Group Decision Making Case, management homework help

Making
decisions as a group can be very challenging. It can lead to conflict
and take up huge amounts of time, and often it is difficult to come to
an agreement. Fortunately, several different techniques have been
developed to overcome some of these difficulties. No one technique is
considered the best for all situations, as all of the techniques have
advantages and disadvantages.

For this assignment, first
thoroughly review the background readings and pay close attention to
three group decision-making processes—the Delphi technique,
brainstorming, and the Nominal Group Technique. Pay close attention to
the discussion of these methods in Rao (2009), Bolland and Fletcher
(2012), and Sims (2002). The Anderson (1990) article will be helpful as
well.

Below are three different scenarios. For each scenario,
explain which group decision-making technique you would choose out of
brainstorming, nominal group, or Delphi. Justify your answer with
references from the required background materials. Your paper should be 1000 in length:

1. The company you work for is in crisis.
   Several new competitors have been rapidly growing and taking away your
   customers. Your company’s sales are steadily dropping. You and the rest
   of the top management team know that creative new strategies are needed
   in order to keep up with the new competitors. Nobody is sure what needs
   to be done, but it is clear something drastic and original needs to
   happen in order to keep the company afloat. The top management team
   members are all extroverts who are not afraid to speak up at meetings,
   but they are often prone to conventional thinking. Which group
   decision-making technique do you recommend? Explain your reasoning, and
   use references to Rao (2009), Bolland and Fletcher (2012), or Sims
   (2002) to support your answer.
2. Your company is facing cost
   overruns and needs solutions on how best to cut costs. The top
   management team includes both introverts and extroverts, with the
   extroverts usually dominating the conversation at meetings. Furthermore,
   meetings with this group often go off the agenda and drift into
   tangential subjects. A quick decision needs be made with input from all
   members of the team. Which group decision-making technique do you
   recommend? Explain your reasoning, and use references to Rao (2009),
   Bolland and Fletcher (2012), or Sims (2002) to support your answer.
3. Your
   company needs to purchase a new software system as the old one is out
   of date. Your team consists of IT managers from all of the company’s
   overseas divisions. These managers are highly skilled and very
   knowledgeable about the different software options, but it is difficult
   to arrange a meeting with them due to the time differences and their
   very busy schedules. The decision is not urgent, but you need to make a
   decision within the next three months. Which group decision-making
   technique do you recommend? Explain your reasoning, and use references
   to Rao (2009), Bolland and Fletcher (2012), or Sims (2002) to support
   your answer.
4. Conclude your paper with a discussion about which
   of the three group decision-making processes (nominal group,
   brainstorming, or Delphi) is the most useful for the largest number of
   situations. Explain your reasoning, and use references from the
   background materials to support your answer.

3 days ago