Firstly, I would like to give am example of the group that I am
inquiring about.
The Board of Directors of a UK based company consists of 8 people. It
is headed by the Chairman and consists of four executive directors and
three non executive directors who retain full responsibility for the
direction and control of the company. The board meets quarterly and
delegate the day – to day – management of the business and the
executive directors meet fortnightly to consider progress on trading,
divisional and individual objectives, and to discuss new ideas. All
directors have access to independent professional advice at he expense
of the company and need to come to a decision collectively as a group.

What are the problems associated with group decision making? What
techniques can be applied to improve group decision making? How would
you recommind that this group could improve its descision making.

I would need atleast 3-4 prolems and the same for techniques. Hoping
for a quick reply.

Hello Lats~

"Perhaps the most serious problem in small group decision making is
the failure to identify a clear and consistent set of goals," says
John Gastil, from the Department of Communications at the University
of Wisconsin, in his excellent article on common problems in group
decision making ( http://www.fao.org/sd/ppdirect/ppan0009.htm )

His suggestion for finding common goals? Start thinking about them
immediately; don't put off that part of the decision-making process.
He also recommends that the goals be general--never too specific that
disagreements can barge in. In your case, for example, the group might
agree that their main goal is to "run a more efficient organization."

Gastil adds: "Ultimately, the group needs to perform specific tasks,
but the initial goals can be clear without being too specific. If
members can agree on a broad goal like income generation, they can
better understand why they are working together. One group member may
wish to plant corn, while another may wish to plant beans, but both
can agree on the same general goal of making their farms more
profitable. Later, the group can decide upon more specific objectives
within this broader goal."

Once basic goals are laid out, the next problem area may be agreeing
on how to implement those goals. Gastil says, "If a group fails to
agree on its procedures, it will reach decisions in a disorganized and
inconsistent manner. Some members may make different decisions on
their own, and members may disagree about whether the group has
reached agreement on an issue. The most persuasive or dominant group
member may try to make all of the group's decisions, or the group may
fall apart."

The first step to avoiding pitfalls in this area is to decide whether
the entire group will make all the decisions, or whether smaller
groups will study the situation and make decisions for the group as a
whole. (Rather the way committees work on most boards...and something
you already, in a sense, are doing with outside professional help. It
may prove more productive, however, to have several directors work
with one professional; that way, not just one director is being used
to filter the professional advice.) Typically, it will slow the group
down if it's felt that *everyone* must agree on everything. A
democratic process is usually more efficient.

Long meetings are another problem. They not only waste time, but
discourage the group members to a degree that they skip meetings (or
at least wish they could). As Gastil points out: "Long meetings can
decrease group productivity by delaying decisions or causing members
to male unwise decisions due to exhaustion. Long meetings can also
make the group less democratic because the group members with more
stamina can dominate the members who become tired more quickly."

To fix this problem, designate one person to keep everyone on track.
This person should not be afraid to speak up when the conversation
strays into unproductive areas, and they should be able to monitor
time. Gastil suggests that every member of the group perform this task
at least once, so that they can better appreciate how important it is
to stay on track. Another cure to long meetings is to set up a
meeting-end time before hand; then stick to it. If appropriate, you
can even designate a certain block of time for each item that needs to
be discussed in the meeting. Again, this should be set up before the
meeting.

Allowing one (or a handful) of people to dominate the discussion is
another common problem. Solve this problem by choosing a fair monitor
who isn't afraid to interrupt and let others have an opportunity to
speak.

I highly recommend that you read Gastil's article in full, for more
ideas:
http://www.fao.org/sd/ppdirect/ppan0009.htm 

You may also find this article, which briefly covers the important
aspects of group decision-making, helpful:
http://www.union.arizona.edu/csil/leadership/101/groupdecision.php

This article from CPA Journal Online also covers some interesting
points: http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/old/15703015.htm

Good luck!
kriswrite

Keywords Used:
group decision* problems
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"group decision-making" problems
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I was not satisfied with the answer as it was a very general
answer,and did not answer my question the way it should. The entire
answer is also based on just 1 article from a website - (
http://www.fao.org/sd/ppdirect/ppan0009.htm ).Thus I would like a
refund on this answer.
 
.