Decision Making in Teams
When the desire for group harmony and consensus overrides effective decision-making. E.g., common knowledge effect
What is groupthink?
A negotiation in which the parties compete to get the largest share of a fixed pie
What is distributive negotiation?
Ask for small requests first so people are more likely to agree to later, larger requests.
What is the foot in the door technique?
creating a fabric of personal contacts who will provide support, feedback, insight, resources, and information
What is networking?
The team members agree to a course of action that none of them wants, because each member assumes that the others want it
What is pluralistic ignorance?
TP
What is "target price"?
– One strong argument is more persuasive than the same argument + a weak argument
– People ”average” the strength of arguments, they don’t add them!
What is the dilution effect?
the tendency for people to seek out or be attracted to those who are similar to themselves.
What is Homophily?
This expression is used to describe a situation in which people are afraid to criticize someone because the perceived wisdom is that the person is good or important.
Ex from PPT:Has been linked to men drinking more than they want to because they perceive this as what other men desire.
What is "The Emperor has no clothes."
BATNA
What is "Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement"?
Individual members often go along with the group even if they don’t understand or agree with the decision or behavior.
What is conformity?
We typically create networks through similarity and proximity. Consequently, most of our contacts are similar to us, and they tend to know each other.
What is a cohesive network?
• Put all information on the table first (do NOT use a straw poll) before discussion
• Appoint a devil’s advocate, seeking disagreement (or agreement depending on group norms)
• Leaders (or those who tend to be most dominant and influential) should not speak first
• Invite different perspectives and establish norms that encourage task conflict
What is solutions for managing agreement?
RP
What is "reservation price"?
Events that are vivid, easily imagined, or consistent with memory structures are judged to be more likely or plausible than other events
What is availability heuristic?
Connect groups of people who are otherwise unconnected to each other
What is brokers network?
Team members feel comfortable asking questions, requesting clarification, inquiring about others’ views, expressing dissenting views, asking for help, and admitting mistakes.
What is psychological safety?
The extent to which the most the buyer would pay (GRP) exceeds the least the seller would accept (ERP)—the size of the pie
What is ZOPA "Zone of Possible Agreement"?
The tendency to over-value personality- based explanations for others’ behavior (internal attributions), while undervaluing situational explanations for that behavior (external attributions)
What is fundamental attribution error?
– Most people found their job through personal connections (only 20% through formal means)
• 17% of contacts were good friends (>twice a week)
• 55% saw their contacts only occasionally
• 28% saw their contacts only rarely (<once a year)
– You are more likely to find a job through an acquaintance than a good friend
What is Granovetter's "The strength of weak ties" ?