Decision-Making Techniques: Group Discussion
Abstract
Decision-making comprises an essential part of any organization. It starts from the fundamental choice of founding the organization to its role in society and all the critical elements of how it runs. In all instances, the decisions that a business makes informs how it stands against competition and achieves its set targets and goals. One of the problems that may arise in the course of business is employees lacking motivation. These could result from several factors such as a fallout with the organizational culture, feelings of inadequacy, or dissatisfaction with how the organization manages its expectations and rewards excellent work. A demotivated workforce could lead to such problems within the business, such as low productivity, higher employee turnover, and even loss of clients. There are many techniques in decision making that a company can make use of to rectify such a case. A group discussion would be ideal in such an instance because of its qualitative nature and also considering the views, engagement, and contribution of the affected person.
Introduction
Businesses comprise a dynamic relationship between several parties, including clients, shareholders, and employees. Such association and strive towards providing particular services and products require decision making. Decision-making comprises identifying various options that address individual challenges and coming up with a choice of the best approach (Johansen & O’Brien, 2016). These can occur according to departments, employees choosing a course of action and execution of their roles, or even the whole company to take a specific direction. Businesses face obstacles and hurdles from both external and internal environments. The decisions that they make while handling such instances can influence their success or failure stories. This paper shall shed light on an internal problem that may arise within an organization. It shall also offer a solution in the form of the best decision-making technique. The same shall make use of scholarly articles and biblical principles to support the argument and approach. It shall conclude with a recommendations part, including new insights gained from the whole research process.
The problem
Demotivation and its causes
The employees of any organization form an essential part of the business. They are the driving force, doers, and executioners of various projects. Their commitment and loyalty are vital for the success of the organization. However, in some instances, such a workforce can become demoralized and lose psyche or motivation in their work. Some of the signs of such a workforce could range from slow or poor-quality work, absenteeism, and consistent lateness to work, lack of effort towards improving, boredom, and even leading negative discussions. According to Halushchak & Halushchak (2016), demotivation of the employees follows a step by step progress starting from such stages as feelings of discomfort, followed by an expression of discontent then an analysis of the pros and cons of staying in the same position. The employee then becomes fully detached from the organization and may either transfer to a different department or resign from the company and go to another. The courses of such demotivation can be diverse. One such leading cause of dissatisfaction is micromanagement. An organization that watches and monitors all the employees creates distrust with them (Maswabi & Qing, 2017). The workforce would, therefore, feel like strangers in the company that they should feel at home. Such close and strict supervision also portrays suspicion and doubt in the employees’ abilities. Another cause for such demotivation could arise when the employers feel like the job does not appreciate or value their efforts. They could feel like it is hopeless working hard as there would be no reward or recognition. There could also be fewer developmental opportunities, thus making the employees think stagnated and that they are wasting their time in the position. An organization that does not reward the employee’s efforts or acknowledges their work risks losing the workers. Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV) also encourages workers to do their jobs wholeheartedly as their rewards are in heaven. Merida (2015) highlights instances of God rewarding kings such as the case of King Solomon when God granted him wisdom and great wealth. In the same breath, kings that fell short of God’s glory also felt his wraths, such as King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel.
Challenges of such problems
Demotivation in the workforce presents some challenges that affect the progress and general being of the company. Such a group is uninspired hence work less, leading to lower productivity. When there is low productivity, the company is bound to make losses. When people work in places where they do not feel part and parcel of the work, they start to detach from work. Their output, therefore, fails to reflect anything about hard work. According to Aghayeya & Ślusarczyk (2019), relations within the workplace matter. The employees should have a constructive and meaningful association within themselves and with their supervisors and managers. They should understand that they are part of the same team, and their success is for the best of the whole company. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 encourages working together and states two people or working as a group is more effective than being alone. It offers one the chance to have a support system, and in trying moments, they can stand up for one another. In cases where poor relations exist between any of the parties, there is bound to be mistrust and lack of communication. Employees who do not relate well and work within the same department could lead to the failure of the whole department (Jones & George, 2019). They could fail to communicate and work together, leading to meager and disappointing results. In the case where the issue exists between employees and the supervisor, the employees could adopt avoidance tactics hence fail to meet the supervisor to discuss vital subjects. In some instances, a supervisor could be mean and arrogant towards the workers. These could lead to intimidation of the people over whom they have charge. In the course of discussions and meetings, it may also prevent the people from airing their views or making suggestions. Such relations are demanding on the peace and sanity of the people such that they cannot think critically or perform maximumly. Psalms 133:1 highlights the satisfaction and effectiveness in a performance that arises when God’s people exist in peace and relate well with each other.
