Group Participation in MIS Project Teams? Let's Look at the Contingencies First!

Abstract

Research in the behavioral sciences has generally been finding that managers can be more effective by adapting their leadership style (i.e., the decision-making process) to fit the circumstances surrounding the decision to be made. This describes a model which has been developed by industrial psychologists. This model is designed to be used by managers to help them select the most appropriate decision-making process given a particular set of relevant circumstances. The model consists of a set of five decision-making processes, a set of simple questions managers can use to assess the circumstances surrounding their decision situations, and a procedure to help managers to choose among the alternative decision-making processes. It is proposed that this model can be useful in helping MIS project team leaders improve their teams' decision-making processes. To illustrate its usefulness, the model is applied to several decision problems facing a hypothetical MIS project team leader.