Overcoming Barriers to Effective Decision Making

You have just examined different outcomes of a faulty group decision process under the phenomenon called group think. In fact, these "faults" are not exclusive to group decisions only. You will appreciate that in the early stages of any decision process, there is the likelihood that a variety of perceptual biases may interfere with problem analysis or the identification of possible solutions. Elbing (1978) has identified several roadblocks that can impede managerial effectiveness in arriving at the most suitable decision : 

• The tendency to evaluate before one investigates. Early evaluation precludes inquiry into a fuller understanding of the situations. 
• The tendency to equate new and old experiences, This often causes managers to look for what is similar rather than what is unique in a new problem. 
• The tendency to use available solutions, rather than consider new or innovative ones. 
• The tendency to deal with problems at face value, rather than ask questions that might illuminate reasons behind the more obvious aspects of the problem. 
• The tendency  to direct decisions toward a single goal. Most problems involve multiple goals that must be handled simultaneously. 
• The tendency to confuse symptoms and problems. 
• The tendency to overlook unsolvable problems and instead concentrate on simpler concerns. 
• The tendency to respond automatically  or to act before thinking. 

Problems like these often cause managers to act in haste before the facts are known and often before the actual underlying problem is recognised or understood. A knowledge of these roadblocks will assist you in your attempts to analyse problem situations and make reasoned decisions. 

In case you are a member or leader of any decision making group, you would like to overcome the emergence of a groupthink mentality in groups and organisations. Taking your cue from Janis you can now formulate several strategies to overcome the barriers : 

• Group leaders can encourage each member to be a critical elevator or various proposals. 
• When groups are given a problem to solve, leaders can refrain from starting their own position and instead encourage open enquiry and impartial probing of a wide range of alternatives. 
• The organisation can give the same problem to two different independent groups and compare the resulting solutions. 
• Before the group reaches a final decision, members can be required to take a respite at intervals and seek advice from other wings of the organisation before returning to make a decision. 
• Outside experts can be invited to group meetings and encouraged to challenge the views of group members. 
• At every group meeting, one member could be appointed as a devil's advocate to challenge the testimony of those advocating the majority position. 
• When considering the feasibility and effectiveness of various alternatives, divide the group into two sections for independent discussions and compare results. 
• After deciding on a preliminary consensus on the fist choice for a course of action, schedule a second meeting during which members of the group express their residual doubts and rethink the entire issue prior to finalizing the decision and initiating action. 

In other words, if groups are aware of the problems of group think, several specific, and relatively simple steps can be taken to minimize the likelihood of falling victim to this problem. As you already know, recognizing the problem represents half the battle in the effort to make more effective decisions in organisational settings.