Introduction
A group’s coordinated activity to attain a common objective or finish an assignment in the most efficient and effective manner is known as group work. This notion is observed in the context of a team, a collection of interdependent people who collaborate to achieve a shared aim. A basic purpose, interconnectedness, stability and solidity, the capacity to control own performance and internal processes, and the ability to function in a larger social community are the main qualities of a group. Decision-making and groupthink processes possess both advantages and disadvantages but substantially influence the final performance results.
Main body
People make a mutual decision from the options presented to them in a circumstance known as group decision-making. The choice is then no longer attributed to any particular team member since the common responsibility factor occurs. The reason for that is that the result is influenced by all people and social community elements, for instance, social power. Personal choices are believed to be frequently distinct from those that are made by teams.
Groupthink is a tendency that arises when a set of people comes to an agreement without applying critical thinking, analytical reasoning, or weighing the implications or alternatives. This concept is founded on a shared goal to maintain a group’s balance and stability. To prevent disagreement, this ambition generates a dynamic inside a group in which innovation and originality are restricted. Any critics and doubters in the collective that try to make a reasoned debate are forced to adhere to the team’s opinion and may even be censored and punished.
Considering the advantages and disadvantages of group decision-making, it is possible to state that they are influenced by social processes. The pros include the broader supply of resources and information, a variety of viewpoints, mental encouragement, an improved comprehension of the choice reason, and a stronger sense of commitment (Individual and group decision making). In addition, group decision-making provokes the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies that enable communication and knowledge exchange (Zhang et al., 2020).
Pluses describe the group’s ability to gain diverse opinions, beliefs, resources, and qualities that differ from person to person. What concerns the cons of group decision-making? The following elements can be determined: domination of specific members, aim relocation, satisficing, and groupthink (Individual and group decision making). Disadvantages mostly reflect the moments in which one person stands out from the group in order to satisfy own needs or reach self-affirmation.
Considering the advantages of groupthink, when it occurs, the team agrees on ideas and abolishes conflicts more frequently due to the general sense of the event. In addition, since everyone attempts to satisfy and impress the other colleagues and members of the group, there will be less tension. What concerns the disadvantages, individuals will try to adapt to the opinion of everyone. They will accept what the other member state without asking any additional questions and creating debates. There are less squabbling and fewer ideas that may have influenced the task’s outcome. In order to avoid the cons of decision-making and groupthink, it is possible to provide clearer, more rigorous, and impartial leadership that will monitor the existence of different opinions, external perspectives, and working relationships.
Summary
To summarize, group decision-making arises when team members come to a mutual decision from the options presented. Groupthink negatively affects the performance outcomes since group members come to an agreement without applying critical thinking. Group decision-making and groupthink have both advantages and disadvantages that influence the relationships within the collective. The cons can be abolished with the help of strict and impartial management that aims at establishing an appropriate environment.
References
Individual and Group Decision Making: Chapter 7.
Zhang, Z., Gao, Y., & Li, Z. (2020). Consensus reaching for social network group decision making by considering leadership and bounded confidence. Knowledge-Based Systems, 204. Web.