DECISION MAKING STRATEGY

OF A GROUP OR A TEAM

GROUP ASSIGNMENT

NAME: ENROLLMEN DEPARTMENT SEMESTER SECTION BATCH

T NO.: : : : :
MUSKAN A90606418133 BBA 5 A 2018--
SINGH 2021
MOUMITA A90606418125 BBA 5 A 2018--
BANIK 2021
RIYA A90606418148 BBA 5 A 2018--
MAJUMDA 2021
R
SIDHRA A90606418085 BBA 5 A 2018--
SHAHZAD 2021

COURSE CODE: BS301

CORSE TITLE: GROUP DYNAMICS AND TEAM BUILDING

 INTRODUCTION

Which dress to wear? , which toothpaste to buy? , Which investment

strategy to apply? All of these require making a decision. The worst
form of torture to an indecisive person is to constantly having them
make decisions. Decisions aren’t always a walk in the park and that’s
exactly why there are strategies to help one make better. There are so
many varieties and options today that it just makes deciding even
harder. In our day to day life we make several such decisions all
through the day however and if that’s not exhausting enough we have
group decision to make. Group decisions making is a crucial part of all
sorts of educational institutes, business and non business organizations and even our homes.

Then Why decision making strategy???

So basically Group decision making in a formal context is a type of participatory process in which
multiple individuals acting collectively, analyze problems or situations, consider and evaluate
alternative courses of action, and select from among the alternatives a solution or solutions. In order
to solve a particular problem or simply proceed as a step of a course of action when required.
Decision-making groups may be relatively informal in nature, or formally designated and charged
with a specific goal. The process used to arrive at decisions may be unstructured or structured. The
nature and composition of groups, their size, demographic makeup, structure, and purpose, all affect
their functioning to some degree. The number of people involved in group decision-making varies
greatly, but often ranges from two to seven. The individuals in a group may be demographically
similar or quite diverse. The external contingencies faced by groups (time pressure and conflicting
goals) impact the development and effectiveness of decision-making groups as well.
In an organization since there are different departments and different kinds of people with different
ideas it is important to evaluate each one of them only then can they get the best idea out in the light.
Group decision is crucial for coherence in an organization. Therefore it is important to understand
that groups are not the only form of collective work arrangement and group decision-making should
be distinguished from the concepts of teams, teamwork, and self managed teams. Although the
words teams and groups are often used interchangeably, scholars increasingly differentiate between
the two. To sum up group decision making helps to hold a company together and strive for
excellence collectively and hence strategizing it only makes the ride smoother without creating a
mess which is often an unfortunate causality if not strategized properly. We have all heard the
expression 'Two heads are better than one'? It is just another way of saying that usually people come
up with better solutions to problems if they have other people to collaborate with and bounce ideas
off of and that’s exactly why we need to emphasis on decision making strategies.
 LITERATURE REVIEW

AUTHORS, REVIEW & DEFINITIONS

SCHOLARS,
PHILOSOPHERS.
He defined: “the task of rational decision making is to select the
SIMON alternative that results in the more preferred set of all the possible
consequences.”

He said: “the term ‘science’ has increasingly come to mean an

ROBERT DAHL empirical science of politics. According to this view, ah empirical
science of politics would be concerned exclusively with the
validity of the factual or empirical elements”. The implication of
this contention is that without the help of data, facts and
information the policy maker cannot make any decision.
Rationality along with the data is the most important element of
decision-making process.”

They said: “Decision-Making is a process of selection from a set

HAYNESS AND of alternative courses of action which is thoughtful to fulfil the
MASSIE objective of the decision problem more satisfactorily than others.”

He said: “A decision may be defined as a conscious choice among

PHILIP KOTLER alternative courses of action.”

PETER F. He said: “Whatever a manager does he does through making

DUCKER decisions.”

He mentioned: “A decision is an act of choice wherein an

E. Mc. FARLAND executive forms a conclusion about what must be done in a given
situation. A decision represents a behaviour chosen from a number
of possible alternatives.”

He defined: “Decision making is the selection based on some

GEORGE R. criteria from two or more possible alternatives.”
TERRY

They defined: “Decision is the selection from among alternatives

KOONTZ & of a course of actions.”
O’DONNEL
 He said: “Decision making is the blend of thinking, deciding and
FRANKLIN G. acting.”
MOORE
Defined decision making as: “Decision making takes place in
MARY CUSHIN adopting objectives and choosing the means, and again when a
NITES change in the situation creates a necessity for adjustments.”
Thus, the marketing decision making refers to decisions about
marketing instruments that affect marketing activities like
planning, organizing, directing, controlling, staffing, etc.

