Analyze the Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Decision Making

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The Answer is The advantages to using groups include: (1) greater pool of knowledge, (2) different approaches to a problem, (3) greater commitment to a decision, (4) better understanding of decision rationale, and (5) more visible role modeling. The disadvantages to using groups include: (1) social pressure, (2) a few people dominate, (3) goal displacement, and (4) groupthink.
You should use a contingency approach in deciding whether or not to include groups in the decision-making process. If the decision occurs frequently and is of a routine nature use groups because they tend to produce more consistent decisions than do individuals. Given time constraints, let the most competent individual rather than a group, make the decision. In the face of environmental threats such as time pressure and potential serious effects of a decision, groups use less information and fewer communication channels. This increases the probability of a bad decision. With complex tasks, managers should devise mechanisms to enhance communication effectiveness. The quality of communication strongly affects a group's productivity.

Analyze the Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Decision Making

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