Group

Dynamics and
decision-
making
 Forming

Capturing the
Essence of Storming

Meaning of
Group
Norming
Dynamics

Performing Group
 The Interplay

Group Cohesion

“we have a strong

sense of
camaraderie”.

Group Locomotion

“our group is a well-

oiled machine”.
Playful Parallels: How Play Actively
Resembles Group Dynamics

 Roles and Leadership

 Communication
 Conflict Resolution
 Decision-Making
 Norms and Rules
 Cooperation and Competition
 Factors affecting group decision making

 Past experiences:
• Biasness
• When something positive results from a
decision, people are more likely to decide in
similar way.
• Confidence
• Emotional impact
 Communication
• Information sharing
• Clarity of goals
• Diverse Perspectives
• Feedback Loop

Leadership
• Setting Norms & Culture
• Inspiration &Motivation
• Direction & Vision
• Facilitation
 Cognitive Biases:
• Thinking patterns based on observations & generalizations
leads to memory errors, inaccurate judgment and faulty
logic
• Belief bias, overdependence on prior knowledge
• Cognitive biases leads to poor decision making
• Halo Effect
 Individual Differences:
• Age, socioeconomic status, cognitive abilities
influence decision making
• Cognitive functions decline with age and
decision making performance gets affected
• Older adults prefer fewer choices than younger
adults in decision making
• People in lower SES group may have less
access to education & resources which may make
them more susceptible to experiencing negative
life events. As a result, they make poor decisions
based on past experiences
 Case Study

Introduction
A company XYZ faced a critical decision
making in the development of their flagship
product. The team consisted of 10 15 members
each with different expertise and the challenge
was to decide between 2 strategies. 1st strategy
focused on innovation and long term growth and
the other one focused on short term profitability
and market stability.
 Group Dynamics
• Group Composition
Mixture of experts
• Conflict and Cohesion
some were in favor of strategy A and some liked strategy
B.
• Leadership and Influence
Role of CEO and CFO.
 Decision Making

• Information sharing
• Deliberation and compromise
• Role of decision rules
• outcome
 Shortcomings and Improvements

• Data transparency
• Inclusivity of members
• Risk assessment
 Cultural Aspect
• Cultural variables in
group decision making
• Cultural barriers and its
strategies
• Cross cultural aspect
Key points related to cultural aspect in
decision-making
• Cultural context-
individualism
• Cultural norms, beliefs,
values
• Cultural decision-making
styles consensus/individual
• Social networks
• Societal norms
• Cross-cultural aspect
Barriers a culture offers and its strategies

• Language
• Signs and symbols
• Stereotypes and prejudices
• Behaviors and beliefs
• Ethnocentrism
(“US” vs “THEM”)
 Outcomes of group decision-
making in society

• When it comes to decision-making,

are two heads better than one in
society?
• Group-decision making tend to have
a potential to be creative, diverse in
ideas based on experiences and
backgrounds.
• Also makes the implementation of
task easier.
 Different Group Decision Making
Techniques
• Brainstorming
• Nominal Group
Technique
• Delphi Technique
• Devil’s Advocacy
Brainstorming
• Group members generate a large
number of ideas or solutions to a
problem spontaneously without
initially evaluating or critiquing them.
• Encourages creativity and free
thinking.

Nominal group technique (NGT)

• Group members silently create ideas,
share them one by one, and then
discuss and evaluate them to decide.
Delphi Technique
• This technique uses questionnaires or
surveys sent to experts or stakeholders
to gather input.
• Responses are compiled anonymously,
and multiple rounds of feedback occur
until a consensus is reached.

Devil’s Advocacy
• Picking someone to act like a doubter.
This person questions and looks at the
group's ideas and plans from a different
angle.
• This helps the group really think about
things and not rush into decisions too
quickly.
 Role of Humor in Group Decision
Making
Humor can play a significant and positive role in group
decision making in several ways:
• Icebreaker and Bonding
• Stress Reduction
• Creativity and Innovation
• Enhanced Communication
• Conflict Resolution
• Boosting Morale
THANK-YOU