Chapter+8+Research

How groups make decisions?

Then there is a disaster in any part of the United States the Red Cross comes to the rescue. The national headquarters for the Red Cross in located in Washington D.C. There management activate their DHR list. The DHR system has millions of registered volunteers that are mainly retired firefighters, police officers, military forces, and the local community. All volunteers are required to stay for 3 weeks when they are called and must be able to leave at little notice. Each volunteer are required to have a background check, Interview, be in good health, and able to be flexiable with their schedules.Management assigns senior leaders to a location to set up shelters. The senior leaders are assigned a team of volunteers that may come from other states or cities or local residents. The senior leaders apply the authority rule when making group decisions. These decision can be tasks that are given the volunteers which may include, helping disaster victims with questions, help find missing people, help unload or load medical and food supplies. There are always a team of two volunteers working together and never a single volunteer working alone. It is helpful to leaders to get to know their volunteers and what experience they have had with the Red Cross so they can be assigned to the right tasks.

How to improve group decisions? Group decision making can be improved if management can offer consistant courses in disaster training. Most volunteers don't become volunteers until a disaster has happened. The Red Cross does offer CPR and First Aid class, but not how to help or assist in a disaster. Volunteers mostly learn with hands on experience. During a disaster the best technique leaders can use is brainstorming. This technique is best when poeple have to give quick to responds in order to make decisions. Every minute counts when you have thousands or millions lives that are at stake.