Various circumstances or difficulties in an organization necessitate different techniques to reaching a consensus. Three scenarios have been provided in this study that require the best decision-making technique. While the essential concepts may be the same, there are numerous strategies and instruments that can be used while trying to reach a decision. The brainstorming approach, nominal group technique, and Delphi technique are among the decision-making techniques demonstrated in this case (Decision-making components and techniques, 2014). As a result, this article will explore the best way to make a decision depending on three circumstances.
First Scenario
Primarily, the first case scenario where the company is in crisis due to the immerging competitors and the need to remain afloat requires a brainstorming technique for decision-making.
I would, therefore, recommend the brainstorming decision-making method for the first case. According Braintools (2017), brainstorming techniques is a relaxed, informal and a literal way of thinking during the decision-making process. All the team members are encouraged to contribute to the issues that affect a company. Furthermore, in brainstorming techniques, the ideas of the member must be a little bit original and creative at the same time. According to the first scenario, the members recognize the need to have original and innovative ideas so as to remain afloat in the marketing and hence the brainstorming technique. Additionally, the use of the conventional thinking is disregarded in the brainstorming technique (Lunenburg, 2011), and it makes the method more suitable because in the first case, the top management is prone to the conventional way of thinking. In the brainstorming technique, there is a free environment, which encourages all the group members to participate, and it suits the first case, which is composed social extroverts who would always want each member’s ideas to be heard.
Second Scenario
In the second scenario, I would recommend a nominal group technique. The nominal group technique ensures that each member of the organization presented at a meeting is accorded equal opportunities to participate in the decision-making process. In CDC (2017), it is also stated that the technique is suitable where different groups of people are present during the decision-making process. Like in this second scenario, there are the introverts and the extroverts who would like their ideas to be given priority. Nonetheless, the technique has the advantage of balancing the opinions of individuals and thus reducing the powers of the domination. Furthermore, the nominal group technique encourages generation and evaluation of the ideas from the members (Lunenburg, 2011). The input of the all the members must be accepted and evaluated in a universal manner. Finally, it is worth noting that in the nominal group technique, the evaluation of ideas is in a manner that each member’s idea is given an adequate attention.
Third Scenario
Lastly, there is the third scenario that needs the Delphi technique. In this case, individual managers are far overseas, and therefore meeting is technically impossible. The suitability of the Delphi method is that the members do not have a face-to-face meeting. Further, most of the time, the members have the expertise and therefore, their views are highly regarded even in their absentia. The members exchange their views and skills on the issue that is to be solved, and each independently suggests estimates to the group facilitator who at the end gives a final report. Besides, the experts have the opportunity of recording what the rest of the experts have contributed, but there is a lot of anonymity. The confidentiality of the process makes the experts who are the members express their ideas freely and it encourages openness (Haughey, 2017). There is no opportunity to admit errors and the need for revision of the earlier forecasts. Usually, the aim of the Delphi technique is to clarify on an issue, identify the areas, which bring disagreement as well as controversy and look for a consensus. In the Delphi method, making a decision is never urgent but the decision must be made within a recommendable timeline. Because it is difficult for the members of the group to meet due to busy schedules, a collection of the decisions of each expert will need the use of the questionnaires submitted through the email to the facilitator and it is done at stages until a universal agreement is reached. Therefore, the Delphi technique best suits the scenario where all the members cannot meet.
Conclusion
To sum up, the most suitable technique for decision-making is the nominal group technique. It is efficient and hence makes it be encouraging for usage in all scenarios that involve different groups of people who are introverts and extroverts. Unlike in brainstorming where only the extroverts feature most, the nominal group technique is for everyone (CDC, 2017). It is, therefore, superior to both the brainstorming and the Delphi techniques. In addition, the nominal group technique is most useful because it facilitates the implementation of decision-making. It usually provides a greater expression as well as the evaluation of decisions, and it is possible in almost all the events.
References
Braintools (2017). Brainstorming: Generating many radical, creative ideas. MindTools. Retrieved on March 18, 2017 from www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html
CDC (2017). Gaining consensus among stakeholders through the nominal group technique. Cdc.gov. Retrieved on March 18, 2017 from www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/evaluation/pdf/brief7.pdf
Decision-making components and techniques. (2014). New York, NY: Pearson Learning Solutions.
Haughey, D. (2017). Delphi technique: A step-by-step guide. Projectsmart.co.uk. Retrieved on March 18, 2017 from www.projectsmart.co.uk/delphi-technique-a-step-by-step-guide.php
Lunenburg, F.C. (2011). Decision making in organizations. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15(1), 1-9. Retrieved on July 12, 2017 from http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic%20Journal%20Volumes/Lunenburg,%20Fred%20C.%20Decision%20Making%20in%20Organizations%20IJMBA%20V15%20N1%202011.pdf
