Team Decision-Making Pitfalls

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Team Decision-Making Pitfalls

• Groupthink
• Escalation of commitment
• Abilene paradox
• Group polarization
• Unethical decision making

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Exhibit 7-1. Team Process and Outcomes
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Exhibit 7-2. A Rational Model of Group Decision
Making
Forsyth, D. (1990). Group dynamics (2nd ed., p.
286). Pacific Grove, CA Brooks/Cole.
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Symptoms of Groupthink

• Incomplete survey of alternatives
• Incomplete survey of objectives
• Failure to reexamine alternatives
• Failure to examine preferred choices
• Selection bias
• Poor information search
• Failure to create contingency plans

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Avoiding Groupthink

• Monitor team size
• Provide face-saving mechanism for teams
• Risk technique
• Invite different perspectives
• Appoint a devils advocate
• Structure discussion principles
• Establish procedures for protecting alternative
  viewpoints
• Second solution
• Beware of time pressure

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Exhibit 7-8. Escalation of Commitment
Source Adapted from Ross, J., Staw, B. M.
(1993). Organizational escalation and exit
Lessons from the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant.
Academy of Management Journal, 70173
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Escalation of Commitment

• Project determinants
• Psychological determinants
• Social determinants
• Structural determinants
• Avoiding the escalation of commitment problem
• Set limits
• Avoid the bystander effect
• Avoid tunnel vision
• Recognize sunk costs
• Avoid bad mood
• External review

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Key Causes of Self-Limiting Behavior in Teams

• Presence of someone with expertise
• Presentation of a compelling argument
• Lack of confidence in ones ability to contribute
• Unimportant or meaningless decision
• Pressure from others to conform to teams
  decision
• Dysfunctional decision-making climate

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Avoiding the Abilene Paradox

• Confront the issue in a team setting
• Conduct a private vote
• Minimize status differences
• Frame task as a decision to be made
• Provide formal forum for controversial views
• Take responsibility for failure

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Group Polarization

• Risky shift
• Cautious shift
• Explanations
• The need to be right
• The need to be liked
• Conformity pressures

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Exhibit 7-12. Group Polarization
Group polarization processes. Imagine that Group
1 includes Person A (who chose 1), Person B (who
chose 3), and Persons C and D (who both chose 5)
the average of pregroup choices would be (1 3
5 5)/4, or 3.5. Because this mean is less than
5, a risky shift would probably occur in Group 1.
If, in contrast, Group 2 contained Persons C, D,
E and F, their pregroup average would be (5 5
7 9)/4 or 6.5. Because this mean is closer to
the caution pole, a conservative shift would
probably occur in the group.
Source Adapted from Janis, I. L. (1982). Victims
of groupthink (2nc ed.). Boston Houghton
Mifflin.
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Unethical Decision Making

• Situational triggers
• Rational man model
• Pluralistic ignorance
• Desensitization

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How to Remedy or Prevent Unethical
Decision Making

• Accountability for behavior
• Reward model
• Appropriate role models
• Eliminate conflicts of interest
• Create cultures of integrity