Comparative Analysis: Group and Individual Decision Making Styles

This essay provides a detailed comparison of group and individual decision-making processes, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. It explores the risk-shifting phenomenon and groupthink in group decision-making, while also examining the speed and accountability of individual decision-making. The essay further discusses methods of influencing decision-making, such as nudge theory and logical persuasion, and emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations in both group and individual contexts. Ultimately, the paper underscores the significance of ethical decision-making in avoiding negative consequences and promoting trust within groups and organizations; Desklib is a useful tool to find similar essays and assignments for students.

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GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL DECISION MAKING
Introduction
Many essential decisions in our society are made by individuals or groups of individuals
for example governing bodies, committees, business partners, families, juries, and teams.
Experiments in different contexts show systematic differences between group and individual
decision making (Strandburg et al. 769). There exists a large literature especially in social
psychology analyzing and documenting this phenomenon, mentioning it as the ‘group shift ‘or
‘discontinuity effect’. The first part of this paper discusses the group and individual decision
making. The second part illustrates how ethical it is to influence the decision making of other
individuals.
Decision making refers to the process of making decisions or a decision, based on
selections made amongst different competing actions (Greco, Salvatore, Figueira, and Ehrgott
150). Decision making needs making a define selection between the available alternatives course
of actions. The outcome of decision making may be negative and positive as future
consequences.
Group Decision Making
Group decision making is a participatory process in which two or more individuals acting
collectively, examine situations or problems, evaluate and consider available alternative actions,
and then select a solution from among the available alternatives (Liao et al. 63). It also refers to a
situation whereby members of a group reached decision that is acceptable to every group of the

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member. The decision made is not attributed to a single individual since all the people as well as
social group processes; for example, social influence contributes to the decision making. The
existing differences between individuals and groups decision is that Groups have a habit of
making decisions that are highly extreme as compared to decisions made by individual members.
Those that are in the group always make a decision on how they should achieve a task, select
new member or collaborate (Wu et al. 56). The members of a group are still individuals but
decisions that they make reflects mutual expectation and relationships. Nevertheless, the number
of individuals that take part in the decision-making process varies greatly but they are mostly
represented by a total of two to seven (Dong, Yucheng, Xia and Francisco 135).
Aspects
There are 2 significant aspects of group decision making. The two aspects include:
Risk shifting phenomenon
One significant aspect of decision making in a group is that element of risk of a decision
is shifted to group members. Therefore, members who are in favor of risky decisions attempt to
convince others to take risky decisions. After considering the various aspects of the decision,
group members will gain enough confident thereby taking risky decisions. All the members will
be responsible for the final outcome of any decision (Chen, Xia, Hengjie and Yucheng 105).
Group Think
This is a mode of thinking in any group where all members are working toward arriving
at unanimity. The group members are convinced to reach a consensus. This phenomenon is
observed in many institutions. For instance, numbers of legislative and parliament assemblies use
the decisions that their parties are using and losing their own thinking in the process.
Advantages of Group decision making

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 Members of a group have more information and idea for making decisions as
compared to one person. They have the ability to analyze and evaluate the
alternatives in a clear manner by considering different aspects.
 A group decision has more commitment and acceptability on the part of
individuals who use it as an individual’s decision. Individuals understand the
decision better because they have witnessed it develop.
 Interaction among different people contributes to more creativity. This is because
individuals will learn different ideas from each member of a group.
 Group decisions making act as a communication function because different
aspects of the problem are analyzed, discussed and understood.
 All the members that participate in decision making are more contented with the
decision and they will fully support it.
Disadvantages
The following are the limitations of group decision making:
 Groups are well-known for wastage of energy and time in coming together as well
as discussing the things.
 The process of decision making becomes very expensive since many people are
involved in decision making.
 If there is disagreement, there may be ill-feeling and conflicts among members.
 There is a tendency of passing the bulk to other members when decision proves to
be wrong.
 Delay in decisions making may prevent management from taking decisions when
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 When specific members of a group dominate the discussions, they may force
other members to agree to their decisions (viewpoints).
Individual decision making
It is an approach to decision making whereby a single individual act alone in making a
decision. It also refers to a situation where a single person question and think before performing
a certain task.
Advantages of individual Decision making
 An individual usually makes rapid decisions. Whereas a group is made up of
many individuals, making a decision consume a lot of time (Moral et al. 98). This
is because assembling all the members that are in the group consumes too much
time.
 In individual decision making, individuals cannot escape responsibilities.
Individuals are responsible for their performance and acts. While in a decision
making that involves a group, it is not possible to hold a single person for an
incorrect decision.
 Individual decision making consumes less energy, money and time as individuals
make logical and prompt decisions generally.
 Individual decisions making are more rational and focused than that of a group.
Disadvantages of individual Decision making
 A group has the ability to collect full and more information compared to a single
person in the process of decision making.

