What Is the Meaning Of Nominal Group Technique & Its Importance

Duration: 7-8 minutes 

Nominal Group Technique, abbreviated as NGT, is a structured method used for brainstorming in a group to encourage participation from all the team members. It helps to view a problem statement through.

The Nominal Group Technique is a brainstorming process in which work-group members state their ideas, discuss them with elaboration on both the pros and cons, and after reaching a consensus, make a final decision.

Let''s understand this with an example. Say there''s a new feature that has to be developed in a software. For example, if some company wants to update the feature of attendance regularization in their app, they will get in touch with the tech team and the HR team to push this process forward. There, they will brainstorm the idea of having such a feature, like what can be added and how it can work.

Thereafter, after everyone does with it, they will then discuss regarding it in front of everyone. The ideas shall be distributed, of which among them shall be prioritized. After this, the best idea shall be used through votes and rankings.

It is a structured and step-by-step technique developed by Andre Delbecq and Andrew Van De Ven in the late 1960s. Till now, this theory holds the importance from the government institutions to the privately owned businesses.

Benefits of Nominal Group Technique

Working in a constructive group brings in more collaboration resulting in overall growth, both for team and organization. Every idea is unique and brings something on the table.

• Equal Participation: NGT gives equal opportunity to everybody in the team and ensures equal participation. Everybody brings in their exceptional mindset, which helps them grow from within—accomplishing the objectives meant for the team.
• Broader Ideas: There are more people, so a more comprehensive idea can be achieved. Bringing different sets of ideas to the table allows them to look in different ways to reach a solution: not any one idea might entirely solve the problem, but part of it can. This leads to an easier approach to working through a situation.
• Exceptional Growth: The Nominal Group Technique helps individuals to grow as a team by letting them work together toward the same goal or issue. Each idea harbors the potential to make the whole team move ahead.

How Does Nominal Group Technique Work?

Now, let''s understand the working of the NGT with the step-by-step guide given below.

1. Silent Brainstorming: Participants are introduced and welcomed by the purpose and procedure of the meeting. The person doing this is a facilitator who ensures that there is understanding of what the topic is or what problem they are likely to solve. Once participants are aware of what they have to do, they are given a paper to write whatever comes to their mind when they think of the question. Generally, at this time the participants put in only their mind and thought process toward the question. There is no other person''s involvement in their space.
2. Idea Reduction: Once all are done with their part on personal space, the facilitator invites every participant one by one to share their ideas with everyone present in the room. It''s a time when you judge yourself to see how much you are understanding about the concept.
3. Idea Prioritization: This is the most interesting part of the NGT because it forms people in a group to discuss everyone''s ideas with each other. The facilitator ensures that everything is done in a timely fashion and that there is no misunderstanding before they arrive at a solution. Groups work out the pros and cons of their ideas and take them to a point where they all agree. The process now comes to an end. Every idea is shared in this stage in front of the facilitator or the final decision-making authorities. And then it is through voting and ranking that the idea closest to the original question is selected.

How NGT is Different from Delphi Technique?

Nominal Group Technique	Delphi Technique
Involves the members of the team.	Involves higher authority members of the organization.
Has a setup of small groups where all the team members follow a process.	Usually done in an isolated manner with not as strict a process.
Requires less time to complete.	Process is longer compared to NGT.
Decision-making is declared immediately on-the-spot.	Employees are not personally present for the activity.

As per this report by Gartner, Building and maintaining high-performing teams have become more critical to organizations, in remote work settings, to ensure successful operations and the business meets its overall objectives.

""Success is best when it''s shared"" - Howard Schultz

We''ll keep bringing in more for you. Till then keep reading, keep thinking, and keep HRing!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)