Nominal group technique
The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a structured group facilitation method designed to generate ideas, prioritize issues, and achieve consensus in decision-making processes, particularly in settings where equal participation is essential to avoid dominance by vocal individuals.[1] It involves participants independently brainstorming ideas in silence, followed by a facilitated round-robin sharing of those ideas without interruption, group clarification and discussion, and finally a voting or ranking phase to identify priorities.[2] This technique ensures balanced input from all members while producing actionable outcomes efficiently.[1] NGT was developed in the late 1960s by researchers Andre L. Delbecq, Andrew H. Van de Ven, and David H. Gustafson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, initially as a tool for community action programs during the War on Poverty era.[3] Delbecq, a professor of organizational behavior, initiated its use in neighborhood meetings to identify needs among economically disadvantaged residents, with Van de Ven contributing research on silent idea generation and Gustafson refining the voting mechanisms.[3] The method was formalized and published in their 1975 book, Group Techniques for Program Planning: A Guide to Nominal Group and Delphi Processes, which detailed NGT alongside the related Delphi technique for broader application in program planning and policy development.[3] In practice, NGT's four core stages—silent generation (typically 10-20 minutes for individual idea listing), round-robin presentation (where ideas are recorded verbatim on a shared board), clarification (allowing brief discussions to refine understanding without debate), and voting (often using ranking scales to select top priorities)—distinguish it from less structured methods like brainstorming or focus groups.[2] This process typically takes 1-2 hours for groups of 5-10 participants and can be moderated by a neutral facilitator to maintain focus.[1] NGT's key advantages include fostering creativity through independent input, reducing social pressures that suppress minority views, and yielding quantifiable results via aggregated rankings, making it particularly valuable in fields such as healthcare, education, and organizational management for tasks like needs assessment or strategy prioritization.[1] It has been applied in diverse contexts, from clinical guideline development to stakeholder consultations, and adapted for virtual formats using digital tools to enable remote participation while preserving its structured approach.[1][4] This demonstrates its versatility and effectiveness in promoting democratic decision-making.[1]Overview
Definition and Purpose
The nominal group technique (NGT) is a structured method for group decision-making in which participants, treated as a "nominal" group, independently generate ideas in silence before collectively sharing, discussing, and prioritizing them.[5] This approach ensures that individual contributions are elicited without immediate influence from others, fostering a balanced input from all members.[6] The primary purpose of NGT is to facilitate the identification of problems, generation of solutions, and achievement of consensus in group settings, particularly when prioritizing options for well-defined issues.[5] It is designed to enhance the quality of collective judgments by pooling diverse perspectives while minimizing biases such as dominance by outspoken individuals or premature convergence on ideas.[6] Key components of NGT include an initial silent generation phase, where participants write down ideas individually; a round-robin sharing stage, in which ideas are recorded verbatim without interruption or critique; a clarification discussion to refine or group similar ideas; and a final voting or ranking process to prioritize the most valued options.[5] These elements structure the interaction to promote equitable participation and focused outcomes.[6] In contrast to traditional brainstorming, which relies on unstructured, free-flowing verbal exchanges that can lead to unequal participation and groupthink, NGT imposes a deliberate sequence to equalize contributions and reduce the influence of vocal members.[6] This structured format was specifically developed to address the limitations of less controlled idea-generation methods.[5]Historical Development
The Nominal group technique (NGT) was developed in the late 1960s by André L. Delbecq, Andrew H. Van de Ven, and David H. Gustafson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, initially as a structured method to enhance decision-making in community action programs during the War on Poverty era, with subsequent applications in organizational planning and adult education program development by promoting equal participation and reducing dominance by influential members.[7][3] This approach addressed limitations in traditional group interactions, drawing on social psychology research to prioritize individual idea generation before collective discussion.[2] The technique was first formally described in the 1971 paper "A Group Process Model for Problem Identification and Program Planning," published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, which outlined its core steps for systematic problem-solving in group settings.[7] Delbecq, Van de Ven, and collaborator David H. Gustafson further elaborated on NGT in their 1975 book Group Techniques for Program Planning: A Guide to Nominal Group and Delphi Processes, providing practical guidelines for implementation in educational and administrative contexts.[8] During the 1970s and 1980s, NGT saw initial applications in curriculum design and evaluation within educational settings, where it facilitated participatory planning among stakeholders. For instance, Kathy R. Vedros applied it in 1979 to engage adult learners in program development at Florida State University, emphasizing its role in democratizing input for educational reforms.[9] Similarly, in 1983, Mary J. O'Neil and Lois Jackson utilized NGT to initiate curriculum development in higher education, structuring team brainstorming to identify priorities efficiently.[10] By the 1980s, NGT evolved through integration with other consensus-building methods, such as comparisons with the Delphi technique to assess group dynamics and decision accuracy in diverse scenarios.[1] Jean M. Bartunek and J. Keith Murnighan adapted the procedure in 1984, expanding its assumptions to include reflective phases for deeper assumption-testing in organizational studies, which broadened its applicability beyond initial planning tools.[11] Into the 2000s, NGT expanded to fields like healthcare for priority-setting among professionals and conservation for stakeholder consensus on ecological challenges, reflecting its versatility in interdisciplinary problem-solving.[1][12] Post-2010 developments have incorporated NGT into methodologies like Six Sigma for quality improvement and project management for risk prioritization, enhancing its use in structured process optimization.[13] Since 2020, particularly amid remote work shifts, virtual adaptations of NGT have emerged using digital platforms for asynchronous and synchronous facilitation, enabling broader participation in healthcare research and beyond.[14] By 2025, tools like Miro and Mural have supported hybrid implementations, maintaining core principles while accommodating global, distributed groups.[15]Procedure
Standard Steps
The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) involves an initial introduction and problem statement followed by a structured four-stage core process to facilitate idea generation and prioritization in small groups, originally outlined by Delbecq and Van de Ven as a means to enhance decision-making by balancing individual contributions with collective input.[5] This procedure typically accommodates groups of 5-10 participants and lasts 1-2 hours in total, depending on the complexity of the issue.[5] Required materials include paper and pencils for each participant, a flipchart or whiteboard for recording ideas, markers, and optionally digital tools for remote sessions.[16] Introduction and Problem Statement (5-10 minutes)The facilitator clearly presents the problem or question to the group, often written on a flipchart, and ensures all participants understand it without allowing any discussion or idea-sharing at this point. This step sets a focused context and prevents premature influence.[5] Stage 1: Silent Idea Generation (10-15 minutes)
Participants independently generate ideas in writing, either on paper or digitally, emphasizing quantity over quality to encourage creativity without external pressure. This silent phase promotes equal opportunity for input, reducing the impact of dominant personalities.[16] Stage 2: Round-Robin Sharing (15-30 minutes)
In a structured round, each participant shares one idea at a time without interruption, critique, or comment from others; the facilitator records these ideas verbatim on a shared flipchart or list, continuing until all ideas are contributed. This ensures every voice is heard systematically and builds a comprehensive inventory.[5] Stage 3: Clarification and Discussion (30-45 minutes)
The group discusses the listed ideas solely for clarification and understanding, avoiding debate, evaluation, or advocacy; the facilitator actively manages the conversation to prevent any individual from dominating and may combine similar ideas if agreed upon. This stage refines the list without altering its nominal nature.[16] Stage 4: Voting and Ranking (10-20 minutes)
Participants privately rank or vote on their top ideas—such as the top 5—using methods like point allocation (e.g., assigning 5 points to the highest priority) or simple voting; results are then aggregated anonymously to determine overall prioritization. This final step yields a consensus-based ranking of the most valued ideas.[5]