Nominal Group Technique Heather Hatch Quality Management, Winter 2010
Mar 29, 2015
Nominal Group Technique
Heather HatchQuality Management, Winter 2010
Contents:
• Basics of Nominal Group Technique (NGT)• Advantages and Disadvantages• When to use NGT• Steps of NGT• Example of NGT in practice• Try it yourself• Summary
What is NGT?
• Method of brainstorming, making decisions, or organizing ideas in a group setting
What is NGT?
• Basic process: – Team members silently write down ideas– Ideas are shared and discussed– Team members vote
Why use NGT?
• Helps eliminate biases and peer-pressure
• Encourages participation from all team members
• All opinions are heard and weighted equally
What inhibits people?
• They don’t want conflict.
• They don’t want to be criticized.
Advantages Disadvantages
• More unique ideas• More participation• Members have greater
sense of contribution• Time-efficient• Better decisions• Productive
• Addresses only one problem at a time
• Mechanical• Requires preparation• Hard to combine ideas
at the end for even better output
Best to use NGT when…
• Some members are very vocal.• People work better in silence.• Some members are reluctant to participate.• There is concern that enough ideas will be
generated.• Some participants are new to the team.• The issue is controversial and the discussion could
become heated.
Stages
IntroductionIntroduction
Idea SharingIdea Sharing
Idea GenerationIdea Generation
DiscussionDiscussion Voting/RankingVoting/Ranking
PreparationPreparation
Preparation
A team is assembled to include participants from varying areas.
Materials needed:– Pen and paper for each member
– Flip chart
– Markers
– Tape
– Sticky notes (optional)
Introduction
A facilitator introduces themselves, explains the NGT process.
The key problem or question is presented, explaining the purpose of the meeting.
Telling team members about problem sooner allows them to come prepared.
Introduction
Role of Facilitator:
A facilitator is chosen from among group members. Their responsibilities include:– Helping group avoid conflict
– Encouraging participation
– Keeping time
– Facilitating rounds
– Recording ideas
Idea Generation
Individuals silently and independently write down as many ideas as possible during pre-determined time period. (usually 10 minutes)
Idea Sharing
There are various approaches to idea sharing, but the same principles apply:
• Everyone has equal chance to share their ideas
• All ideas shared are recorded on flip chart, except repeat ideas
• There is no discussion during this stage
Idea Sharing
Anonymous approach: facilitator collects idea cards and records ideas on flipchart, eliminating duplicates
Non-anonymous approach: ideas are shared one at a time in a circular direction. Members can pass at any point.
Idea Sharing
This round ends when– All members have passed on
sharing their ideas– Time limit is reached
(usually 15-20 minutes)
Discussion
Now ideas are disussed.
Members can ask for details or clarification.
The purpose is clarification not changing peoples opinions.
Ideas are not eliminated.
Ideas can be re-worded.
cc
Discussion
Facilitator tries to keep all members involved, continue the flow of discussion, and not get caught on any point for too long.
This phase typically lasts 30-40 minutes.
Discussion
If there are many ideas (over 40), there can be an elimination stage before voting. Members can choose to eliminate their own ideas, or combine ideas together. Alternatively, idea elimination can require approval by all members.
Voting/Ranking
Voting or ranking determines the NGT’s output.
Facilitator should number the ideas to make voting easier.
Members either vote anonymously, with the facilitator totaling points, or they can publicly write their votes on the flipchart.
Voting/Ranking
Voting method 1:
Members can vote for ideas based on a chart like the following:
Points for each idea are totaled after all members vote.
Number of ideas Number of votes Value of votes
Less than 20 4 1, 2, 3, 4
20-35 6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Over 35 8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Voting/Ranking
Voting method 2:
Members rank all ideas, with the highest number as the most favored idea.
Points are totaled after all members rank ideas.
The idea with the most points wins.
Voting/Ranking
If the top 5 ideas are all within several points of each other, a second round of votes will best determine the real winner.
Repeat the voting stage using only the top 5 ideas.
Visibility
Throughout the process, all charts should remain visible. Tape them to the walls around the room.
Example of NGT
The faculty at X-University is concerned that the students are not getting internships and jobs. A team is created involving faculty, students, and recruiters. The goal is to identify the cause of this problem. After this NGT process, the faculty will create an action plan based on the outcome.
Example of NGT
Statement of Problem:
Why aren’t students getting internships and job offers?
Example of NGT
Individual idea generation:
Not enough recruiters come.
Their resumes are weak.
Students are unwilling to relocate.
Students are unprepared.
No internships prevents them from getting jobs later on.
The career fair is not productive.
Everyone wants to stay in-state.
The job market is slow.
Poor interview skills.
They’re not networking.
Example of NGT
Idea Sharing:
Example of NGT
Discussion:
What do you mean by
“poor interview
skills?” Does that
include lack of
training?
What do you mean by
“poor interview
skills?” Does that
include lack of
training?
Is the career fair not
productive because
there are too many
people or too few? Can
we re-word that to say,
“There aren’t job
opportunities through
the career fair?”
Is the career fair not
productive because
there are too many
people or too few? Can
we re-word that to say,
“There aren’t job
opportunities through
the career fair?”
Should we
combine
“unwillingn
ess to
relocate”
with
“students
wanting to
stay in-
state?”
Should we
combine
“unwillingn
ess to
relocate”
with
“students
wanting to
stay in-
state?”
Example of NGT
Voting/ranking:Idea # Rank
3 7
4 6
7 5
2 4
1 3
5 2
6 1
1. Unwilling to re-locate
2. Poor interview skills
3. Weak resumes
4. Career fair doesn’t offer
very many job opportunities
5. Students aren’t networking.
6. Not enough recruiters.
7. Bad job market
1. Unwilling to re-locate
2. Poor interview skills
3. Weak resumes
4. Career fair doesn’t offer
very many job opportunities
5. Students aren’t networking.
6. Not enough recruiters.
7. Bad job market
Idea # Rank
1 3+1+1=5
2 4+2+3=9
3 7+6+7=20
4 6+3+6=15
5 2+4+2=8
6 1+5+4=10
7 5+7+5=17
List of ideas
Individual rankings
Combined points
Practice
Identify a problem within your own organization you want to solve using NGT, or use the following example:
What are the consequences of children watching violent television shows and playing violent video games?
Choose a facilitator and follow the NGT steps to arrive at your answer.
Stages
IntroductionIntroduction
Idea SharingIdea Sharing
Idea GenerationIdea Generation
DiscussionDiscussion Voting/RankingVoting/Ranking
PreparationPreparation
Definition:
In summary: NGT allows groups to reach optimal solutions by generating ideas privately, sharing ideas, discussing, and voting. It eliminates biases and group-think. Members can participate equally with less intimidation. Try using NGT for your organization’s future questions and challenges.
For more information on NGT:
• Handbook of Techniques for Formative Evaluation by George and Cowan
• The Nominal Group Technique: A useful consensus methodology in physiotherapy research by Potter, Gordon and Hamer
• Focus Groups: Theory and Practise by Stewart and Shamdasani
Sources
• http://www.asq.org/learn-about-quality/idea-creation-tools/overview/nominal-group.html
• http://syque.com/quality_tools/toolbook/NGT/ngt.htm
• http://www.siliconfareast.com/ngt.htm• http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/
newTED_98.htm