Asynchronous implementation of the nominal group technique: is it effective?

Two major organizational shifts are the movement toward teams and the movement toward nonstandard work schedules. This has simultaneously increased the need for meetings and decreased the ability to meet. One of the most successful processes for structuring meetings is the nominal group technique (NGT). This paper provides evidence that computer-assisted asynchronous (CAA) implementations of the NGT are more effective than noncomputer-assisted synchronous (NCAS) implementations of the NGT (they generate more and better ideas, and do it in less time). The implication is that organizations are wasting huge amounts of money on travel and accommodations for face-to-face meetings that could be conducted asynchronously. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.