Group Participation In MIS Project Teams? Let's Look at the Contingencies First!

A model which has been developed by industrial psychologists is designed to be used by managers to help them select the most appropriate decision-making process given a particular set of relevant circumstances.

Abstract

Research in the behavioral sciences has generally been finding that managers can be more effective by adapting their leadership style (i.e., the decision- making process) to fit the circumstances surrounding the decision to be made. This describes a model which has been developed by industrial psychologists. This model is designed to be used by managers to help them select the most appropriate decision-making process given a particular set of relevant circumstances. The model consists of a set of five decision-making processes, a set of simple questions managers can use to assess the circumstances surrounding their decision situations, and a procedure to help managers to choose among the alternative decision-making processes. It is proposed that this model can be useful in helping MIS project team leaders improve their teams' decision-making processes. To illustrate its usefulness, the model is applied to several decision problems facing a hypothetical MIS project team leader.