Nominal Group Technique Todd Molfenter Reduce Waiting & No-Shows  Increase Admissions & Continuation

Nominal Group Technique Designed to promote group participation in the decision making process, Used by small groups to Reach consensus on the identification of key problems (Principle 2) or Develop solutions that can be tested using rapid change cycles (Principle 5).

Generating Solutions We have done a walk-through We have identified key process problems We have identified an aim to focus on… NOW we need SOLUTIONS – this is where the NGT comes in

When to use the Nominal Group Process Brainstorming Reaching consensus Assigning priorities Involving equitable staff participation

Nominal Group Steps Room Preparation Silent Idea Generation Record ideas Discussion of Ideas Preliminary Voting Discussion of preliminary vote Final voting

2. Silent Idea Generation Allows adequate time for thinking and reflection through recall Promotes social facilitation (e.g., seeing others hard at work) Avoids interruptions, undue focus on one idea, and competition, as well as status and conformance pressures or choosing prematurely between ideas Promotes a problem-centered focus

3. Round Robin Recording Promotes equal participation Increases problem-mindedness and the ability to deal with a large number of ideas Separates the ideas from the person Allows for the tolerance of conflicting ideas Encourages hitchhiking on ideas Provides written records of the ideas

4. Serial Discussion of Idea Avoids unduly focusing on any one idea or a subset of ideas Provides an opportunity for clarification and the elimination of any misunderstanding Outlines the arguments and disagreements over ideas Records differences of opinion without undue augmentation

5. Preliminary Voting Rating Approach Ranking Approach “Dot” distribution

NGT Steps 6 and 7 Preliminary discussion Final Voting Examine items with inconsistent voting patterns Discuss ideas with “too many” or “too few” votes Final Voting Prioritization among top ideas

Change Team Assignment As a table, ask one participant to identify a key issue that they are dealing with as the focus of your nominal group process. Assign a Change Leader to facilitate Go through each section as a team to generate solutions Vote on those solutions to identify the top idea to test first