TEAM DECISION MAKING
Discussion on decision making process was started in previous lecture/chapter. We tried to understand various aspects of decision making including the process of decision making, types of decision making etc. In this lecture we will try to apply that process of decision making and also to understand the team decision making.
Apply decision making steps to the following situation.
“You want to buy a car”
To make a better decision following step will be taken and few question might need to be answered. o What is your situation?
o / SITUATION: You want or need a car.o / CHOICES: / What are your choices?
o / CHOICES: / Buy the car. Don’t buy the car
o / CONSEQUENCES - YESYou must spend your money for - Car Cost
On Insurance, on General Maintenance and Gas/Petrol Charges
o CONSEQUENCES - ifYES
How will you pay for the car? -
You may have to work to pay for the car.
You may think about buying through Leasing etc.
o CONSEQUENCES - ifYES
How will your Study be affected? You will have less time to study
o CONSEQUENCES – ifYES
How will your leisure and social time be affected? You will have less leisure and social time.
o CONSEQUENCES -NO
a. You will be able to save more money to buy a better car.
b.You will have more money to spend on clothes, buy computer, motor-bike and fun.
c. You will have more leisure time.
o DECISION
a. YES or b. No
o DECISION
Which decision would you make?
It depends on situation and priority of each individual. The consequence of each decision could be different. Remember, some decisions will be good and some decisions will be bad. But you will learn something from every decision you make!!!
Team Decision Making:
Use Individual Decision Making When:
o You have the information to make a good decision o The situation is urgent
o Subordinates are already committed or their commitment doesn’t matter
Use Team/Group For Decision Making When:
o No one knows the answer or the expertise is in the group o You want to increase the commitment of subordinates
o The situation is not urgent in the sense that it requires an immediate response
o You, as manager/leader, can live with choice
Group/Team Decision MakingAdvantages / Disadvantages
o More information & knowledge are / o / The process takes longer, so it is more
Available / o / costly
o More alternatives are likely to be / Compromise decisions due to
generated. / o / indecisiveness may emerge
o More acceptance of the final decision is / One person may dominate the group
likely / Groupthink may occur
oEnhanced communication of the decision may result better decisions
Methods of Group/Team Decision Making (Johnson & Johnson, 1991) o Decision by authority without discussion
o Expert member
o Average of member’s opinions
o Decision by authority after discussion o Majority control
o Minority control o Consensus
Decisions made in groups can be made by one of four main methods. o Unilaterally by an individual
o By simple majority vote
o By consensus – everyone agreeing to support the conclusion o Subgroup of team
Which one is the best? There is no “best”. Different types fit best for different situations.
Unilateral approach has one person make the decision for the whole group.
Pros / Conso Enables you to move fast. / o / Some people might not understand
o Takes care of the small stuff. / o / rationale for decision
o Works well in emergencies / Decision maker may make decision
o Works well when one person has all / with inadequate info
relevant information and is trusted / o Generates less support for the decision
Simple majority voting works when you don’t have time for consensus building.
Pros / Cons
o Easy to use / o / Breeds winners v. losers climate
o Works when everyone has the same / o / Lessens creativity and flexibility since
information and already understands others / difficult to consider many options.
o Implementation can be handled by majority / Sometimes it artificially limits choices.
o Helps in managing large groups
Consensus means everyone supports a decision. It does not mean unanimity or that everyone gets what they want.
Pros / Conso Good for very important decisions / o Takes the longest
o Builds strongest buy-in / o Requires highest level of communication
o Make for quickest implementation / skills
o Develops a group’s problem solving skills
Subgroup of a team is appropriate under the / following circumstances.
Pros / Cons
o Appropriate when subgroup is only entity / o When “pros” do not apply, this can result
affected
o Decision can be implemented w/o / in conflict and dissent regarding decision
involvement of majority / made by group
o Whole group is comfortable with
delegating authority
Relationship between type of decision and quality.
Team Problem Solving Techniques:
oConsensus presenting opinions and gaining agreement to support a decision. A proposal that isacceptable enough that all members are willing to support it. How can you reach a true consensus?
o Identify all options and views
o Build on common ideas
o Discuss the differences
o Propose alternatives or compromises to settle differences
o Test consensus when you seem to have a conclusion by “doing a check”. Go around room and have everyone given their current opinion.
o If consensus is not reached, repeat steps 1 – 5.
oBrainstorming process to generate a quantity of ideas. In this technique the goal is. Goal - toexamine as broad a range of options as possible
o Rules - Encourage free-wheeling - No discussion - No judgment - Write visibly all ideas o Sequence
o Review the topic (as a question)
o Minute or two of silence to think o Call out and write down ideas
o Nominal Group Technique process to generate ideas and evaluate solutions.
o A form of structured group decision making that enables everyone to participate and have his/her ideas heard without hostile criticism or distortions.
