Team Decision Making

Question 1

Why teams at all?

Answer 1

Social facilitation: performance improvements stem from the presence of others, increase arousal/tendency to perform (drive theory), and you want others to think well of you (evaluation apprehension)

Question 2

How do you calculate actual productivity?

Answer 2

potential productivity - process loss

Question 3

What are the 2 factors of process losses?

Answer 3

1. Groupthink
2. Escalation of commitment

Question 4

What’s groupthink?

Answer 4

The tendency for members of highly cohesive groups to conform so strongly to group pressures that they fail to think critically and reject the potentially correcting influences of outsiders

Question 5

Ways to fix groupthink:

Answer 5

1. assign a devil’s advocate role
2. use subgroups
3. hold second-chance meetings
4. use a nominal group (individuals come up with ideas on their own and then meet to discuss or combine them later)

Question 6

Define escalation of commitment

Answer 6

the tendency for decision makers to maintain a commitment to losing courses of action, even in the face of quite negative news

Question 7

What are the 3 causes of the escalation of commitment?

Answer 7

1. threat to ego
2. suck costs considerations
3. pressure from outside parties

Question 8

How to fix escalation:

Answer 8

1. rotate personnel (separate decision-maker from the decision-evaluator)
2. set milestones when the decision to persist is re-evaluated
3. reduce negative consequences of failure
4. emphasize the quality of the decision process rather than the outcome (create accountability for decision processes, not only outcomes

Question 9

Takeaways to build successful teams:

Answer 9

1. ask first if you even need a team
2. manage to guard against team biases (designate deviants, encourage conflict, manage the process)
3. make teams no larger than necessary (5-6 people)

Question 10

What are the three capitals of prosperity?

Answer 10

1. Financial capital
2. Human capital
3. Social capital

Question 11

3 benefits to social capital:

Answer 11

1. referrals to diverse forms of human capital
2. access to private information
3. information before it becomes public

Question 12

What are the 2 general types of networks you have?

Answer 12

1. Closure networks (tight-knit group)
2. Brokerage networks (spans groups)

Question 13

List the pros and cons of closure networks:

Answer 13

Pros:
-maximize cooperation and control
-more equal distribution of information
-maximize loyalty and cohesion
-increase reciprocity
Cons:
-information they have is rarely novel and often redundant
-hard to have a big picture view
-vulnerable to groupthink

Question 14

List the pros and cons of brokerage networks:

Answer 14

Pros:
-opportunity to combine information in novel ways
-better access to diverse opportunities
-higher autonomy and flexibility
Cons:
-may not be seen as being loyal to any one group
-difficult to develop expertise in any one area
decrease motives to cooperate
can create an unequal distribution

Question 15

How to think positively about networking:

Answer 15

1. focus on learning
2. identify common interests
3. think broadly about what you can give
4. find a higher purpose

Question 16

3 tactics to develop networks

Answer 16

1. favor exchange (ask for a favor or advice)
2. shared activities (join 3 organizations a year and meet at least 3 new people per)
3. share networks once a month: attend events (ask invitees to bring a plus one; get in the habit of getting to know contacts of contacts)