He said: “Marketing decisions are those decisions which are

ERNEST DALE always made in the course of one of true management activities,
planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling, innovation
and representation.”
 DECISION MAKING STRATEGY OF A GROUP

A decision is a choice made from various available alternatives

Decision making involves commitment of the organisation, its employees and its resources
towards a particular course of action among various alternatives available to achieve some
predetermined objectives. Decision making helps manager to identify organisational
problems and attempt to solve it. It is carried out at all management levels in an
organisation. Decisions that are taken in an organisation are usually related to—Goals and
objective of the organisation, Organisational structure and design, Budgets, Time period,
Staff –( salaries, wages, working hours, promotion, demotion), Marketing mix—(product,
price, place, promotion) ,Research and design, etc. that is why a proper strategy is needed in
decision making as it is made for a long term benefit of the organisation

IMPORTANCE OF DECISION MAKING STRATEGY:

 Optimum and efficient utilisation of resources

 Aids in problem solving and facing business challenges
 Helps in business growth and achieving objectives
 Facilitates effective management and innovation
 Motivates employees and improves overall business performance

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DECISION MAKING

STRATEGY OF A GROUP:

ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:
Diversity in opinions along with collective Consumption of time
contributions of ideas

Team building Being silent in disagreement or clash of

opinions or ideas

Democratic decision making Rushing into decision making due to delay

in time and participation

Abundant information with experts opinions Overuse of authority and practicing

groupism
Participation and interests of individuals Disrupting the work behaviour of
hence motivating them organisation due to priorities, biasness,
social pressure
 DECISION MAKING STRATEGY TECHNIQUE:

There are basically four most important techniques widely used in decision making strategy
of a group. These are:

DELPHI TECHNIQUE

The Delphi technique is a process used to arrive at a group opinion or decision by surveying
a panel of experts who respond to several rounds of questionnaires, e-mail, fax, or online in
a discussion room or electronic bulletin board at successive stages where the responses are
aggregated and shared with the group after each round. The experts can adjust their answer
each round, based on how they interpret the "group response" provided to them in order to
reach the true consensus of what the group think and hence proceed with making a decision
based on that. This technique can be used when the individual members are in different
physical locations. The technique was developed at the Rand Corporation. The individuals in
the Delphi "group" are usually selected because of the specific knowledge or expertise of the
problem they possess. In the Delphi technique, each group member is asked to
independently provide ideas, input, and/or alternative solutions to the decision problem.

An example of where the Delphi technique could be used in a business organization taking
the current situation into account could be as follows. At the beginning of the covid19
pandemic there were many countries that where under a complete lockdown for a few
months and there were a few companies who even stopped paying their staffs or reduced
payment. For this example we are taking that period of time. Suppose a decision regarding
the new payment structure at that particular time is needs to be made and due to the
pandemic the required personals to make the said decision have moved to their home cities
and they are all not currently at the same place. Adding to that since talking about payment
especially at such a difficult time might be a little too difficult or even embarrassing for a
few. This is where the Delphi technique could be used a set of questionnaire could be sent
via mail to those personals and a decision could be made on the basis of that. That way one
can be anonymous and that will help in achieving an honest response. I have particularly
taken this example to keep it as relevant as possible with the current world scenario.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DECISION MAKING

STRATEGY OF A GROUP:

ADVANTAGES: DISADVANTAGES:
Helps to generate opinions from a diverse set of Responses are often slow with this technique
experts unlike other strategies.

Does not require to bring everyone together for It does not have the same essence of a live
a physical meeting. discussion

Since the responses of the participants are Sometimes the response received from experts
 anonymous, individual panellists don't have to might provide no actual or natural value.
worry about repercussions for their opinions
and responds can be expected to come with total
honesty.
Helps bring out individuality and own opinions There are a lack of clear methodological
which are in no way influenced by what others guidelines
have to say such as peer-pressure which tends to
happen sometimes while using other strategies.

