Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a structured decision-making process that involves the participation of a group of individuals in generating, discussing, and ranking ideas. This technique was first developed by Delbecq, Van de Ven, and Gustafson in 1975 as a means of improving group problem-solving and decision-making effectiveness.
The NGT process involves several steps:
Problem definition: The group defines the problem or issue that needs to be addressed.
Idea generation: Each member of the group independently generates a list of potential solutions or ideas related to the problem.
Idea sharing: The group discusses each idea and clarifies any misunderstandings or confusion.
Idea evaluation: The group ranks the ideas based on their relative merit and feasibility.
Idea prioritization: The group selects the top ranked ideas for further exploration and implementation.
NGT has several advantages over other decision-making techniques, including:
Encouraging equal participation and contributions from all group members
Allowing for the generation of a large number of ideas in a short period of time
Providing a systematic and unbiased method for evaluating and ranking ideas
Facilitating consensus and buy-in from group members
NGT has been widely used in various settings, including business, education, and healthcare, to solve problems and make decisions related to policies, processes, and strategies.
