Virginia Tech
A Comparison of Three Group Decision-Making Strategies and Their Effects on the Group Decision-Making Process
Abstract
dc:description.abstractThe objective of this experiment was to compare three group decision-making strategies and their effects on the group decision-making process. Two of the strategies, Dialectical Inquiry and Devil's Advocacy, were structured while the control condition, Unstructured Consensus Seeking, was non-directed, thus unstructured. The following dependent variables were measured: (a) decision quality, (b) cognitive conflict, (c) affective conflict, and (d) decision commitment. Seventy-two undergraduate participants were randomly assigned across 3 conditions into groups of 6 to solve an interactive group decision task. Thirty-six trained observers were randomly assigned across the same conditions to observe intra-group cognitive and affective conflict and to assess how well the undergraduate participants implemented the structured approaches. The unit of comparison was groups (n = 12). The results of this study were analyzed using analysis of variance and no statistical difference was found between the treatment groups on any of the four dependent variables measured. Cognitive conflict levels and commitment to the decision, while not statistically significant, were higher in the two structured conditions compared to the unstructured control condition. A discussion of these results along with directions for future research is provided.
Degree
thesis:*- Name thesis:degree_name
- Ph. D.
- Level thesis:degree_level
- doctoral
- Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
- Career and Technical Education
- Department dc:contributor.department
- Career and Technical Education
- Grantor dc:publisher
- Virginia Tech
- Year dc:date.issued
- 2002
Author and committee
dc:creator, dc:contributor.*- Author dc:creator
-
- Robertson, David Whittaker
- Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
-
- Eschenmann, Konrad Kurt
- Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
-
- O'Reilly, Patrick A.
- Stewart, Daisy L.
- Price, William T. Jr.
- Baker, W. Kevin
Subjects
dc:subject × 5Rights
dc:rights- Statement dc:rights
-
- In Copyright
- Licence dc:rights.uri
Identifiers
dc:identifier.*- Dc Identifier Other
- etd-04252002-223855
- OAI identifier oai:identifier
- oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/27252