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 An individual uses his own views and intuition in making decisions. Whereas a
group is made up of numerous members, so there are possibilities of getting many
approaches and views in the process of decision making thereby improving
decision making.
 A group discovers core competency and hidden talent of workers of an
organization.
 Individual decision making does not consider the interest of every member.
How different people can influence decision making of other people
Influencing other decision making is the act of changing the individual’s behavior (Li et
al. 25). There are different methods of influencing the decision making of other people. The
methods include the following:
Nudge theory is a notion for an understanding of how individuals think, behave and make
decisions. It helps individuals to improve their decisions and thinking, manage change of all
kinds, as well as modifying and identifying current unhelpful influences on individuals. Nudge is
a concept in behavioral economics, political theory, and behavioral science which propose
indirect suggestions and positive reinforcement as a way of influencing decision making and
behavior of individuals or groups (Liang et al. 145).
Other important methods include:
Logical persuasion
It involves laying out an argument and presenting the facts to others. This is the most
common techniques of influence in firm’s decision making. It mostly involves emphasizing the
advantages of alternative course of action.
Inspirational appeal

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Inspiration is mostly used by stereotypical transformational leaders to influence high
performance of a task in a group. The leader professionally links the desired outcome or activity
to a set of ideas and values that are respected by the group (Li et al. 45).
Lastly, People can also use consultation and collaboration in influencing another decision
making.
The differences between Group and individual decision making
Individual Decisions Group decisions
Decisions are made by one person. They are made by a group of people.
Decisions of a single person are less expensive. They are expensive in terms of money and
time.
They are based on inadequate information
collected by managers.
Group decisions are based on wide information
gathered by the group members.
They are taken when there is emergency or
crisis.
They are take when there is enough time to
make decisions.
Individual decisions do not include moral
commitment of all the members to implement
and accept them.
They involve moral commitment of all the
group members.
They do not affect job satisfaction or morale of
employees.
They positively affect job satisfaction and
morale of employees
Individual decisions introduce a single man
control.
Group decisions introduce self-control
Ethical decision making

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Ethics is the study of moral decision, of moral behavior. Ethical codes in a group or team
are tools used for clarifying suitable behavior and offer guidance to leaders when dealing with
ethical problems. Ethics is very essential in business and individual has an essential role to
perform in ethical decision making. People should influence the decision-making process of
other individuals in order to help them avoid negative consequences and bad behaviors that may
lead to scandals. Behaviors such as collusion, embezzling, stealing, coercion, lying and political
favors can destroy the reputation of a group or organization and cause severe pain for numerous
innocent people. The ethical decision making that people use in their groups not only affect an
individual, but it also impacts the entire members of a group (Schwartz 225).
Ethical decision making to an individual or group is necessarily limited to words and
actions. Right behavior positively influences other decision-making process and this is mostly
evaluated through words and actions (Lehnert, Kevin, Yung and Nitish 72). The use of ethical
codes in influencing other people decision-making result in moral decisions to an individual.
Therefore, ethics should be used in decision making on a group and individual level since it
helps in encouraging inclusion and trust within the group.
Conclusion
This paper discussed in detail group and individual decision making. The paper also
describes the advantages and disadvantages of individual and group decision making. One of the
advantages of a group decision making discussed is that a group decision has more commitment
and acceptability on the part of individuals who use it as an individual’s decision. Individuals
understand the decision better because they have witnessed it develop. While the advantage of
individual decision making is that it consumes less energy, money and time as individuals make
logical and prompt decisions generally. The paper also described the importance of ethical
decision making to a group or an individual.

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