2 pages

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-page paper addressing the following issues:

1. Are all voices equally heard, and is diversity of the group reflected within the feedback?

2. Is time spent at the meetings productive, or is a lot of time wasted?

3. Are the decisions that are made solid ones? Or do they suffer from problems mentioned in the background materials such as groupthink?

4. Are ideas expressed at meetings creative and original, or are original ideas discouraged?

5. 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 Sims (2002). 

References:

Anderson, D. R. (1990). Increased productivity via group decisionmaking. SuperVision, 51(9), 6. [ProQuest]

Braintools (2017). Brainstorming: Generating many radical, creative ideas.  Retrieved on 18 March 2017 from  www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html  

CDC (2017).  Gaining consensus among stakeholders through the nominal group technique.  Retrieved on 18 March 2018 from  www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/evaluation/pdf/brief7.pdf

Haughey, D. (2017). Delphi technique: A step-by-step guide.  Retrieved on 18 March 2017 from  www.projectsmart.co.uk/delphi-technique-a-step-by-step-guide.php

Sims, R. R. (2002). Chapter 8: Decision making. Managing Organizational Behavior. Westport, CT, USA: Greenwood Press, pp. 205-210. [eBook Academic Collection. Note – you don’t have to read the whole chapter, just the section on group decision-making]