Group and Individual Decisions Comparison
Introduction
Group decisions are collective initiatives designed and attributed by a group of people rather than a person. Group decision making is a participatory and inclusive process in which the members of the group are allowed to make contributions to the final decision. On the other hand, individual decision making is whereby analyses a situation and comes up with the final decision on behalf of the group members. Both group decisions and personal decisions have advantages and disadvantages. This essay is set to compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of group decisions.
Advantages of Group Decisions
The main advantage of group decisions is built on the fundamentals of diversity and expertise of group members. The group members have an incredible amount of untapped energy and unique potentials, which bring a considerable advantage to the discussion table. Group members can raise ideas and alternatives of higher quality compared to those of a single individual. Basically, the higher the number of other options, the higher the probability that the solution of a problem will be reached. Group decisions promote collective understanding between the parties that will be affected by the decision. Through group decisions, all the parties involved will probably have their input factored into the final decision before implementation. The inclusion of the affected parties will also promote acceptance of the decision, and the course of action taken at the end of a group meeting. Group decisions promote questioning, collaboration, and discussion before arriving at amicable and robust solutions. Groups encompass more than one mind hence broadens the scope of information that will contribute to a viable decision that does not happen with individual decisions.
Disadvantages of Group Decisions
The downside of group decisions is that they usually take time to arrive at than with individual decisions. All the group members need to give their ideas in contribution to the final decision, which is a very tedious process. Another disadvantage of a group decision is the possibility of bias; the opinion of the majority is likely to suppress the idea of the minority. Also, due to the more significant number of alternatives generated, it is highly expected other courses of action may not be explored. Hence, the input is not included in the final decision. With groups that include influential members, domination is a big problem since these individuals are likely to use their power to influence the decisions coming out of a group setting. Polarization in the group is another problem affecting the decision-making process in group settings. Polarization is the tendency of a group converging on more extreme issues hence affecting the decision. For instance, when a group decision is riskier than any of the group members, it would be better for the decision to be taken individually that in a group due to polarization. Accountability is a very critical aspect of decision making. With group decisions, there is less accountability as it is hard to hold a group of people responsible compared to an individual.
Conclusion
A group decision is when the individuals come together in a group and collectively make choices from alternatives before making decisions. Both group decisions and individual decisions have advantages and disadvantages. Group members can raise ideas and options of higher quality compared to those of a single individual. Group decisions promote collective understanding between the parties that will be affected by the decision. Group decision factors in the input of every member to the final decision. Group decisions promote questioning, collaboration, and discussion before arriving at amicable and robust solutions. On the downside, group decisions take time to arrive at than with individual decisions. Other disadvantages include bias, polarization, lack of accountability. Conclusively, it is essential to adopt group decision making despite the few drawbacks since it provides the best results compared to individual decisions.
Reference
Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge. “Organizational behavior: Affect in the workplace.”
Pearson ISBN.13: 978-0-134-72932-9. (2019)