Page 257 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Management Practices and Organisational Behaviour

Notes The disadvantages of electronic meetings are:
(a) Those who can type fast can outshine those who are verbally eloquent but poor
typists.

(b) Those with the best ideas don't get credit for them; and
(c) The process lacks the information richness of face-to-face oral communication.
Evaluating Effectiveness: The Table 12.1 below evaluates the different techniques for group
decision-making.
Table 12.1: Evaluating Group Effectiveness

Effective Criteria Interacting Brainstorming Nominal Delphi Electronic
Number of Ideas Low Moderate High High High
Quality of ideas Low Moderate High High High
Social pressure High Low Moderate Low Low
Money costs Low Low Low Low High
Speed Moderate Moderate Moderate Low High
Task orientation Low High High High High
Potential for High Low Moderate Low Low
interpersonal conflict
Feelings of High to low High High Moderate High
accomplishment
Commitment to High Not Applicable Moderate Low Moderate
solution
Develops group High High Moderate Low Low
cohesiveness

Source: J.K Murnighan, “Group Decision-making: What Strategies Should You Use?”, Management Review
(February 1981) Page 61.
5. Devil's Advocacy: In this method, an individual or a group is given the role of critic. This
person or persons (called Devil's Advocate) has the task of coming up with the potential
problems related to a proposed decision. This helps organisations avoid costly mistakes
in decision-making by identifying potential pitfalls in advance.
6. Quality Circles and Quality Teams: Quality circles are small groups that voluntarily meet
to provide input for solving quality or production problems. Quality circles are often
generated from the bottom up; that is, they provide advice to managers, who still retain
decision-making authority. As such, quality circles are not empowered to implement
their own recommendations. They operate in parallel, 'dotted-line' linkages to the
organisation's structure, and they rely on voluntary participation.
Quality teams, in contrast, are included in total quality management and other quality
improvement efforts as part of a change in the organisation's structure. Quality teams are
generated from the top down and are empowered to act on their own recommendations.
Quality Circles and quality teams are methods for using groups in the decision-making
process. The next method, self-managed teams take the concept of participation one step
further.
7. Self-managed Teams: Self-managed teams make many of the decisions that were once
reserved for managers, such as work scheduling, job assignments and staffing. Unlike
quality circles, whose role is an advisory one, self-managed teams are delegated authority
in the organisation's decision-making process.

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