Group Wisdom Without Groupthink

Nominal Group Technique and DOTS

A group may have vast experience, a variety of viewpoints, and impressive intellectual horsepower. It may also have politics, personality clashes, and other more subtle dynamics that get in the way of optimal group problem solving, idea generation, and decision-making. This workshop teaches a technique for harnessing the wisdom of the group, while avoiding many of the pitfalls that plague standard brainstorming-based approaches.

Nominal Group Technique (NGT) allows a group to quickly build a comprehensive list of ideas, issues, options or solutions. NGT works faster than traditional brainstorming, yet generates more complete and higher quality results. NGT prevents the quieter voices from being overwhelmed and allows each participant to contribute to their full potential.

The list of possibilities generated by NGT can be narrowed down to identify the best or most important ideas using Decision Optimizing Tiny Stickies (DOTS or Dot Voting). DOTS is an excellent way to map a group's opinion. It engages the collective wisdom of the group, while avoiding groupthink and politics. When faced with a choice between a variety of options, this technique facilitates a group decision that will have the broadest support.

This workshop will teach you how to use NGT and DOTS by applying them to an issue such as: "What are the most valuable attributes and skills for a technical manager to possess", "Why Do Agile Projects Succeed (or fail)?", or some other question of interest to your group.