- A structured voting procedure is used to prioritize responses to the nominal question
o Stepladder Technique
o A decision making approach in which members are added one by one to a team.
o Two people starts a discussion of the task.
o Another member is added and then presents their ideas to the group.
o Then another and so on until decision is made.
oDelphi Technique process to generate ideas from physically dispersed experts.
o Used in situations where group members are unable to meet face to face.
oThe process.
A series of questions is distributed to a panel.
Panel members submit their responses to a decision coordinator.
The decision coordinator summarizes the responses, and sends the summary along with a follow-up questionnaire to the panel.
Panel members send in their responses.
The process is repeated until a consensus is reached.
oQuality circles (QC): a small group of employees who work voluntarily on company time,typically one hour per week, to address work-related problems
oQuality team: a team that is part of an organization’s structure & is empowered to act onits decisions regarding product & quality service
Concept of QC
The philosophy behind the concept of QC is that responsibility of generating quality is vested in the minds of all job related people instead of a few supervisor or inspectors. They
o Identify problems
o Collect and analyze data
o Make cause-effect relationships,
o Generate best solutions
oComputer-Aided Decision Making
o Expert Systems: a programmed decision tool set up using decision rules
oDecision Support Systems: computer and communication systems that process in comingdata and synthesize pertinent information for managers to use
oGroup Decision Support Systems: systems that use computer software andcommunication facilities to support group decision-making processes in either face-to-face meetings or dispersed meetings
Computer-mediated decision making. It is done through the electronic brainstorming through the use of special software and personal computers. The nominal group and Delphi techniques lend themselves to computer mediation
Potential Advantages of Group/Team Decision Making:
o More knowledge and expertise is applied to solve the problem. o A greater number of alternatives are examined.
o The final decision is better understood and accepted by all group/team members.
o More commitment among all group/team members to make the final decision work.
Potential Disadvantages of Group/ Teams Decision Making:
o Individuals may feel compelled to conform to the apparent wishes of the group/team.
o The group’s/team’s decision may be dominated by one individual or a small coalition.
o Group/team decisions usually take longer to make.
Improving Team Decision Making
o Assign the devil’s advocate role
o Be open to dissenting points of view
o Seek outside opinions
o Break up into smaller groups
o Rethink issues before making final decision
o Use brainstorming
Managing Group and Team Decision-Making Processeso / Be aware of the pros and cons of / o Have each group member individually
having a group or team make a / o / and critically evaluate all alternatives.
decision. / As a manager, do not make your
o Set deadlines for when decisions must / o / position known too early.
o / be made. / Appoint a group member to be a
Avoid problems with dominance by / “devil’s advocate.”
managing group membership.
o Hold a follow-up meeting to recheck
the decision.
EFFECTIVE TEAM COMMUNICATION
We are the second part of our course the team dynamics. Last two lecturers were focusing on decision making. In this lecture the focus will be on effective team communication. We have already discussed the basic concepts and principle of importance of communication during the first part of our course. Keeping in view the importance of communication in team performance this topic is again being discussed in this lecture.
Team Communication:
Communication is the process by which a person, group, or organization (the sender) transmits some type of information (the message) to another person, group or organization (the receiver) using some medium (Channels).
Communication encompasses both interpersonal communication (between two or more people) and organizational communication (all the patterns, networks, and system of communication within anorganization).
The Basic Communication Process:
Encoding – translating an idea into a form, such as written or spoken language, that can be recognizedby a receiver.
Transmission via communication channels – pathways over which information travels
- Telephone lines, radio, television
- Fiber-optic cables (e-mail)
Decoding – converting the message back into the sender’s original ideas. Feedback – providing information about the impact of messages on receivers.
Noise – factors that distort the clarity of messages that are encoded, transmitted, or decoded in thecommunication process.
- Unclear writing
- Listener’s inattentiveness
- Static along a telephone line
Same topic was discussed in detail in lecture number 23 and 24.
