Our group used a shared values approach to this project. The group felt that shared decision making works best when all members are involved and are fully aware of the process and progress of the project. This collaboration was accomplished through postings to the discussion board and recorded chat sessions. This method allowed group members to express their ideas, debate the topics; and it provided a record for those members unable to join us in chat, due to time constraints, to see where we were with the project. This was especially helpful because we had one member in Jakarta who was in a time zone that was 12 hours ahead of us.
There was a positive environment during chat discussions, and it was evident that the members had a good sense of the organizational structure involved. The goals of the project were specified in our assignment and it helped to build consensus and strike a balance between the ideal and the achievable. It seemed that the members felt comfortable expressing their opinions.
The decision-maker's style and characteristics can be classified as: The thinker, the cowboy (snap and uncompromising), Machiavellian (ends justifies the means), the historian (how others did it), the cautious (even nervous), etc. For example, political thinking consists in deciding upon the conclusion first and then finding good arguments for it. .
Decisions that need to be considered as a whole should not be broken down into parts because the essence of the problem will be lost, and it should be left to the individual decision maker. However, there are frustrations within oneself when you cannot either understand the problem or have the courage to act upon it. Individual decisions are prone to be biased, lack perception, and are laden with probability and risk averse errors.
Group decisions can be either less or more effective than those made by individuals. When problems can be separated into component parts, the skills and talents of group members can be applied to the areas they are most suited, thereby, making the decision less biased and more dimensional in its content.
