Managing Groups and Teams: Coevolutionary gaming and group decision making
Managing Groups and Teams
Background
Read the article referenced below from the Harvard Business Review about a simulation technique used by the Department of Defense to facilitate strategic planning. The author points out how this same technique can be used by a number of businesses as well.
Required Reading
This article can be found in the EBSCOHost collection, Academic Search Complete database.
Cares, Jeff; Miskel, Jim. (2007). Take Your Third Move First. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 85 Issue 3, 20-21.
Assignment
Write a 4- to 5-page paper with an introduction, conclusion, section headings, and references that answers the following questions:
- How can coevolutionary gaming facilitate group decision making?
- What are its limitations?
Keys to the Assignment
The key aspects of this assignment that should be covered in your paper include:
- Define the problem: Explain how this strategic planning tool can be used to improve decision making. Be specific and use terminology and concepts from the background readings.
- Analyze the cause: Discuss how coevolutionary gaming would affect communication processes using the Johari window, and/or how it can impact group decision biases such as risky/cautious shift and groupthink.
- Propose a solution: Describe a situation in which coevolutionary gaming might impede decision making.
Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven (7) points:
- Precision - Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)?
- Breadth - Is the full breadth of the subject, i.e., the Keys to the Assignment, addressed?
- Depth - Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth and include the background readings and other background resources as references?
- Critical thinking - Is the subject thought about critically, i.e., accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely?
- Clarity - Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding to the questions or are points conveyed through excessive use of quotations?
- Organization - Is the paper well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are headings included in all papers longer than two pages?
- Referencing (citations and references) - Does the paper include citations and quotation marks where appropriate? Are the references from the background readings and assignment present and properly cited? Are all the references listed in the bibliography present and referred to via citation?
Tips and Suggestions
Please note the following tips and suggestions:
- Include a cover page and reference page in addition to the 4–5 pages of analysis described above.
- You are expected to demonstrate that you have read, understood, and can apply the required background readings for this module in your answer to this case. Be sure to read the required readings carefully, and use the theories and arguments you learn from them to support your analysis.
- Include headings for all papers longer than two pages (basically all papers).
- Cite and reference all sources that you use in your work, including those that you do not quote but paraphrase. This means include citations and quotation marks for direct quotes of more than five words, and include citations for information that you have "borrowed" or paraphrased from other sources.
- Follow TUI Guidelines for well-written papers. (If you are unsure of what those guidelines are, see The Elements of a Well Written Paper).
Submit your analysis by the end of this module.
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Introduction
The coevolutionary war game focuses on strategy formulation, competition and impact on the decision making process. In the war game Cares and Miskel (2007), point out that strategic planning and decision making should consider possible moves of competitors. In competitive complex environments, competitors often react to decisions of their rivals, and hence a better strategic planning process focuses on the actions and counter plans of those likely to be affected by decisions. In any case, making decisions based on available data could be counter productive, if competitors react to make such decisions untenable. The coevolutionary war game takes into account possible moves and counter plans of those affected by decisions, and how adversaries revisit their plans. This essay looks into how the coevolutionary gaming enable group decision making and touches on challenges to the gaming model.
Coevolutionary gaming and decision making
Coevolutionary gaming strategy is an effective tool for strategizing in the face of uncertainty. Unlike traditional theories, the tool focuses on how rivals would react and reduce uncertainty. Essentially, the game takes into account multiple scenarios and through simulations eases the strategizing process, and hence influences groups in making decisions. There are fewer uncertainties and the group is better prepared to tackle reactions after adopting their strategies. Through facilitating scenario planning the tool allows decision makers to cope with unpredictability in the future and hence plan better.
Problem
Decision making begins with clarifying the decisions, gathering relevant information, identifying choices available, using evidence to help identify the best alternative, and acting after agreement (Lussier, 2008). Decision makers are faced with the problem of choosing the best course of action, but in selecting the decisions they typically have to cooperate especially when there are competing deflectors. In complex environments, competitors are intelligent and their actions often influence decision making. Additionally, competitors seek to heighten uncertainty, and this makes it more difficult to choose the most appropriate action.
Limitation
The tool is meant to improve strategic planning in light of available information and knowledge, but in case of errors in decision making then there is increased unpredictability. This can occur as the competitive setting is dynamic and there are factors that may be overlooked. Similarly, a rival can alter their landscape with the intent of deceiving, and decision makers can draw wrongly their conclusions from such a scenario. Hence, it is necessary to fully understand the perceived setting and that of competitors. Since rivals understand that there can be counter plans from their actions, they are more likely to create situations where they can exploit opportunities. Alternatively, competitors can act faster, and making the counter plans used by the other party ineffective especially when there is predictability.
The communication system and group decision
The Johari window shows the level of awareness in interpersonal communication; the open quadrant represents what is known to self and others, the blind quadrant shows what is known to others but not to self. The hidden or facade quadrant shows what is known to self, but unknown to others, while the unknown or unconscious quadrant represents what is unknown to self and others. Self disclosure and feedback play an important role in communication, whereby...