Wk 4 Research Paper -Decision Making, Leadership, & Problem Solving in Teams

Introduction

Organizational success depends on effective collective decision-making, influencing results and fostering collaboration. Structured and effective decision-making processes are essential for businesses and teams in a complicated and changing world. To determine their efficacy, this paper studies three popular group decision-making techniques—Nominal Group Technique (NGT), Delphi Technique, and Ringi Technique. Group decision-making is critical to corporate success, problem-solving, and creativity. A group’s intelligence typically exceeds an individual’s, giving varied viewpoints and skills. Communication issues, opposing perspectives, and influential voices overshadowing others complicate the process. Understanding and using group decision-making procedures is essential for overcoming these hurdles and maximizing collaboration.

Nominal Group Technique (NGT): NGT emphasizes equal participation in idea generation, discussion, and prioritization. It balances individual contributions with methodical decision-making. Delphi Technique: A panel of experts provides anonymous comments to reach a consensus. This strategy is beneficial for synthesizing multiple perspectives on complex or ambiguous issues. The Japanese Ringi Technique promotes organizational hierarchy consensus-building. It entails sharing a decision-making plan with each management level for discussion and approval, creating ownership and collaboration. This paper discusses NGT, the Delphi Technique, and the Ringi Technique’s origins, methods, benefits, and drawbacks. We intend to determine the contextual applicability of each technique and determine which two are more beneficial in various decision-making circumstances through comparative analysis. This study is academically and practically helpful for organizations seeking to improve group decision-making in a changing environment.

Nominal Group Technique

Group decision-making using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) emphasizes active and equal participation from all members. NGT was developed by André Delbecq and Andrew Van de Ven in the early 1970s to overcome brainstorming’s limits. The method harnesses group creativity and ideas while assuring methodical and orderly decision-making (Barlett, 2022). Process and Steps: Silent Idea Generation: Participants silently generate problem or question-related ideas. This first phase lets people think and write without outside interference. Round-Robin Idea Sharing: Each member shares one view from their list. This step assures equal involvement, and all voices are heard. Structured debate follows round-robin sharing. Participants can ask questions, voice opinions, and evaluate ideas. The facilitator keeps the discussion on track. Voting and Prioritization: Participants rank or rate pictures individually. Votes are counted to determine the most popular suggestions. Final Group Ranking: The group debates and organizes ideas based on votes. This step ensures unanimity and straightforward decision-making.

Advantages and disadvantages of NGT

Advantages: Equal Participation: NGT prevents influential personalities from overshadowing others by allowing everyone to contribute. Structured Process: The method streamlines creativity and decision-making. NGT reduces groupthink by permitting individual cognitive processes before group debate. Disadvantages: Multiple rounds of idea generation and discussion can be time-consuming, especially with bigger groups. NGT’s structure may limit creativity compared to open-ended techniques.

Case Study of NGT Use:

Example: Healthcare Decisions Patient care methods are prioritized using NGT in healthcare. NGT helped healthcare personnel assess viable actions to improve patient outcomes, ensuring that multiple departmental viewpoints were addressed (Maguire et al., 2022). These examples demonstrate NGT’s adaptability across industries and ability to facilitate consensus-driven decision-making.

The Delphi Method

The Delphi Technique uses structured conversation and forecasting to reach expert consensus. The Delphi Technique, developed by Olaf Helmer and Norman Dalkey at RAND in the 1950s, was originally for military planning. It has evolved to be used in business, healthcare, and technology. Process and Steps: Expert Selection: Based on their knowledge and expertise related to the problem or inquiry, a diverse panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) is carefully selected. Anonymous participation: The Delphi Technique provides anonymity. Experts give judgments or predictions without knowing other participants’ identities (Nasa et al., 2021). Round-Robin Questions: The facilitator or researcher asks open-ended questions to the panel. Individual experts provide topic-related insights and predictions. Responses are collected, compiled, and sent to the board. This iteration lets professionals reassess their initial conclusions based on group insights. Iterative Rounds: The facilitator refines and synthesizes responses after each round of inquiry and feedback (Beiderbeck et al., 2021). Reach consensus or find recurring disagreements. Agreement or Reporting: Delphi continues until experts find peace. Decision-makers or stakeholders receive the final results or recommendations.