Communication and Leadership: The importance of effective communication cannot beoveremphasized because everything a manager/leader does involves communicating. Effective leaders are also effective communicators. To be effective, the leader must synchronize verbal and nonverbal behavior Technology has had also a meaningful impact on leaders’ communication and coordination.
o Effective leaders are also effective communicators
o To be effective, the leader must synchronize verbal and nonverbal behavior
o Technology has had a meaningful impact on leaders’ communication and coordination
Communication Creates a Team:
Communication makes the bridge between the team members and creates synergy within the team. Through communications, team members achieve organizational goals in more efficient manner.
The Top Three Qualifications Sought by Today Employers o Communication Skills
o Team Member
o Leadership Capabilities
That also indicates the importance of communication.
Team Communication: Internal communication: means communication between team members and key personals of theorganization.
o Formal
o Informal
oFormal communication is communication that follows the official chain of command or isrequired to do one’s job.
oInformal communication is communication that is not defined by the organization’sstructural hierarchy.
oInformal communication systems permit employees to satisfy their needs for socialinteraction.
oInformal communication systems can improve an organization’s performance bycreating alternative—and frequently faster and more efficient—channels of communication.
External communication: Communication between the team point of contact and the client orcustomers regarding contract requirements. E.g. documentation, reporting etc.
Team/Group Communications
Team/group communication will depend on
o Group Size: The larger the group, the harder it is for people to communicate with other groupmembers.
oGroup Structure: Communication is better in informally structured groups than in hierarchicallystructured groups.
oGroup Composition: Communication is better when there are different personality types in agroup and when groups are mixed rather than single sex.
oThe Physical Work Environment: Good workplace organisation can help encouragecommunications.
In Order for Teams to be Effective, the members must communicate effectively, share information and have a shared understanding of information presented to them.
Why Communication Is Important & Necessary…
o In a team you are ALL working towards a same goal/vision.
o You need to define and ensure that the goal/vision is shared by all the members.
oIf there are questions/issues about the goal/vision those need to be resolved quickly in order for the team to move forward.
o When decisions need to be made the team has to be made aware of the decision that is at hand.
o EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE ON BOARD
oIf communication keeps the team members informed, therefore a team working towards the same goal/vision can be more effective and efficient.
o Information is shared within team.
o Team members have knowledge
o Knowledge is power
o Sense of power gives members sense of belonging and dedication
o Dedicated members will contribute more and feel valuable to the team.
Any data, information transferred will ultimately create wisdom and help for an effective decision making by individuals, mangers and leaders.
Creating Team Communication:
o Ensure that goals are clearly defined.
o Interaction is aimed at solving problems and achieving team goals.
o Ensure team members trust each other by having open communication.
Characteristics of Open Communication:
o Members are encouraged to seek input from others.
o Disagreement is invited and dealt with as a vital part of making sound decisions.
o Team members share responsibility for communicating effectively.
o Everyone is pro-active to understand team goals.Guidelines to Team Communication:
o Be specific: include facts and details to avoid being unclear
oBe accurate: as much as possible be sure that the information you are giving is true andreliable.
oBe honest: be truthful with those you are communicating with and do not use questionableinformation.
o Be logical: make sure messages are easy to follow
oBe complete: give all needed information in regards to your ideas. oBe concise: be brief- not unnecessarily wordy.
o Be relevant: stay on task and give information that is needed.
o Ask for feedback: have recipients give comments on information.
Responsibilities of Team Members: o Open minded
o Listen to what is being said
o Give feedback to what is being said
o Make sure all team members have a chance to communicate their ideas.
o If decisions need to be made discuss pros and cons, and decide best option for TEAM. o Take ownership for what you say.
o Take responsibility for making sure you are heard and understood. o Use terminology and examples that your audience understands.
o Be aware of body language.
oAlways work to maintain the trust and confidence of those with whom you are communicating / working.
Getting Your Message Across:
o State the purpose of your message. o Communicate your message.
o Listen to the response of others.
oClear up any misunderstandings.
o Summarize and move to action.
Communication Tools:
o Face-to-face
o E-mail
o Chat rooms
o On-line
o Cell phone
o Search engines
o Somewhere between verbal and written communication o Easy for the recipient to misinterpret the message
Three Simple Guidelines for More Effective Email are 1) Write precisely, 2) Format intelligently and 3) Follow through.
Poor communication can lead to: o Wasted time and/or energy
o Lack of trust
o Misunderstandings
o Deadlines are not met
o Lack of change for the better
Communication is the leading cause of both conflict and resolution. It is a skill that requires life-long effort and learning. We must practice.