CHAPTER 15
When Group Discussion Backfires
by Joshua Becker, Douglas Guilbeault, and Edward “Ned” Smith
When you have a difficult question to answer, do you consult multiple experts to get a sense of their individual views or ask a group to deliberate together? Studies on the concept of collective intelligence suggest that when managed properly, asking a group can lead to more accurate estimates than simply averaging the recommendations of multiple independent advisers.1
However, our research, published in Management Science, suggests that while group deliberation can indeed increase the accuracy of forecasts, it can lead you astray when it comes to making a final decision.
Prior studies on the power of collective intelligence have largely focused ...
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