Why are group decisions so hard?
Since the beginning of human history, people have made decisions in
groups--first in families and villages, and now as part of companies,
governments, school boards, religious organizations, or any one of
countless other groups. And having more than one person to help decide
is good because the group benefits from the collective knowledge of all
of its members, and this results in better decisions. Right?
Back to reality. We've all been involved in group decisions--and they're
hard. And they often turn out badly. Why? Many blame bad decisions on
"groupthink" without a clear idea of what that term really means.
Now, Nudge coauthor Cass Sunstein and leading decision-making scholar
Reid Hastie shed light on the specifics of why and how group decisions
go wrong--and offer tactics and lessons to help leaders avoid the
pitfalls and reach better outcomes. In the first part of the book, they
explain in clear and fascinating detail the distinct problems groups run
into:
- They often amplify, rather than correct, individual errors in
judgment
- They fall victim to cascade effects, as members follow what others
say or do
- They become polarized, adopting more extreme positions than the ones
they began with
- They emphasize what everybody knows instead of focusing on critical
information that only a few people know
In the second part of the book, the authors turn to straightforward
methods and advice for making groups smarter. These approaches include
silencing the leader so that the views of other group members can
surface, rethinking rewards and incentives to encourage people to reveal
their own knowledge, thoughtfully assigning roles that are aligned with
people's unique strengths, and more.
With examples from a broad range of organizations--from Google to the
CIA--and written in an engaging and witty style, Wiser will not only
enlighten you; it will help your team and your organization make better
decisions--decisions that lead to greater success.
