Group decisions are usually better than individual ones,
but this depends on several factors, including the type of task, the abilities
of the members, whether group norms support high or low production, and
the
decision-making procedures used. Ideally, groups achieve an assembly effect—
that is, the group’s decision is superior to the summative effect of all
the individual members’ decisions.
Group decision making entails not only rational but
other psychological processes that can lead to a group polarization effect,
or the
tendency of people in groups to adopt more extreme solutions.
Group decisions can be made by the designated leader,
by majority vote, or by consensus. Consensus takes more time.
To help achieve valuable consensus, envision the process
as a cooperative rather than competitive one. Don’t be stubborn, avoid
win–lose thinking, be on guard against groupthink, don’t use conflict-suppressing
techniques, and use differences of opinion to improve group outcomes.
Groups often pass through predictable phases during
decision making, such as the four Fisher identified (orientation, conflict,
decision
emergence, and reinforcement). Recent researchers, such as Poole, suggest
that the types, lengths, and sequence of phases depend on several group
and individual
factors.
There are several ways to improve group decision making: defining
the problem carefully, agreeing on criteria, thoroughly evaluating the
positive and negative characteristics of all the options, second-guessing
the tentative
choice, and, most important, thinking critically.
Both the information available to the group and also
the reasoning that links that information to conclusions must be carefully
evaluated.
Members should be especially watchful for common fallacies that impair
reasoning, such as overgeneralizing, ad hominem attacks, making
inappropriate causal links, posing a false dilemma, and making faulty analogies.
Cohesive groups need to guard against groupthink, characterized
by a failure to evaluate information and reasoning thoroughly. Overestimating
a group’s morality, close-mindedness, and pressure to conform indicate
groupthink. Establishing a devil’s advocate role can help counteract this
tendency.
