Futuring and Innovation: Think Tank Methods II

                                                  

                             Futuring and Innovation: Think Tank Methods II

Raphael Brown CS875 U4DB1

Date: 03/24/22

 

    An approach connected with the Think Tank is the Delphi Approach, which the RAND Corporation developed in the 1950s to predict the influence of technological advancements on military operations. It has since been used in various fields, including health care, education, administration, and the environment. Through online technologies such as ExpertLens, experts and stakeholders may now anonymously reply to surveys, get feedback reflecting the "group response," discuss and change their replies to evaluate whether they can attain expert consensus on their responses. (Monica & California 90401-3208, n.d.) Incorporating the Delphi approach, group members may provide anonymous feedback to stimulate more open debate among group members based on their own experiences and viewpoints. When organizations wish to incorporate and implement the views of many individuals, they employ the Delphi approach.

    The Delphi approach provides for more significant input while also enabling those unable to attend a face-to-face meeting to engage in the dialogue via telephone. It is also utilized effectively by marketers to develop surveys and questionnaires to get honest feedback from clients or consumers. Throughout this essay, we will discuss the Delphi approach and how companies may utilize it to handle complicated and contentious problems by engaging in an organized discussion. (Team, n.d.)

The Nominal group technique, which is the second approach group decision-making method, that I discuss in this discussion post. This technique is a vital aspect of teaming skillsets, cooperation, and interpersonal communication, and it will be discussed in this discussion article. The nominal group method benefits during brainstorming by using the voting process to rate ideas based on their usefulness, followed by prioritizing via the employment of the following tactics. As a brainstorming approach, it is essential to note that the nominal group technique differs significantly from the conventional approach. This is especially true because the nominal group technique ranks ideas, elevating the brainstorming to a higher level of sophistication than traditional brainstorming methods. During the brainstorming process, each participant contributes to the idea creation process. After that, the ideas are nominated for consideration, with the best ideas being selected and ranked according to well-established criteria. (McMillan and colleagues (2016); Urquhart-Secord (2016))

            The Delphi approach and the nominal group technique are comparable in that they are both decision-making procedures that rely on group involvement, input, and cooperation to conclude. The fact that these group issue-solving methods include detecting the presence of a problem, developing a solution to the problem, and making a choice to settle the recognized problem should be noted for completeness.

    The following is a comparison of the Delphi and nominal group techniques described in detail below. The Delphi approach assures that all participants stay anonymous and have no chance of becoming familiar with one another before the meeting. On the other hand, the nominal group approach guarantees that participants engage with one another in a way that allows them to get familiar with one another. For example, while Delphi attendees are generally geographically separated and unable to engage in face-to-face discussion and participation, nominal group technique attendees are more likely to engage in round-table discussion and participation during a round table discussion and participation session. (Brady, 2015; Hohmann, 2018)

    Aside from that, the Delphi approach allows for the documentation and compilation of every view expressed by each group member and the revision of such opinions and their supporting reasons by the whole group. According to the Delphi technique, before agreeing, the thoughts that have been recorded and collated are discussed by the whole group until a consensus is reached. On the other hand, the nominal group approach allows each group member to record and communicate their thoughts to the whole group via a nominal group technique. (Brady, 2015; Hohmann, 2018)

 

 

References

 

Brady, S. R. (2015). Utilizing and adapting the Delphi method for use in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 14(5), 1609406915621381.

McMillan, S. S., King, M., & Tully, M. P. (2016). How to use the nominal group and Delphi techniques. International journal of clinical pharmacy, 38(3), 655-662.

Monica, 1776 Main Street Santa, & California 90401-3208. (n.d.). Delphi Method. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.rand.org/topics/delphi-method.html

Team, E. (n.d.). Delphi Technique Explained with Examples. ProjectPractical.Com. Retrieved March 17, 2022, from https://www.projectpractical.com/delphi-technique-explained-with-examples/