Delphi Technique Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages: Expert Involvement: The Delphi Technique uses various experts to inform choices from several perspectives. Participants’ anonymity encourages honest and unbiased responses, decreasing the dominating personalities’ effect. Since the Delphi process refines opinions, it helps reach a more accurate and informed agreement.

Disadvantages: Resource-intensive: Coordinating numerous rounds of communication and analysis takes time and effort using the Delphi Technique. Groupthink: Despite anonymity measures, dominant beliefs may affect certain members, resulting in groupthink.

Case Study of Delphi Technique Use

Tech Forecasting: Technology companies use the Delphi Technique to predict trends and technologies. To predict technology trends, software developers, cybersecurity experts, and AI experts participated in many anonymous questionnaires. In addition, The Delphi Technique has been used by government organizations to consult policy experts on complicated subjects, including climate change and public health. Politicians can make educated decisions from multiple perspectives by anonymously gathering expert ideas. These examples show how the Delphi Technique can reach expert consensus and make informed decisions in uncertain and complex subjects.

Ringi Technique

Japanese decision-making method, the Ringi Technique, promotes organizational hierarchical consensus. Japanese enterprises and government entities widely embraced the post-World War II Ringi Technique. Japanese “ringi” means “documents going around” and refers to circulating proposals for approval and comment. Process and Steps: An individual or team prepares a thorough proposal for a decision or project. The proposal describes the goals, methodology, and expected results. The proposal is subsequently distributed to relevant stakeholders in the organization, usually in order of hierarchy (Bicer, 2023). Each level of management reviews and comments on the proposal. Each management-level recipient adds comments, ideas, or approvals to the disseminated document. This process continues until the proposal reaches top management. The highest management level makes the final decision after considering all stakeholders’ opinions and approvals. This technique ensures organizational support and consensus for choices.

Ringi Technique Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages: The Ringi Technique promotes consensus-building by incorporating many management levels in decision-making. This fosters shared ownership and responsibility. Proposal circulation ensures decision-making transparency. Different stakeholders can see the decision-making process and provide input. Risk Mitigation: The Ringi Technique involves several layers of management to detect potential risks and problems early in the decision-making process, allowing for modifications. Disadvantages: It takes time to circulate recommendations through management, especially in larger firms. Bureaucracy: The Ringi Technique may delay decisions due to various management approvals. Examples of Ringi Technique Use: A government agency planned to use Ringi strategically. The proposal for critical projects and resource allocation was shared with department heads for discussion and revisions to meet organizational goals.

Comparative Analysis

Nominal Group Technique (NGT):

1. Promotes structured equal participation.
2. Uses face-to-face communication to brainstorm and prioritize.

The Delphi Method:

1. An expert panel provides anonymous feedback iteratively.
2. Seek consensus through several conversation cycles.

Ringi Method:

1. Organizational hierarchy consensus-building.
2. Proposals for approval and criticism.

Effectiveness Evaluation Criteria:

1. Inclusivity: How varied opinions figure into decision-making.
2. Efficiency: Decision-making time and resources.
3. Consensus: Group agreement and alignment.

• Adaptability: The technique’s adaptability to organizational structures and decision situations.

Each Technique’s Advantages and Disadvantages:

Nominal Group Technique (NGT):

1. Strengths: Structured, equal participation, little groupthink.
2. Limitation: Time-consuming, restricted creativity.

The Delphi Method:

1. Strengths: Expertise, anonymity, honest criticism, iterative refinement.
2. Limitations: Resource-intensive, anonymity can lead to groupthink.

Ringi Method:

1. Strengths: Transparency, consensus, risk mitigation.
2. Limitation: It takes time and can cause bureaucratic delays.

Contextual Suitability

Nominal Group Technique (NGT): Team brainstorming and workshops are best for face-to-face collaboration.

