Which of the following techniques of enhancing strategic thinking is most similar to Devil’s Advocacy ?
Dialectical inquiry
Dialectical inquiry — option 2. It belongs with devil’s advocacy because both are techniques for deliberately manufacturing conflict about a proposal.
The two conflict-based techniques.
| Devil’s advocacy | Dialectical inquiry | |
|---|---|---|
| What is produced | One plan, plus a systematic critique of it | Two opposed plans — a thesis and a counter-plan or antithesis |
| Role assigned | A member is appointed to attack the proposal, whatever he privately thinks | Two subgroups each build and defend a complete alternative |
| Outcome sought | A stronger version of the original plan, or its rejection | A synthesis drawing on both |
They differ in degree, not in kind: one appoints a critic, the other builds a rival case. Both are forms of programmed conflict — conflict introduced on purpose rather than left to arise.
Why the other three are different in kind. All three are techniques for generating ideas and for suppressing the social pressures that inhibit them, not for attacking a proposal :
| Technique | How it works |
|---|---|
| Brainstorming | Free generation of ideas in a group with criticism deliberately withheld — the direct opposite of devil’s advocacy |
| Nominal group technique | Members write ideas silently and independently, then present and rank them in turn, so that no one dominates |
| Delphi method | Experts respond to successive rounds of questionnaires anonymously and without meeting, each round summarising the last, until answers converge |
What the conflict techniques are for. They exist to counter groupthink — Irving Janis’s term for the tendency of cohesive groups to converge prematurely, suppress doubts and assume unanimity. A group that has developed an illusion of invulnerability will not criticise its own plan; the remedy is to assign the criticism as a duty, so that dissent carries no personal cost.
The cost of the method. Programmed conflict improves the quality of decisions but can reduce the group’s satisfaction and its willingness to accept the outcome — which is why the critic’s role is rotated and why the process is kept explicitly impersonal.
Hence, the answer is Dialectical inquiry.
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Important Questions from Decision Making
Which of the following are necessary conditions for applying Simeon Denis Poisson distribution in the field of managerial decision making?
A. Each occurrence of an event is independent of the occurrence of the other event
B. The probability of an occurrence is the same for any two intervals of equal length
C. Poisson distribution describes continuous occurrences over a specific time interval
D. In each interval, occurrences can range from zero to infinity
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Which of the following common difficulties are faced in making decisions and implementing?
(A) Non-actionable information
(B) Unsupporting environment
(C) Easy acceptance by subordinates
(D) Ineffective communication
(E) Incorrect timing
Choose the correct answer from the options given below
The major components of Nicosia Model of consumer decision-making are:
A. The consumer's attitude based on firm's message exposure
B. Perceptual and learning constructs
C. Feedback in the form of purchase experience
D. Extensive problem solving by consumer
E. Consumer's product search and evaluation
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Match List - I with List - II.
List - I
Decision Rule
List - II
Rationale for applying the decision Rule to Down App.
(A)
Conjunctive
I)
"I bought the Smartphone App with the highest over all railing".
(B)
Disjunctive
(II)
"I down loaded the Smartphone App that had the most downloads".
(C)
Affect Referred
(III)
"I selected the Smart Phone App that had no bad features".
(D)
Majority vote
(IV)
"I picked the Smart Phone App that excelled in at least one attribute ".
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
- What are the characteristics of programmed decisions ?
A. Problems are unique and novel
B. Solutions are based on rules and established procedures
C. Made by top management only
D. Problems are routine and repetitive
E. Conditions in which they occur are highly certain
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :
