Weaknesses of Group Decision Making

Despite the advantages noted, group decisions involve certain drawbacks. First, they are time-consuming. Groups typically take more time to reach a solution than an individual would. Thus, group decisions are not always efficient. Second, there are conformity pressures in groups. The desire of group members to be accepted and considered an asset to the group can result in quashing any overt disagreement. Third, group discussion can be dominated by one or a few members. If this dominant coalition is composed of low- and medium-ability members, the group’s overall effectiveness will diminish. Finally, group decisions suffer from ambiguous responsibility. In an individual decision, it is clear who is accountable for the final outcome. In a group decision, the responsibility of any single member is watered down.