Group decision making is also known as the collaborative decision making process. It is a situation where several individuals are required to collectively make a choice from the different choices or alternatives before them. The decisions made by the groups are usually different from decisions made by any single individual. This is because several individuals possess the power of social influence in contributing to the outcome of the decision to be made.
Steps in decision making process in relation to a case
A special case for the decision making process which was very critical and followed the group decision making process is the case of two co-captains of a recreational basketball league .They are low with two points on their team and they need to make decision basing on two of their players ability to score. The team needs to decide on whether to pass the ball to Mary who has successful scored from close range to make two points .If Mary scores two points the game will end in a tie. The other alternative for the team is to pass the ball to Brady who has been successfully scoring three points in order for them to win. The two co-captains have different suggestions whereby Kristen one of the captains is considering for a draw
While Ahmed the second co-captain is considering a win by passing the ball to Brady to make the three pointer score. The decision has to be made on the time out given. The team has to determine their own fate by making a decision which will determine their position whether to play the next match or no by the result of their decision.
Decision making is a process which is experienced on many other occasions’ as well .This decisions to be made affects or determines the next decisions to be made by individuals or groups. Basically when working in groups the decisions made expand exponentially. The first step in decision making by groups is to identify and define the problem. This technic enables the group members to get acquainted with the decisions to be made .The second step is gathering of information and examine the possible constraints. This step identifies the factors surrounding the decisions to be made. These processes enables the group members to be in a position to effectively determine the nature of the decision or the issues involved to the best of their knowledge and abilities. At this point it is very essential for the group members to be very sure they have defined the problem exhaustively. This two first steps have three considerations which should not be ignored in the decision making process. The first consideration is for the group members to determine their current position and where they would like to be after the decision have been made. This is basically the difference that exists between their reality and their desired position after making of the decision. The second important consideration is for the group to get the relevant information which is timely and very relevant to the decision to be made. The group should have in mind, who holds the issue, what is the current issue, when is the issue a major concern how, where, when and why is the issue to happen. And the last consideration is for the group is to discuss the position of the group and the expected position after decision making process. At this point both Kristin and Ahmed have identifies and effectively defined the decision to be made which is to pass the ball to Mary or to Brady. This problem can be solved effectively by conducting an effective cost-benefit analysis of the knowledge on the issue. On Kristen an Ahmed their cost is losing the game and the benefit is for them wining and continuing to play other games. The group can go ahead and analyse the benefits and short -coming of a particular decision and weigh its impact after the decision has been made. This phase can be characterized by involving professionals to encourage a well-reasoned approach in the process of identifying and defining of the decisions depending on the weight of the issue at hand. The third phase in the group decision making process is to identify and evaluate the available alternative cause of action. At this phase most of the groups generate a list of possible decisions .They are also traps that the group may fall to .This includes
- The group may lack the knowledge or skill to identify or evaluate alternatives
- The group may still have not established a way of notifying and evaluating different choices.
- The group may pressure its members who have better ideas or skills to conform to what others are engaging on
- The group may also fail in identifying other alternatives.
One of the common pitfalls is the discarding of some better alternatives in the initial processes. Professionals have a vital role in guiding teams or groups to avoid pitfalls by offering an open and free debate so that every individual could iron out their issues. The professionals in the case of Ahmed and Kristen can be the team coach who can give more insight on the decision to be taken by the team. From the case of this team the only two promising actions to be taken is by using Mary and Brady .There can be a better plan of action but the team will relay on this two individuals basing on the past good track record in the scoring of the goals. The fourth step in the decision making process is the choosing of one best among the alternatives available. The move taken by Ahmed and Kristin will result In support by other players who contributed to it or it may not be supported due to some players who feel there are marginalized or if the decision making process wasn’t a groups affair. The fifth stage in the in the group’s decision making process is the implementation of the decision. At this stage the team had decided to choose on Brady to give the team a win. Therefore the players must coordinate as per the laid out plan to effectively pass the ball to Brady for him to score. The last phase in this decision making process is to evaluate the outcome of the decision made. In our case bradly scored therefore giving the team a win. This was fruitful for the team as it wished to win in order to advance to play other play offs. On the event that Brady didn’t score the blame would be highly bared upon by the team members or to the player who didn’t execute their part as it was supposed to have been done.
Instances where the group decision making processes is not fruitful
Looking at another instance on the basketball team and the decisions they had to make .It could have failed if the players didn’t follow the right decision making process .The players could have simply identified their dilemma as the first step of their decision making process. They are supposed to gather details relating to problem. If they give shallow facts concerning the defence of the opponent team and the best player to perform the action the team will be heading to get defeated. On the third step whereby the team is to evaluate and identify alternatives is also a step which can lead to the team losing if Kirstein and Ahmed don’t coordinate their team well. if the team is not coordinated it will be bound to lose the game to its opponents therefore this team will only fail if there is no sufficient attention being paid on the relevant key aspects. The team will not be united and therefore leading to its defeat through the varied different opinions which will not be thoroughly analysed by the whole team to come up with the most effective plan. Poor decisions are affected by the various factors discussed above if they are not well taken care of. Some may include personal issues or opinions due to past experiences from a similar fate in the past. This habits must be avoided in order to come up with an effective decision making process.
Conclusion
It is highly observable on the impact bestowed on the effective decision making process. This process requires all brains of the involved parties to effectively work together on an aim of getting the most from the situation at hand. Decisions making techniques are very vital for every individual due to the many decision we encounter as a team or individuals in our day to day lives.
Reference
Deborah O'Connor, B. P. (2009). Decision-Making, Personhood and Dementia: Exploring the Interface. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Eric Allen, M. D. (1999). Price-Based Commitment Decisions in the Electricity Market. Springer.
Griffin, R. W. (2013). Fundamentals of Management. Cengage Learning.
Lorentzen, B. L. (2008). Effects of Family Group Decision Making in a Voluntary Family Maintenance . california: ProQuest.
Nas, T. F. (1996). Cost-Benefit Analysis: Theory and Application. SAGE.