Responses are weighted equally so no one Does not allow participant discussion and there
person can shift the opinions of the group is no opportunity for participants to elaborate on
their views

Allows use of a “committee” with fewer Continued commitment is required from

drawbacks (scheduling, travel/space participants who are being asked a similar
requirements, lengthy discussions) question multiple times

However if we consider all the factors than we can say that Delphi technique is indeed a
very viable and effective method of group decision making it gives time to the participants
to think properly about their opinion and responses, therefore being able to contribute with
full hand at the problem that has to be solved. This is effective only when applied in the
right situation.

DIALECTICAL INQUIRY & DEVIL’S ADVOCACY

The devil’s advocacy is a decision making technique where the group is allowed to become
the critic in the proposed decision. Mason and Mitroff (1981) have summarized research on
devil’s advocacy and led to its elaborated form and termed it as dialectical inquiry
Dialectical inquiry is a group decision-making technique that focuses on ensuring full
consideration of alternatives. Essentially, it involves dividing the group into opposing sides,
which debate the advantages and disadvantages of proposed solutions or decisions whereas
in devil's advocacy, requires that one member of the group highlight the potential problems
with a proposed decision. Both of these techniques are designed to try and make sure that
the group considers all possible ramifications of its decision. Although it stimulates
programmed conflict, it is a constructive approach because its elicits the benefits and
limitations of opposing sets of ideas.

FUNCTIONING OF DEVIL”S ADVOCACY & DIALECTICAL INQUIRY:

DEVIL’S ADVOCACY DIALECTICAL INQUIRY

Presentation of chosen Presentation of Presentation of

alternatives alternative #1 alternative #2

Critique of chosen alternatives Debates between the

alternatives

Reassessment of chosen Reassessment of alternative.

alternative. (Accept? Modify? (Accept #1 or #2? Combine
Reject?) #1 and #2? Reject both?)

The merits of Dialectical decision making include a better understanding of the proposals,
their underlying premises, and their pros and cons by the decision makers. Members are also
likely to feel more confident about the choice they made.

Disadvantages of Dialectical decision making include the propensity to forge a

compromise in order to avoid choosing sides and the tendency to focus more on who were
the better debaters than what the best decision should be. Nevertheless, the dialectic method
holds promise for future decision making groups.
 NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE

The Nominal Group Technique is a form of brainstorming, wherein a structured meeting is

held among the group members where they are required to find solutions to the problem
identified for the discussion.

In other words, a systematic and an organised group meeting held among the members to
facilitate decision making by properly identifying the problems and generating the solutions
thereof. The nominal group technique helps in preventing the discussion being dominated by
a single person and hence, allow the silent members, who are quite shy, to speak out their
ideas in the group.

The objective of nominal group technique is to resolve the opinion conflicts among the
group members by enabling each individual to pen down his/her thoughts about the problem
and later discuss it with the entire group to reach the consensus solution.

STEPS IN NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE:

The nominal group training is comprised of the following steps:

1. First of all, the facilitator welcomes all the participants and then briefs about
the problem requiring decision.

2. The participants are given time to pen down their ideas that come to their
minds in reference to the problem being discussed. During this period, each
member writes his/her ideas silently without discussing anything with each
other.

3. Once all the members have written, their ideas are required to share them in
front of all the group members. At this stage, the facilitator chalks down the
ideas of each group member on the flip chart, thereby giving all the members
equal opportunity to share what they feel.

4. Once the key points are written on the chart, the members are asked to discuss
the points which they feel requires an explanation. Each member explains
his/her mind to the other members and in the meanwhile, the facilitator tries to
maintain the discussion as neutral as possible, thereby avoiding the criticism
 and judgement.

5. Once all points are explained, the members are asked to give vote or rank
various ideas by prioritising these in relation to the basic problem, for which
the meeting is held.

If the group does not reach a consensus decision, then again the ranks are assigned to the
recorded ideas and this process continues till the final decision is arrived.

One of the main advantages of nominal group technique is that it gives all the group
members an equal opportunity to speak out their minds. Also, some group members are
quite and shy, this method helps them to write down their ideas and discuss with the group
members. The major disadvantage is that this technique consumes a lot of time to arrive to
a final conclusion and also only one problem can be addressed at a time.

BRAINSTORMING

Brainstorming is a method design teams use to generate ideas to solve clearly defined design
problems. In controlled conditions and a free-thinking environment, teams approach a
problem by such means as “How Might We” questions. They produce a vast array of ideas
and draw links between them to find potential solutions.

