Decisionmaking: Decisions Made by Individuals vs. Those Made by Group Consensus or Group Participation

Abstract

Eighty-two graduate students in education responded to the "Moonshot," a task-oriented simulated decisionmaking exercise, first as individuals and then in groups of 3-5 persons using two different group decisionmaking models. The decisions made by individuals acting alone were compared to those made either by group discussion and agreement (consensus) or by individuals using information and advice from others (participative decisionmaking) to determine which processes produced the most correct decisions. The subjects using either the consensus model or the participative decisionmaking model had more correct decisions on the assigned task than did the same individuals deciding alone. Donald L. Piper is an Associate Professor of Educational Administration and Chairman of the Educational Administration Committee at The University of North Dakota.

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