„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

interpretations of the same or similar concepts or processes. This is due to
uniquenesses or to wide individual differences in how people do their jobs and
how they feel about quality standards. For example, one person may readily
accept 95-percent accuracy while another person always strives for perfection.
Nominal Group Technique (NGT)
This group decision-making process, developed by Delbecq and Van de Ven in 1968
and further refined (Van de Ven, 1974; Delbecq, Van de Ven, & Gustafson, 1975), is a
gradual process of discussion within work groups, often to achieve consensus.
Groups use this structured, participative decision-making approach to clarify ideas
and develop decentralized measurement and evaluation systems. NGT works best when
group members know one another or routinely work together (Van de Van, 1974). An
ideal group size is six to eight people. Two to three hours of time may be required.
NGT is used to generate ideas on a given topic and to create goals, objectives, and
methods for specific purposes, like developing various forms of standards or measures.
Standard steps are the following: (1) a clear, unambiguous problem statement is
developed; (2) each group member silently generates and records ideas; (3) the Round
Robin technique is used to record ideas on a flip chart; (4) the facilitator directs the
discussion and helps clarify each person’s ideas; and (5) final decisions are reached by
each member silently ranking or rating each item and voting on priorities.
Guidelines for Developing Operational Definitions
Developing operational definitions in groups (Smith, 1995a) utilizes group processes
resembling those used in most problem-solving groups.
1. Unless existing definitions are still current and relevant, update or expand them
to reflect new and different standards.
2. Ensure that experienced and less-experienced people work to-gether. Encourage
cross-functional teams to develop definitions based on common understanding,
which are unique to their discipline or current focus. Cross-functional
associations offer the benefits of learning and communication and have the
synergistic effect of adding value.
3. Set ground rules and clarify what needs to be done. When work teams from
various disciplines (cross-functional teams) first meet, they will need to develop
a common framework to examine concepts with which they are unfamiliar.
4. Involve as many people as possible from the entire cycle of contact, for example,
idea people to customers. Broader, more complete definitions are created by
groups that have a wide focus and a broad experience base. Definitions must be
equally appropriate for internal organizational customers, like marketing, and for
external customers.
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer ❚❘ 451