The effect of using Harley's consensus problem -solving model on perceived communication openness in team decision -making /problem -solving

Senior management teams often use a consensus approach for decision-making or problem-solving. A number of organizational researchers have criticized this approach for advocating freedom of expression but providing no formal procedure for testing and evaluating these expressions. The purpose of this research was to investigate the hypothesis that a consensus approach facilitates the flow of information among team members during problem-solving. A retrospective pre-posttest (Now/Then) version of the Communication Openness Measure demonstrated a highly significant (p < 0.014) increase in total communication openness. This is the first reported research to demonstrate an increase in communication openness with use of a consensus model during team problem-solving. Furthermore, the results showed significant improvements in specific types of communication openness behaviors relating to feedback and inquiry: supervisors' use of inquiry, subordinates' feedback receptiveness, and supervisors' feedback responsiveness. These indicate that participants perceived they were asked more often for their opinions, they listened more to others' suggestions, and their supervisors more often responded to their ideas in comparison to previous problem-solving sessions. This approach can enhance team and organizational learning. Use of this consensus model can assist teams in solving the specific problem at hand. In addition, coupling the consensus approach with the Communication Openness Measure produces information that can be used for reflection on the communication behaviors used by the team during the problem-solving process. These are examples of what Argyris and Schon (1978) have termed single- and double-loop learning, respectively. Therefore, the information available to the team can be converted into actionable knowledge in both single- and double-loop learning. Results of this study suggest a number of applications. Management teams in organizations could use the technique for the development of strategic plans. Supervisors could apply the approach in participative decision-making with subordinates to overcome the problem of organizational silence. Public policy analysts could utilize this consensus model during problem solving discussions to help prevent groupthink.