Groupthink reconsidered

Article Abstract:

History and the daily newspaper provide examples of policy decisions made by groups that resulted in fiascoes. The making of such decisions is frequently attributed to the groupthink phenomenon. A different perspective on the occurrence of policy fiascoes, prospect polarization, is offered. This approach employs, in addition to the pressures for uniformity of groupthink, the notions of framing effects, risk seeking in the domain of losses, and group polarization. The applicability of these theoretical mechanisms to several notorious decision fiascoes, past and present, is discussed. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Decision-making, Group, Group decision making, Discussion

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Structural adaptations to environments

Article Abstract:

A model is developed that traces the influences of objective reality to its impact on structural changes in the environment brought about by managerial initiatives. It also accounts for the impact of individual characteristics and organizational patterns on the development of managerial perceptions, as well as the mitigating effects of organizational slack and, of course, a manager's conscious choice. The models of industrial economists provide an excellent framework for conceptualizing the perception-structural change interplay. 10

Organizational change

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Escalating commitment to a course of action: a reinterpretation

Article Abstract:

Escalating commitment to a losing cause is not necessarily the result of a refusal on the part of decision makers to admit error. Prospect theory offers a more comprehensive framework for explaining escalating commitment in both success and failure contexts. This theory suggests that subsequent decisions are framed in the context of feedback on the initial decision. For example, negative feedback will frame subsequent decisions as loss minimizing, thus leading to continued commitment.

Employee motivation, Leadership, Supervision of employees, Employee supervision

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