Nominal
Group Technique
One way to enhance the participation and agreement of all team members is
to use the Nominal Group Technique (NGT). This technique ensures that everyone on the team
is heard and that consensus is reached. The technique consists of six steps:
- Team members are presented with a challenge or issue - for
example, In what ways do/do not we have a culture that is proactive in terms of
information search?
- Individual team members silently and independently write
down their ideas. This is the nominal (non-interacting) phase.
- Each team member (one at a time, going around the group)
presents their idea to the group. No discussion of ideas occurs. All ideas are recorded on
flip-chart or white board for the team to see.
- After all individuals have presented their ideas, a
discussion of the merits of the ideas occurs. Ideas are merged, eliminated, expanded, and
modified.
- If a clear consensus has not yet emerged, as all team
members have had the opportunity to express and hear all relevant points, people can now
privately vote on their preferred perspective.
This process can help all team members participate and
express opinions while still building team consensus.
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