Uncovering the mechanisms of effective facilitated operational research using psychology

Operational Research (OR) is the discipline of applying advanced analytical methods such as simulation modelling to make better decisions. This emerging field has impacted a diverse range of organisational sectors, ranging from healthcare and energy efficiency to advertising and product flow. Whilst research has consistently reported that forms of OR such as facilitated OR are successful in improving decision making within organisations, little objective evidence exists for its efficacy.
Drawing upon psychological methods in group decision making allows us to conceptualise and objectively measure the underlying processes of facilitated OR which lead to better group decisions. For example, research on group decision making within psychology using the hidden profile may reveal potential techniques for increasing information sharing, which has been reported to have the most significant impact on group performance. In the Hidden Profile, groups are presented with a decision-making task requiring them to discuss all unshared information to reach an optimal decision.
Research using this paradigm has revealed groups consistently fail to reach the optimal decision, due to tendencies to validate and hence more frequently discuss shared information, and prioritising consensus over optimal decisions, both of which are primed in organisations as a result of strict time limits and large amounts of information. Additional mechanisms have been proposed to occur at an individual level simultaneous to these group level processes, such as the Individual Preference Effect (IPE). The IPE pertains to the tendency for individuals to prioritise and place greater worth on evidence that is consistent with their initial attitudes based on their personal knowledge, with disregard to the knowledge of other group members. Whilst some research has found that this unequal information distribution is common to organisations, no research has yet been conducted on how to overcome the poor decision making that results in organisational settings from this. Such insights are invaluable as they allow for the development of optimal facilitated OR models which can maximise organisational group potential.
Initially, research will be conducted online using a recently developed virtual group hidden profile paradigm, to empirically assess factors which are proposed to influence information sharing and retention. Interventions will be developed based on this research to overcome such factors, firstly conducted in lab-based settings with student populations and then generalising to real client facilitated workshops via connections with Kent Business School.
This research will primarily depend on exploratory video-based and transcripts coded via Interactive Process Analysis methods. Research will also use questionnaires measuring factors such as confidence in the decisions made, perceptions of trust and collaboration, and understanding of content provided. This research aims to draw upon existing psychological theories on methods of increasing information sharing and improving decision making and implement these in facilitated OR models with the aim to improve group decisions within organisations.