Nominal Grouping

Developed by Andre Decibel and Andrew Van de Ven, nominal grouping  differs from both brainstorming and synthetics in two important ways. Nominal grouping does not rely on free isolationist of ideas, and it purposely attempts to reduce verbal interaction. From this latter characteristic a nominal group derives its name it is a group "in name only". 

Nominal grouping has been found to be particularly effective in situations requiring a high degree of innovation and idea generation. It generally follows a  highly  structured procedure involving the following stages : 

Stage 1 

Seven to ten individuals with different backgrounds and training are brought together and familiarized with a selected problem such as, "What alternatives are available for achieving a set of objectives ?" 

Stage 2 

Each group member is asked to prepare a list of ideas in response to the identified problem, working silently and alone. 

Stage 3 

After a period of ten to fifteen minutes, group members share their ideas, fine at a time, in a round-robin manner. A group facilitator records the ideas  on a blackboard or chart for all to see. The round-robin process continues until all ideas are presented and recorded. 

Stage 4 

A period of structured interaction follows in which group members openly discuss and evaluate each recorded idea. At this point ideas may be reworded, combined, deleted, or added. 

Stage 5 

Each group member votes by privately ranking the presented ideas in order of their perceived importance. Following a brief discussion of the vote, a final secret ballot is conducted. The group's  preference is the arithmetical outcome of the individual votes. This concludes the meeting. 

Nominal grouping has been used successfully in a wide variety of organisations. Its principal benefit is that it minimizes the inhibiting effects of group interaction in the initial generation of alternative solutions. In this sense, the search process is pro-active rather than reactive. That is, group members must generate their own 

original ideas rather than "hitch-hike" on the ideas of others. Additionally, the use of a round-robin recording procedure allows risk-inclined group members to state risky solutions early, making it easier for less secure participants to engage in similar disclosure. Nominal grouping, however, also has limitations. Like brainstorming and synthetics, it can be time-consuming and, therefore, costly.