decision making in groups m7 project 2
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Group Decision Making
Decision Making in Groups
Module 7: Week 7– M7: Assignment 2
Baroness Thompson
PSY320 Industrial Organizational Psychology
Marian Orr
April 11, 2008
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Group Decision Making
Decision Making in Groups
Social Loafing
Social loafing may become prevalent in an organizations group. This is the
tendency for people to perform worse on simple tasks, yet better at complex tasks when
they are in the presence of others. This appears to be a direct contradiction to Social
Facilitation, but can be explained by the differing circumstances in which it occurs. In
particular, when we are working in a group, it can be easier to conceal laziness when
working in a group of people who are working together. The key here is that the loafer is
not worried about being evaluated. This can also be an attraction of being an
acknowledge expert or in a position of authority: although it may take time to climb the
mountain, you may be able to relax once you have got there.
However, when we are being evaluated, such as when working on a team task, we
will work hard to ensure nobody can criticize us for not pulling our weight. People who
have less concern for groups are more likely to be social loafers.
Brainstorming in a group
In closing, I believe working in a group may lead to a sense of continuous
activity. This may provide group members with the idea that they are productive, because
they feel that the group as a whole is making progress, even if they themselves are not
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Group Decision Making
contributing”.
Other possible reasons for why people think they work better in groups include
‘memory confusion’, the idea that after working in groups people subsequently mistake
other people’s ideas for the own, and ‘social comparison’, the idea that in groups people
are able to see how difficult everyone else has found it to come up with ideas too
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Group Decision Making
Decision Making in Groups
You are a consultant hired to help improve the productivity of Celia Jane, a medium-
sized furniture design firm. Celia Jane always kept up with the competition but now
would like to gain some market share and expand its business.
Traditionally, employees at Celia Jane work in groups of eight. John, the CEO of Celia
Jane, believes that working in groups aids creativity and productivity. As the consultant,
however, you know that working in groups also has some negative consequences.
Explain to John the factors that lead to ineffective decision making in groups, taking into
consideration the following terms:
Social loafing
Free riding
The sucker effect
Process loss
Groupthink
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Group Decision Making
How does each factor affect the organization’s productivity?
John also believes that one great advantage of working in groups is brainstorming. As the
consultant, suggest what he can do to ensure brainstorming is as effective as possible.
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Group Decision Making
Reference Page
Argosy Lecture Notes. (2008). Stress and worker well-being. Retrieved April 13, 2008,
from http://myeclassonline.com/ec/crs/default.learn?
CourseID=2895398&CPURL=myeclassonline.com&Survey=1&47=4156968&ClientNo
deID=404511&coursenav=0&bhcp=1
Levy, P. (2006). Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Understanding the workplace
(2nd ed.)Boston New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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