Group Participative Decision Making: The Management Style of the Future

Abstract

Introduction The purpose of this article is briefly to review the theoretical concepts and practical applications of group participative decision making (GPDM), especially at the executive and middle management levels. It is not proposed that GPDM be used in all situations, since it is inappropriate in emergency and simple task functions, and in situations where no commitment and acceptance is required by others to ensure effective implementation of the decision. However, there is no question that GPDM could be used more often than it is at present. Further, in the future, GPDM as a management style will be expected to be the mode of dealing with strategic, tactical, and change issues by managers in the organisation. This then necessitates the organisational top management preparing today a total organisational environment conducive to future participation. GPDM is not easy, since it is impacted by many variables, and this writer believes that all participants will require training and education to obtain that sense of “balance” in individual and group characteristics, group process and organisational environment, to ensure that the benefits are obtained and the problems avoided. In short, today's managers will have to adopt a more co‐operative, supportive, and people‐oriented behaviour style and blend this in with the traditional competitive, aggressive and task‐oriented behaviour (that is balanced behaviour) in order to survive in the future.

Citation

Ralston, B. (1985), "Group Participative Decision Making: The Management Style of the Future", Management Decision, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 51-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb001391