the United Nations.
There were also group roles, of course, whereby every member of Kennedy's team of advisers brought specific expertise to the discussion. It was not enough to make a final decision based solely on public opinion or politics. International law was involved. This is a case of where more than one expert opinion- not guesswork, but knowledge and informed background, is important. The fact that each individual of the team sees himself as an expert in a particular field makes it possible for a consensus to be reached, with every participant contributing in his specialized field.
As for the group process, the coordinators and specialists would have to come to some decision: In this case, reduction of tensions among the two super powers, without damaging the diplomatic and strategic needs to remain in communication and to maintain proper relations so that both sides of the Cold War argument would not only be heard, listened to and debated, but firmly understood. It becomes obvious in the movie that the final decision still has to rest with the President. In fact, there is one scene where action by the military is literally demanded, and Kennedy explodes and says "I am Commander-in-Chief. And I will make the final decision!"
In the area of group style, there were certainly time constraints. "The biggest constraint was time. Every day the Soviets were permitted to complete the missile sites was a day closer to their capture of a strategic advantage in the Western Hemisphere" (Harrison 379). I
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