The Delphi Method is effective for technological forecasting and complex policy issues requiring various expert viewpoints.

Ringi Method: Ideal for hierarchical organizations, consensus decision-making, and managerial alignment. The decision-making context determines the choice between NGT, Delphi, and Ringi Technique. Delphi is great for expert-driven judgments, Ringi for hierarchical organizations, and NGT for innovation. Understanding the pros and cons of each technique helps firms customize their approach to the decision and group dynamics.

Preference and Choice

Explaining the Two Group Decision-Making Methods: I chose the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) and Delphi Technique as the group decision-making methods. Nominal Group Technique (NGT): NGT is preferred for its equitable participation and structured creativity and decision-making. In face-to-face collaboration, NGT ensures that all team members actively participate in debate and decision-making. The Delphi Method: The Delphi Technique is unique in its capacity to anonymously gather expert opinions and iteratively improve them to a consensus. This method is excellent for projecting technology trends or making difficult policy decisions that require expert views.

Reason for Preference:

The Delphi Technique and NGT are preferred for their strengths. NGT is liked for its systematic way of harnessing group innovation, increasing inclusion and reducing dominant voices. The Delphi Technique, on the other hand, is effective in gathering unbiased expert perspectives and refining discoveries across numerous rounds. NGT works well in face-to-face meetings like team brainstorming, project kick-offs, and strategy workshops. It guarantees that all team members actively offer ideas and opinions, promoting inclusive and collaborative decision-making. Technology forecasting and emerging market strategies benefit from the Delphi Technique’s diversified expert viewpoints. It allows specialists to contribute anonymously and reduces the influence of dominant personalities when face-to-face collaboration is impractical. Decision-making depends on team or organizational dynamics. NGT may be better for flat businesses that value open cooperation. In hierarchical companies or situations where expert opinions must be anonymous, the Delphi Technique works better. Understanding organizational culture and dynamics ensures that the chosen methods match the group’s values and structure, increasing the likelihood of success and acceptability (Neck et al., 2020).

In conclusion, the study examined three popular group decision-making methods: Nominal Group Technique (NGT), Delphi Technique, and Ringi Technique. Each method has pros and cons, making it suited for different situations. Key findings show that NGT fosters creativity and inclusivity through structured face-to-face cooperation, while the Delphi Technique anonymously leverages multiple expert perspectives. The Ringi Technique builds corporate consensus, reduces risk and provides transparency. Practitioners and organizations should evaluate the decision-making context, organizational culture, and expertise when choosing a technique. Combining approaches or tailoring them to team dynamics can improve decision-making. Organizational effectiveness depends on collaborative decision-making. The methods should match the organization’s culture and decisions. Practitioners may handle complexity, create cooperation, and make educated decisions that impact the business using these strategies. In a fast-changing business environment, collaborative decision-making can harness collective intellect, foster buy-in, and lead to success.

References

Barlett, D. (2022). What is Nominal Group Technique? Study.com. https://study.com/learn/lesson/nominal-group-technique-process-examples.html

Maguire, T., Garvey, L., Ryan, J., Olasoji, M., & Willets, G. (2022). Using the Nominal Group Technique to determine a nursing framework for a forensic mental health service: A discussion paper. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13023

Nasa, P., Jain, R., & Juneja, D. (2021). Delphi methodology in healthcare research: How to decide its appropriateness. World Journal of Methodology, 11(4), 116–129. https://doi.org/10.5662/wjm.v11.i4.116

Beiderbeck, D., Frevel, N., von der Gracht, H. A., Schmidt, S. L., & Schweitzer, V. M. (2021). Preparing, conducting, and analyzing Delphi surveys: Cross-disciplinary practices, new directions, and advancements. MethodsX, 8, 101401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2021.101401

Bicer, C. (2023). The Role of “Ringi” Approach to Gain Consensus in Strategic Decision-Making Process: An Overview. Economics Business and Organization Research Year: 2023, 5(2), 134–148. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3075048

Neck, C. P., Houghton, J. D., & Murray, E. L. (2020). Management. SAGE Publications.