ABSTRACT
This chapter explores different types of problems, describes a range of group problem-solving techniques and looks at the different ways of reaching a group decision. The appropriate task and maintenance behaviours for effective group work in general should be applied. The method for solving wicked problems requires a more instinctive approach. When a problem is complex, and especially when different members of the group have different perspectives on it, a solution may well not emerge spontaneously, even with good behaviour and skilled facilitation within the group. Force field analysis was developed to aid problem diagnosis where the problem is regarded as dynamic and the present situation capable of being changed. The skilled use of the group process can make the output of a group greater than the sum of the contributions of individual members. Whatever the decision-making process, it is crucially important to feed back formally to the group the outcome of their decision-making meeting.
