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The Law of Diminishing Returns

We have all experienced this before, so we know it’s true even without all the studies that have demonstrated its veracity. There comes a point in group discussions (or even in an individual investigation) where little more will be learned, and what is learned will not be significant. Another point will be reached when the group discussion has come around to the same issues for a second or third time. Nothing new will emerge and there will be little to show for additional discussion.

The group, or its leader (probably you), will need to recognize when this point of diminishing returns has been reached and move from discussion to decision making. To continue will be to waste people’s time and achieve almost nothing. And it delays the decision.

This point is almost always reached when 90 percent of the information needed to make a decision is known, and all of the alternatives and their arguments have been determined and discussed at least twice. After this point, the group will flounder around and accomplish little.

At this point, the group and/or its leader must move to the decision and focus on obtaining that decision. Some techniques include setting a time at which point the decision must be made; establishing a voting schedule, or even creating an advocate for each alternative and have them present and debate among themselves for the rest of the group.