Title: Managing Group Decision Making | Boundless Management
Headings: Managing Group Decision Making
Managing Group Decision Making
Advantages and Disadvantages of Group Decision Making
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Advantages of Group Decision Making
Disadvantages of Group Decision Making
Diffusion of Responsibility
Lower Efficiency
Groupthink
The Manager’s Role in Group Decisions
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Employee Involvement in Decision Making
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms
Techniques for Reaching a Group Consensus
Learning Objectives
Key Takeaways
Key Points
Key Terms

Content: Disadvantages of Group Decision Making
Diffusion of Responsibility
One possible disadvantage of group decision making is that it can create a diffusion of responsibility that results in a lack of accountability for outcomes. In a sense, if everyone is responsible for a decision, then no one is. Moreover, group decisions can make it easier for members to deny personal responsibility and blame others for bad decisions. Lower Efficiency
Group decisions can also be less efficient than those made by an individual. Group decisions can take additional time because there is the requirement of participation, discussion, and coordination among group members. Without good facilitation and structure, meetings can get bogged down in trivial details that may matter a lot to one person but not to the others. Groupthink
One of the greatest inhibitors of effective group decision making is groupthink. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. By isolating themselves from outside influences and actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints in the interest of minimizing conflict, group members reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints. Loyalty to the group requires individuals to avoid raising controversial issues or alternative solutions, and there is a loss of individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking.