Think Tank Methods

Group decision making is a type of participatory process in which multiple individuals acting collectively, analyze problems or situations, consider and evaluate alternative courses of action, and select from among the alternatives a solution or solutions. There are many methods or procedures that can be used by groups. Each is designed to improve the decision-making process in some way. Some of the more common group decision-making methods are brainstorming, dialectical inquiry, nominal group technique, and the delphi technique.

  Delphi Technique

The Delphi technique is a group decision-making process that can be used by decision-making groups when the individual members are in different physical locations. The technique was developed at the Rand Corporation. The individuals in the Delphi "group" are usually selected because of the specific knowledge or expertise of the problem they possess. In the Delphi technique, each group member is asked to independently provide ideas, input, and/or alternative solutions to the decision problem in successive stages. These inputs may be provided in a variety of ways, such as e-mail, fax, or online in a discussion room or electronic bulletin board. After each stage in the process, other group members ask questions and alternatives are ranked or rated in some fashion. After an indefinite number of rounds, the group eventually arrives at a consensus decision on the best course of action.

Let take a look at these two other methods and compare the various advantages they have against each other .

DIALETICAL INQUIRY.

Dialetical inquiry is a group decision-making technique that focuses on ensuring full consideration of alternatives. Essentially, it involves dividing the group into opposing sides, which debate the advantages and disadvantages of proposed solutions or decisions. A similar group decision-making method, devil's advocacy, requires that one member of the group highlight the potential problems with a proposed decision. Both of these techniques are designed to try and make sure that the group considers all possible ramifications of its decision.

NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE.

The nominal group technique is a structured decision making process in which group members are required to compose a comprehensive list of their ideas or proposed alternatives in writing. The group members usually record their ideas privately. Once finished, each group member is asked, in turn, to provide one item from their list until all ideas or alternatives have been publicly recorded on a flip chart or marker board. Usually, at this stage of the process verbal exchanges are limited to requests for clarification—no evaluation or criticism of listed ideas is permitted. Once all proposals are listed publicly, the group engages in a discussion of the listed alternatives, which ends in some form of ranking or rating in order of preference. As with brainstorming, the prohibition against criticizing proposals as they are presented is designed to overcome individuals' reluctance to share their ideas. Empirical research conducted on group decision making offers some evidence that the nominal group technique succeeds in generating a greater number of decision alternatives that are of relatively high quality.

Technological Advancement and Trend

The NMC Technology Outlook for Cooperative Extension 2016-2021 was produced to explore emerging technologies and forecast their potential impact expressly in Cooperative Extension programs. In the effort that took place from April through July 2016, an esteemed panel of experts was asked to consider hundreds of relevant articles, blog posts, research, and project examples as part of the preparation that ultimately pinpointed the most notable emerging technology topics, trends, and challenges for Cooperative Extension programs over the next five years. Known as the 2016 Horizon Project Cooperative Extension Expert Panel, that group of thought leaders consists of knowledgeable individuals, all highly regarded in their fields. Collectively the panel represents a range of diverse perspectives across the Cooperative Extension sector. The project has been conducted under an open data philosophy, and all the interim projects, secondary research, discussions, and ranking instrumentation can be viewed at extension.wiki.nmc.org. The precise research methodology employed in producing the report is detailed in a special section found at the end of this report. The expert panel identified 9 key trends, 9 significant challenges, and 12 important developments in educational technology. The 12 developments in technology are profiled, each on a single page that describes and defines a technology ranked as very important for Cooperative Extension programs over the next year, two to three years, or four to five years. Every page opens with a carefully crafted definition of the highlighted technology, outlines its educational relevance, points to several real-life examples of its current use, and ends with a short list of additional readings for those who wish to learn more. Preceding those discussions are sections that detail the expert panel’s top ranked trends and challenges, and frame them into categories that illuminate why they are seen as highly influential factors in the adoption of technology in Cooperative Extension programs over the next five years. The three key sections of this report constitute a reference and straightforward technology planning guide for Cooperative Extension directors and administrators, educators, agents, faculty, staff, campus leaders, policymakers, and technologists. It is our hope that this research will help to inform the choices that institutions are making about technology to improve, support, or extend teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in Cooperative Extension programs. Educators and administrators worldwide look to the NMC Horizon Project and both its global and regional reports as key strategic technology planning references, and it is for that purpose that the NMC Technology Outlook for Cooperative Extension 2016-2021 is presented.

Get To Know Me

I am Solomon Opoku , I am very hard working and determine young man.

 I  live in Fredrick Maryland . I started my career as an aircraft avionics technician and work my way into the IT industry . I hold a Bsc in Electrical/Electronics Engineering and an associate in Computer network engineering  and Masters in for in Computer Science (Network Management) From CTU and currently working on my PhD in computer science with concentration in Data Science at Northcentral University  .  I have few IT certification and working on growing my career to become a Data Scientist. I am committed to all that I do and I never give up on till I win. 

I really like  this class , because the class deals with the future of innovation  that will change the world and solve problems our world is facing . In this class I hope to learn more and to be able to add to the  knowledge of the great achievers. I define innovation as the application of ideas that are novel and useful. Creativity, the ability to generate novel and useful ideas, is the seed of innovation but unless it’s applied and scaled it’s still just an idea.

My blog will talk mostly on issue related to Big Data and Data science and how it can  change the world. My focus is in the area of Healthcare and hope to be able to come out with an innovation that will help with the use of Data Science to  cure Cancer. In recent years, there have been a number of partnerships developed between pharmaceutical companies. Consider Project Datasphere, an initiative to share, integrate, and analyze historical cancer trial data sets for the purpose of accumulating research findings and accelerating cures. The power of this rich dataset is in the analysis and the global focus on finding solutions for cancer patients.