Participative Decision Making: A process in which people contribute to the decisions that will affect them.

Cohesiveness: The totality of forces that causes members to feel themselves part of a group and makes them want to remain in that group.

Orientation Stage: When group members become familiar with one another’s positions and tentatively volunteer their own.

Conflict Stage: When group members openly defend their positions and question those of others.

Emergence Stage: When a group moves from conflict toward a single solution.

Reinforcement Stage: When group members endorse the decision they have made.

Dialogue: A process in which people let go of the notion that their ideas are more correct or superior to others’ and instead seek to understand an issue from many different perspectives.

Force Field Analysis: A method of problem analysis that identifies the forces contributing to resolution of the problem and the forces that inhibit its resolution.

Brainstorming: A method for creatively generating ideas in groups by minimizing criticism and encouraging a large quantity of ideas without regard to their workability or ownership by individual members.

Nominal Group Technique: A method for including the ideas of all group members in a problem-solving session.

Consensus: Agreement among group members about a decision.

Information Underload: The decline in efficiency that occurs when there is a shortage of the information necessary to operate effectively.

Information Overload: The decline in efficiency that occurs when the rate or complexity of material is too great to manage.

Physically three or four people can put up a tent or dig a ditch better than one. Also not restricted to tangible items, resources can include knowledge or important information

Accuracy Another benefit of group work is the increased likelihood of catching errors. Mistakes aren’t so obvious, which makes groups even more valuable as an error-checking mechanism

Commitment Groups also generate a higher commitment to carrying them out. Members are most likely to accept solutions they have helped create and to work harder to carry out those solutions.

Diversity Working with others allows us to consider approaches and solutions we might not think of otherwise. People working together to create options no one would have thought of alone.

Focus on shared or compatible goals. Recognize progress toward goals. Establish shared norms and values. Minimize perceived threats between members. Emphasize members’ interdependence. Recognize threats from outside the group. Develop mutual liking and friendship. Share group experiences.

Orientation Stage Group members begin presenting their positions, ideas, and possible solutions

Conflict Stage Group members now defend their position against those who are against it.

Emergence Stage After some conflict, the group eventually comes to one solution or combine parts of multiple solutions.

Reinforcement Stage This is when the group members endorse the decision they have made with little to no opposition.

Breakout Group Best used when a group is too large so it is broken up into smaller groups; all tackling the same problem and later reporting back to the larger group

Problem Census This method helps equalize participation by having members all write down their ideas and the leader collects and organizes them.

Focus Group Used to learn how potential users or the public at large regards a new product or idea. Focus groups don’t include decision makers or other members who claim any expertise on a subject.

Parliamentary Procedure Observes specific rules about how topics may be discussed and decisions made.

Panel Discussion Participants discuss the topic informally, much as they would in an ordinary conversation while a leader/moderator encourages comments, cutting off those who are rambling, and ultimately comes to a consensus.

Symposium One member at a time presents their position uninterrupted.

Forum Allows for nonmembers to give their opinions on the group decision before it is made.