Fundamentals of Management, 11/e

How Can You Improve Group Decision Making?

Use these techniques to make group decisions more creative: (1) brainstorming, (2) the nominal group technique, and (3) electronic meetings.

What Is Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a relatively simple idea-generating process that specifically encourages any and all alternatives while withholding criticism of those alternatives.36 In a typical brainstorming session, a half-dozen to a dozen people sit around a table. Of course, technology is changing where that “table” is. The group leader states the problem in a clear manner that is understood by all participants. Members then shout out, offer up, fire off, “freewheel” as many alternatives as they can in a given time. No criticism is allowed, and all the ...