Date of Award

6-2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Operations Research

Department

Department of Operational Sciences

First Advisor

Shane J. Knighton, PhD

Abstract

Many "real world" decisions are made by groups. It is rare that the responsi- bility for a very important decision is given to a single decision maker with complete authority. Group decision making adds both advantages to the process as well as disadvantages. This research examines the question: "Are decisions made by groups really that much different from the decisions made by individuals in the group?" A specific case study involving the selection of the best primary training aircraft type for military pilot training is used to examine this question. Fifteen military pilots with various backgrounds and experience levels participate as decision makers in the study. The decision analysis method of Value Focused Thinking is used to facilitate both individual and group decision making sessions. Value hierarchies are created for all sessions, and a set of alternatives is generated and scored. Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance is used to determine the level of agreement between decisions made by the group and individual decision makers.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GOR-ENS-08-05

DTIC Accession Number

ADA520206

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