Applying the nominal group technique in an employment relations conflict situation: A case study of a university maintenance section in South Africa

Abstract

After a breakdown in employment relations in the maintenance section of a higher education institution, the authors were asked to intervene in order to try and solve the employment relations conflict situation. It was decided to employ the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) as a tool in problem identification during conflict in the workplace. An initial investigation of documentation and interviews with prominent individuals in the organisation was carried out. The NGT was then used in four focus group discussions to determine the important issues as seen by staff members. The NGT facilitates the determination of shared perceptions and the ranking of ideas. The NGT was used in diverse groups, necessitating adaptations to the technique. The perceived causes of the conflict were established. The NGT can be used in a conflict situation in the workplace in order to establish the perceived causes of employment relations conflict.<p><strong>How to cite this article: </strong></p><p>Van der Waal, C.S., & Uys, J.M. (2009). Applying the nominal group technique in an employment relations conflict situation: A case study of a university maintenance section in South Africa. SA Journal of Human Resource Management/SA Tydskrif vir Menslikehulpbronbestuur, 7(1), Art. #232, 7 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajhrm.v7i1.232</p&gt

Perceptions of Global Health Engagements in Relation to the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Health Care Workers and Administrators in Western Kenya: Protocol for a Multistage Qualitative Study

“…Primarily, NGTs offer a high level of efficiency in achieving group consensus in comparison to focus groups, which can be significantly impacted by group dynamics, dominant personalities, and biases of participants and researchers [38]. Equally important in the selection of NGTs is their proven use in research in health care research, including among individuals working in health care in the African context [39][40][41][42][43]. In our study, NGTs will be used to generate a prioritized list of recommendations among health care workers and administrators, which will be examined further in subsequent in-depth interviews.…”

“…Additionally, NGTs are noted for their usability and outputs, typically prioritized lists of actions, and can be a useful method to compare viewpoints and priorities of stakeholder groups [39]. NGT methods have also been shown to reduce researcher bias and have been applied frequently in health research, particularly among health care workers-including in sub-Saharan Africa [39][40][41][42][43]54].…”