Problem-Solving and Decision-Making in Groups
Read this section to learn about common components/characteristics of problems and the five steps in group problem-solving. This article also describes the brainstorming and discussion that should occur before group decision-making, compares and contrasts decision-making techniques, and discusses various influences on decision-making.
International Diversity in Group Interactions
Cultural value
orientations such as individualism/collectivism, power distance, and
high-/low-context communication styles all manifest on a continuum of
communication behaviors and can influence group decision making. Group
members from individualistic cultures are more likely to value
task-oriented, efficient, and direct communication. This could manifest
in behaviors such as dividing up tasks into individual projects before
collaboration begins and then openly debating ideas during discussion
and decision making. Additionally, people from cultures that value
individualism are more likely to openly express dissent from a decision,
essentially expressing their disagreement with the group. Group members
from collectivistic cultures are more likely to value relationships
over the task at hand. Because of this, they also tend to value
conformity and face-saving (often indirect) communication. This could
manifest in behaviors such as establishing norms that include periods of
socializing to build relationships before task-oriented communication
like negotiations begin or norms that limit public disagreement in favor
of more indirect communication that doesn't challenge the face of other
group members or the group's leader. In a group composed of people from
a collectivistic culture, each member would likely play harmonizing
roles, looking for signs of conflict and resolving them before they
become public.
Power distance can also affect group interactions.
Some cultures rank higher on power-distance scales, meaning they value
hierarchy, make decisions based on status, and believe that people have a
set place in society that is fairly unchangeable. Group members from
high-power-distance cultures would likely appreciate a strong designated
leader who exhibits a more directive leadership style and prefer groups
in which members have clear and assigned roles. In a group that is
homogenous in terms of having a high-power-distance orientation, members
with higher status would be able to openly provide information, and
those with lower status may not provide information unless a higher
status member explicitly seeks it from them. Low-power-distance cultures
do not place as much value and meaning on status and believe that all
group members can participate in decision making. Group members from
low-power-distance cultures would likely freely speak their mind during a
group meeting and prefer a participative leadership style.
How
much meaning is conveyed through the context surrounding verbal
communication can also affect group communication. Some cultures have a
high-context communication style in which much of the meaning in an
interaction is conveyed through context such as nonverbal cues and
silence. Group members from high-context cultures may avoid saying
something directly, assuming that other group members will understand
the intended meaning even if the message is indirect. So if someone
disagrees with a proposed course of action, he or she may say, "Let's
discuss this tomorrow," and mean, "I don't think we should do this".
Such indirect communication is also a face-saving strategy that is
common in collectivistic cultures. Other cultures have a low-context
communication style that places more importance on the meaning conveyed
through words than through context or nonverbal cues. Group members from
low-context cultures often say what they mean and mean what they say.
For example, if someone doesn't like an idea, they might say, "I think
we should consider more options. This one doesn't seem like the best we
can do".
In any of these cases, an individual from one culture
operating in a group with people of a different cultural orientation
could adapt to the expectations of the host culture, especially if that
person possesses a high degree of intercultural communication competence
(ICC). Additionally, people with high ICC can also adapt to a group
member with a different cultural orientation than the host culture. Even
though these cultural orientations connect to values that affect our
communication in fairly consistent ways, individuals may exhibit
different communication behaviors depending on their own individual
communication style and the situation.