Why brainstorming a crucial element in a business organisation?

“Capital isn’t that important in business. Experience isn’t that important. You can get both
of these things. What is important, is ideas.” – Harvey Firestone

Brainstorming is defined as “the mulling over of ideas by one or more individuals in an

attempt to devise or find a solution to a problem”. With just this definition, it’s easy to see
that brainstorming, and brainstorming successfully, is vital to the success of a business.
Ideation, or commonly known as idea generation, is something of a commodity in business.
After so many years, with many different varieties of new technologies, how does a new
business come into the industry and make an impact? Or on the same vein, how does an
established business continue to grow and develop to suit their customer base?
Brainstorming is a key component of successful idea generation in business. There are a
multitude of uses for brainstorming. Most people associate brainstorming with new product
ideas or marketing campaigns – but brainstorming can also be used for tasks including
internal procedures, company structure and written articles. It all depends on the type of
business and the approach that business takes to collaborations. There are, of course, many
other ways that these types of issues could be resolved – so why bother with brainstorming?
Here are three key reasons:

Collecting The best way to find out how people feel about a product line,
Viewpoints a service offering, the way in which a company is structured or
even internal processes is fairly obvious – ask them!
Brainstorming and collecting the viewpoints of others helps to
create ideas and innovations that are widely respected within
a business.
Encourages Similar to the above, inviting the wider stakeholders of a company
Thought into brainstorming encourages employees at all levels to think
critically about current issues or future goals – and this is likely to
feed into their future endeavours within a company.
Builds Team Instead of one person feeling the pressure to come up with an
Relationships amazing new idea, brainstorming allows employees to share the
load of innovation, and encourages employees to work together
respectfully and responsibly, to develop ideas and create viable
solutions to problems.

These are three main ways that brainstorming can benefit the continuing evolution of your
business. But how do you then build an environment that encourages brainstorming?

There are no set rules or regulations for brainstorming sessions – that’s part of the beauty of
it. But there are a few things you can do to create a culture of brainstorming and idea
generation in your workplace.

o Avoid Judging Ideas Immediately – People are far more likely to share
their ideas and visions in a comfortable and supportive space – arrange
to include all ideas, record all ideas, and make the time to judge them
on their merits at a later date. People need to feel able to share any
ideas they may have – create an inclusive and non-judgemental space to
accommodate. 

o Encourage a Little ‘Crazy’– In a similar vein to the point above,

remember to encourage a few wild ideas from your staff and
stakeholders. These so-called ‘crazy’ ideas can be adjusted later, if
required – but remember that many of the world’s best inventions and
creations came from a bizarre idea. Be open to exploring everything.

o Think of Ideas as Building Blocks – Nobody comes into a brainstorming

session with the world’s most perfect, affordable, useful and marketable
product or service in mind. Allow your brainstormers to build on each
 other’s ideas – often; another person’s idea is what sparks someone
else’s creativity. Many ideas can be combined and integrated to great
effect… allows the idea to develop organically wherever possible.

o Keep Focused on the Task at Hand – If you’re part of a growing

business, with many exciting opportunities, then that is fantastic – but it
can be very detrimental to successful brainstorming. If you’re holding a
brainstorming meeting for a particular issue, perhaps around themes
for a coming event, then ensure that your discussions stay focused on
that, and don’t veer into unchartered territory like product ideas for
the coming year. Keep confusion to a minimum.

o Create a Display – Visuals are a great addition to brainstorming

meetings – arrange for a whiteboard, or colourful stationery supplies
for those involved. This will help people to connect images to their
ideas, and build on the ideas of others.

These are just a few ideas to help implement a well-organised brainstorming session – but
it’s definitely not an exhaustive list.
 7 STEPS OF DECISION MAKING STRATEGY:

