Менеджеры и менеджмент (Executives and Management) - 29 стр.

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203
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF
PARTICIPATIVE DECISION MAKING
Whatever group techniques managers use for decision-making, there are clear advantages and disadvan-
tages compared with individual decision-making. Because managers often have a choice between making a de-
cision by themselves or including others, they should understand the advantages and disadvantages of participa-
tive decision making.
ADVANTAGES. Groups have an advantage over individuals because they bring together a broader per-
spective for defining the problem and diagnosing underlying causes and effects. In addition to enriching prob-
lem diagnosis, groups offer more knowledge and facts with which to identify potential solutions and produce
more decision alternatives. Moreover people who participate in decision-making are more satisfied with the de-
cision and more likely to support it, thereby facilitating implementation. Group discussion also can help reduce
uncertainty for decision makers who may be unwilling to undertake a big risk by themselves. Finally, group
discussion enhances member satisfaction and produces support for a possibly risky decision.
DISADVANTAGES. Group decisions tend to be time-consuming. People must be consulted, and they
jointly diagnose problems and discuss solutions. Moreover, groups may reach a compromise solution that is
less than optimal for the organization. Another problem is groupthink. Groupthink
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is a "mode of thinking
that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, and when the members' strivings
for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action." Groupthink
means that people are so committed to the group that they are reluctant to disagree with one another; thus, the
group loses the diversity of opinions essential to effective decision making. For example, many of the people
involved in making the movie The Bonfire of the Vanities had doubts about casting decisions and changes in the
story line, but no one was willing to voice these opinions. Director Brian DePalma says he had some reserva-
tions as well, but because everyone else seemed to be in agreement, he convinced himself that making the
changes was the right decision.
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Finally, there is no clear focus of decision responsibility, because the group
rather than any single individual makes the decision.
One example of the disadvantages of group decision making occurred when a coalition at Citibank refused
to change the practice of "parking"-the bogus transfer of foreign exchange deposits to shift bank profits to coun-
tries with low tax rates. The line between illegal and legal activities was hazy, and groupthink appeared–people
were unwilling to disagree with the current practice because group norms supported high profits and reduced
taxes. Group members were willing to compromise their values, groupthink reduced dissent, and there was no
clear focus of responsibility because everyone had agreed to the potentially illegal practice.
IMPROVING DECISION-MAKING BREADTH AND CREATIVITY
Encouraging employee thinking and participation in solving problems can improve decision quality. Front-
line workers who are in touch with the needs and concerns of customers can have a clearer insight into how to
solve problems that directly concern those customers. For example, soliciting the input of terminal workers at
Greyhound Lines might have helped Greyhound executives avoid some of the costly mistakes they made with
the Trips reservation system. At Chrysler, the team manager for the new Dodge Neon asked for line workers'
input regarding specific problems and got more than 4,000 ideas, many of which were implemented.
In today's fast-changing world, decisions must often be made quickly, and an organization's ability to
stimulate the creativity and innovativeness of its employees is becoming increasingly important. Competitive
pressures are challenging managers to create environments that foster and support creative thinking and sharing
of diverse opinions. An environment in which bosses make all the decisions and hand them down to frontline
workers is becoming not only inappropriate but inefficient. As organizations seek to take full advantage of all
workers' abilities and make the best use of everyone's time, it makes sense to have those who are closest to a
problem involved in solving it. The Leading the Management Revolution box describes how creative, participa-
tive decision-making helped Ford make its new Mustang.
How can managers pursue the advantages of participation and over-come some of the disadvantages? A
number of techniques have been developed to help individual managers as well as groups make better deci-
sions. These techniques are often used in the interactive and nominal group formats discussed in the previous
section.
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Groupthink A phenomenon in which group members are so committed to the group that they are reluctant to express contrary opinions.

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