Harvard Business Essentials, Decision Making

Social Influences

There is little doubt that individuals within a group (within a decision

team, a business unit, a company) are subject to the influences of those

around them, even when they have the power to ignore them in mak-

ing a final decision. As psychologist Scott Plous has stated, “Because

people are social by nature, their judgments and decisions are subject

to social influences. Even when decision makers operate alone, they

often tailor their behavior in anticipation of how it will be evaluated

by others. Consequently, any comprehensive account of judgment

and decision making must include social factors.”

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Some decision makers are influenced by ...