Step 1: Identify the This first step is very important. Here the decision maker realizes the need
decision to make a decision. They try to clearly define the nature of the decision that
they must make. At this stage the decision maker become aware about the
problem that is to be solved or for which the decision is should be made.
Step 2: Gather Collection of some pertinent information before making the decision: what
relevant information is needed, the best sources of information, and how to get it.
information This step involves both internal and external “work.” Some information is
internal: you’ll seek it through a process of self-assessment. Other
information is external: you’ll find it online, in books, from other people,
and from other sources. Here the decision maker also understands and
analyses the problem and attempts to describe the problem and objectives
that are to be achieved by the solution.
Step 3: Identify the After collecting the information, the decision maker will probably identify
alternatives several possible paths of action, or alternatives. They can also use their
imagination and additional information to construct new alternatives. In this
step, they will list all possible and desirable alternatives or formulation of
different alternate course of action that can be followed to make a decision.
The decision maker Evaluate whether the need identified in Step 1 would
Step 4: Weigh the be met or resolved through the use of each alternative. As they go through
evidence\ this difficult internal process, they’ll begin to favour certain alternatives:
evaluation of the those that seem to have a higher potential for reaching the goal. Finally,
alternative here placing of the alternatives in a priority order, based upon your own
value system is done. Hence, this step involves evaluation of the various
alternatives on the basis of their feasibility of a particular situation, market
and business situation, resources of the organisation etc.
Step 5: Choose Once the decision makers have weighed all the evidence, they are ready to
among alternatives select the alternative that seems to be the best one for the decision. They
may even choose a combination of alternatives. Their choice in Step 5 may
very likely be the same or similar to the alternative they had placed at the
top of their list at the end of Step 4. Hence, here after the analysing and
evaluating the possible outcome of each course of action the most suitable,
feasible and profitable option is selected
Step 6: Take action Now the decision makers are ready to take some positive action by
beginning to implement the alternative they chose in Step 5. Hence, here
the decision makers involve implementing of the decision they made and
they also make sure that the selected course of action meets the expected
outcomes.
Step 7: Review the In this final step, the decision makers consider the results of their decision
 decision & its and evaluate whether or not it has resolved the need they identified in Step
consequences\ 1. If the decision has not met the identified need, they may want to repeat
feedback certain steps of the process to make a new decision. For example, they
might want to gather more detailed or somewhat different information or
explore additional alternatives. Hence, here a feedback from all the parties
involved in this decision making is taken and if there is a need of revisiting
the choices of alternatives or some problem arises in the decision made then
this calls for a new decision and so on. Hence we can conclude from here
that decision making is a continuous process.

CONCLUSION

Decision making is a critical component of business.

Some decisions are obvious and can be made quickly,
without investing much time and effort in the decision-
making process. Others, however, require substantial
consideration of the circumstances surrounding the
decision, available alternatives, and potential outcomes.
Fortunately, there are several methods that can be used
when making a difficult decision, depending on various
environmental factors. Some decisions are best made by
groups. Group decision-making processes also have multiple models to follow, depending
on the situation. Even when specific models are followed, groups and individuals can often
fall into potential decision-making pitfalls. If too little information is available, decisions
might be made based on a feeling. On the other hand, if too much information is presented,
people can suffer from analysis paralysis, in which no decision is reached because of the
overwhelming number of alternatives.

Ethics and culture both play a part in decision making. From time to time, a decision can be
legal but not ethical. These grey areas that surround decision making can further complicate
the process, but following basic guidelines can help people ensure that the decisions they
make are ethical and fair. Additionally, different cultures can have different styles of
decision making. In business, decisions are an everyday occurrence. The challenge we all
face is when t make a decision based on a group input as opposed to making a decision on
individual input. If we make a decision as a group we are getting a consensus which is
cohesive agreeable decision made by more than one person. This consensus takes into
account the different viewpoints, backgrounds and perspectives of the individuals that made
the decision.

Truly, it is a team decision and one that can bring individuals in an organisation together to
fix a problem strategically.
 REFERENCES

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9. Decision Wise: 6 Ways Managers Can Improve Team Creativity and Decision
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12. NOLS: 4 Strategies Leaders Use to Make Better Decisions
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 CONTRIBUITION TABLE

NAME: TOPICS:
 MUSKAN SINGH  DECISION MAKING
STRATEGY(Definition,
Importance, Advantages and
Disadvantages )
 DIALECTICAL INQUIRY
TECHNIQUE
 7 STEPS OF DECISION
MAKING STRATEGY
 (COMBINING AND
EDITING)
 MOUMITA BANIK  INTRODUCTION
 DELPHI TECHNIQUE OF
DECISION MAKING
 RIYA MAJUMDAR  LITERATURE RIVIEW
 BRAINSTORMING
TECHNIQUE
 SIDHRA SHEHZAD  CONCLUSION
 NOMINAL GROUP
TECHNIQUE