According to Lussier (2010), meeting planning is necessary in five areas, which include objectives, participants and assignments, agenda, meeting time and place, and leadership. I recently attended a meeting with a group of architects and doctors at a Boston-area hospital where it was evident that the project manager was using meeting scheduling. For example, the project manager outlined the objectives at the beginning of the meeting. This allowed us to stay focused on the task. Additionally, each member present had specific expertise specific to the project and meeting. The project manager relied on each person to provide feedback and expertise to move the meeting forward and complete the objectives. The group had a set weekly date and time that worked with everyone's schedule. At the end of the meeting, the project manager reviewed the completed objectives and assigned any new tasks to the appropriate person. Lussier (2010) believes that organizations rely on groups to come up with new ideas and ways of doing business. “There are several techniques to use, including brainstorming, synetics, nominal grouping, consensus mapping, and the Delphi technique” (Lussier, 2010, p. 465). In the next five paragraphs, I have listed examples where it would be appropriate for a manager to use each technique. “Brainstorming is the process of suggesting many alternatives, without evaluation, to solve problems” (Lussier, 2010, p.465). The research and development department of a shoe company has just developed a brand new shoe ready to be released on the market. They pass it on to the marketing department but it doesn't have a name. Therefore, the marketing department is tasked with giving this new shoe a name. The… half of the paper… we have found that we have more alternatives when using creative group techniques. Additionally, employees are more likely to accept decisions because they are involved in the process. This can lead to high morale within the organization. Most organizations are moving towards group decision making (Lussier, 2010). However, there are potential drawbacks. Group decision making tends to take longer and distracts the employee from his or her daily work. Additionally, employees may feel pressure from their colleagues to conform to a certain idea. This could be counterproductive for the organization. Works Cited Lussier, RN (2010). Human relations in organizations: applications and development of skills. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Circuits.OODA: Understanding the Decision Cycle. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_78.htm