The Solution
A demotivated and uninspired group cannot be beneficial to an organization. Instead, they pose a threat to the progress and existence of the group. As a result, such a company would have to come up with the most suitable approach to tackling this issue. The technique should be able to identify what the problem is, what caused it, and how to remedy the situation. In the case at hand, the organization would have to decide if they will turn to a qualitative or a quantitative approach to handling the problem. After a closer analysis of the situation and identifying what they would like to rectify, a qualitative method would seem more appropriate for their situation. These include approaches that target the intuitive aspects. They are subjective as they focus on other aspects of the case that needs a change and bases on other factors other than numerical data. Such an approach is the most appropriate for the circumstances at hand. It presents an in-depth analysis of the situation, looking at values, and considering the persons involved. It also accounts for the wishes, views, and opinions of the employees and studies what would work for their and the company’s best interests. Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages Christians to seeks peace and harmony with each other. In every instance that they associate, they should aim at ensuring that everyone is happy, comfortable, and productive.
From the qualitative approach, two techniques emerge that seem applicable to the case at hand. These include the nominal group technique and the Delphi method. Olaf and Norman Dacker, members of the RAND Corporation, developed the latter procedure in the 1950s. They came up with the scheme in a bid to analyze the impact that technology had on warfare. According to Hirschhorn (2019), the Delphi technique makes use of the opinions of experts to build and shape reliable forecasts relating to the occurrence of particular events. The method focuses on the use of questionnaires and several different ideas to broaden the range of results before reaching a consensus. It comprises a survey through the use of monitor groups. The experts come into the organization to answer a series of questionnaires that the company strategically designs to cover the pertinent issues. The use of such a group is ideal because it reduces the chances of biased opinions. It also eliminates the probability of superior and more powerful members of the organization swaying the direction of responses in their favor. The Delphi approach maintains the experts separated, thus ensuring anonymity. After answering the questionnaires, the experts then discuss with each other what they have assessed, and the organization collects all the information. The company then summarizes all the information and gives the experts what they have received. With the new data emerging from all their responses, the experts then go through another round of making decisions using the fresh inputs. The process continues until the participants reach a consensus, and all become satisfied with the final opinion. Raghav, Kumar & Bhardwaj (2016) analyze a study that made use of the Delphi technique in India. They applaud the method for its efficiency in limiting influences from powerful and more opinionated groups. However, the study proved that the technique also had its inadequacies. It was time-consuming and needed a lot of rounds as the experts kept changing their opinions at every chance. The process also showed that the experts might have different understandings of the subject of the questionnaire, thus putting forward their individual views.
As a result of the above analysis, the best technique to solve the problem of a demotivated group is the nominal group technique (NGT). According to Olsen (2019), the NGT emerged from the article that Ven and Delbecq published in 1972. In it, they introduced the method as a structured meeting that allows for the collection of qualitative information from target groups that identify the most with the issue at hand. The NGT is a variation and an extension of a brainstorming session. The employees get the chance to engage in the solving of the problem at hand and come up with solutions. The method, therefore, includes several steps, including the first stage, where the employees become acquainted with the issue at hand. The company informs them about what is happening and then allows them to write down their thoughts and opinions. In the first step, there is no discussion. The employees have the freedom and space to express and write down their feelings before any talks begin. After this, they then get a chance to interact and put forward each person’s proposition and ideas. The process includes an interactive session where all the participants present their ideas and what they think about the situation. The NGT is ideal because it allows the employees the chance to be creative, and as they discuss the challenges that they face, they also get the opportunity to suggest ways of dealing with the problem. Most employees love being included in the process because it makes them feel valued and significant. James 2:1-4 speaks against favoritism or the consideration of others as better than the rest. The NGT, therefore, is suitable for the process as it allows all the employees to air out their views without considering who they are or what they bring to the table.
