem with this technique is that it can take a lot of time before the members reach a decision. The decision making process may also include the use of the minority or an expert where few members give their views on what the group should follow. The use of authority is also applied in decision making where the leader decides on behalf of the group to save time. This could either be after the group discusses the issue or the leader could just decide without calling for a meeting or discussion.
The group decision making process is mainly faced by one major problem which is to get the consensus of the members to support the decision reached regardless of the technique or method used. This in itself creates a series of challenges because each method used does not necessarily include the opinions and views of all members. For instance, the use of authority creates a sense of subordination and may lead to passing of uninformed decisions by the leader of the group while the majority vote may create unnecessary competition in the group. People opposed to various suggestions may make it hard for the group to reach a decision especially when using the consensus technique.
Efficient group management strategies
There are several strategies that could be considered to ensure there is efficiency and productivity in the group decision making process. To begin with creating a healthy environment where all members are free to air their views. This encourages the members to contribute and reach consensus fast. It is also essential to encourage high rate of members’ participation as well as incorporate the different views of the members to come up with one unanimous decision informed by all members. The group should also apply high levels of expertise in making decisions as well as clearly understand their task or duties. The other strategies that could be employed include listening to all members not only in terms of what they say but the rationale of their arguments. The use of knowledge, pursue of the best information as well as proper time management is also important.
The use of selected task groups is an important approach in decision making for many organizations. The strategies used in the process determine the success and the credibility of the information considered in reaching certain decisions. It is therefore important for the members of these task groups to be informed on the task at hand to ensure that they overcome the problems that face the process and make informed decisions on behalf of the organization.
References
Gupta, M. (2006). Quantitative Techniques For Decision Making 3Rd Ed. New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
Lussier, R. (2008). Management Fundamentals: Concepts, Applications, Skill Development. New York: Cengage brain.
Pekel, J. & Wallace, D. (2006). The ten step method of decision making. Retrieved from http://www.authenticityconsulting.com/misc/long.pdf