According to Rice et al. (2018), the NGT makes use of and involves all the necessary stakeholders in a direct and active forum. It does not use anonymity and, therefore, allows the concerned personnel to discuss face to face with each other. The method acknowledges the importance of the situation to the relevant parties, thus allowing them a personal touch with solving the issues. Acts 17:17 highlights the moves that the apostle Paul made on several occasions while trying to reason with the people in the synagogues and market places. He was not biased and went to all the people, including Jews, Gentiles, and the Greeks. As Halushchak & Halushchak (2016) pointed out the three levels for a demotivated group, they also highlighted the instances where an intervention would be ideal. In the first stage, where an employee displays discomfort, it would be easy talking to them and identifying the changes that they may need. In the second stage, where they express discontent, the use of NGT could address the challenges that they face. However, the third stage could be difficult to rectify as the employees become detached from the organization. Søndergaard et al. (2018) state that the NGT method is the best because it includes a well-established group meeting that generates and prioritizes responses from persons with insight into the issue. It also gives the participants equal opportunity to air their views while also contributing to and reflecting on each other’s thoughts and ideas.
New Thoughts and Insights
In the case of a group that seems to have lost hope and the motivation to work hard, Jesus would lift their spirits. He would teach them about the significance of working hard, being involved, and doing one’s best as if they were serving God directly. Some of the biblical instances that apply the NGT approach include several cases when Jesus initiated discussions with people. In John 4:7-42, he tells them about the Samaritan woman and has a conversation with the people. In other cases, people started discussions to which Jesus responded, like in Mathew 19:16-30, when he tells the story of the rich young ruler. Some scholars would disagree with how the above instance solved the problem. Hopwood, Black & Fleury (2016) state that managers are the best-placed persons when it comes to decision making because of their oversight role. One of the strengths of the NGT is that it includes the views of the aggrieved persons and their suggestions for solutions. It is, therefore, hard to make a wrong move. It also consists of the employees’ views, thus making them feel appreciated. The NGT process has a weakness; that is, it is time-consuming, thus making the business spend so much time involving all the workers that may lead to losses.
Conclusion
Decisions are a crucial part of every workforce. They may end up uplifting or destroying the spirits of the workforce. When the managers decide to be harsh and strict on the employees, it may demotivate them from being committed. Despite all the available choices at how to handle such problems, a qualitative approach is the most ideal. It factors in the opinions and has an intuitive approach. The NGT is the best option for handling employees who are dissatisfied, uninspired, and uncomfortable with their job. It allows them to express themselves and offer possible means of changing the situation.
References
Aghayeva, K., & Ślusarczyk, B. (2019). Analytic Hierarchy of Motivating and Demotivating Factors Affecting Labor Productivity in the Construction Industry: The Case of Azerbaijan. Sustainability, 11(21), 5975.
Halushchak, O., & Halushchak, M. (2016). The causes of appearance and ways of staff demotivation solving in organizations. Соціально-економічні проблеми і держава, 14(1), 138-144.
Hirschhorn, F. (2019). Reflections on the application of the Delphi method: lessons from a case in public transport research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 22(3), 309-322.
Hopwood, J., Black, S. H., & Fleury, S. (2016). Pollinators and roadsides: best management practices for managers and decision-makers.
Johansen, M. L., & O’Brien, J. L. (2016, January). Decision making in nursing practice: a concept analysis. In Nursing forum (Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 40-48).
Jones, G., & George, J. (2019). Essentials of Contemporary Management (8th ed.). New York:
Maswabi, O. K., & Qing, Y. (2017). Risk Analysis of Operating an Organization with Demotivated Employees. Innovation and management.
Merida, T. (2015). Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings. B&H Publishing Group.
Olsen, J. (2019). The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) as a Tool for Facilitating Pan-Disability Focus Groups and as a New Method for Quantifying Changes in Qualitative Data. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1609406919866049.
Raghav, P. R., Kumar, D., & Bhardwaj, P. (2016). Experience of Delphi technique in the process of establishing consensus on core competencies. International Journal of Applied and Basic Medical Research, 6(3), 191.
Rice, D. B., Cañedo-Ayala, M., Turner, K. A., Gumuchian, S. T., Malcarne, V. L., Hagedoorn, M., & Thombs, B. D. (2018). Use of the nominal group technique to identify stakeholder priorities and inform survey development: an example with informal caregivers of people with scleroderma. BMJ Open, 8(3), e019726.
Søndergaard, E., Ertmann, R. K., Reventlow, S., & Lykke, K. (2018). Using a modified nominal group technique to develop general practice. BMC family practice, 19(1), 117.