Decision Rules and Group Rationality: Cognitive Gain or Standstill?

Abstract

Recent research in group cognition points towards the existence of collective cognitive competencies that transcend individual group members’ cognitive competencies. Since rationality is a key cognitive competence for group decision making, and group cognition emerges from the coordination of individual cognition during social interactions, this study tests the extent to which collaborative and consultative decision rules impact the emergence of group rationality. Using a set of decision tasks adapted from the heuristics and biases literature, we evaluate rationality as the extent to which individual choices are aligned with a normative ideal. We further operationalize group rationality as cognitive synergy (the extent to which collective rationality exceeds average or best individual rationality in the group), and we test the effect of collaborative and consultative decision rules in a sample of 176 groups. Our results show that the collaborative decision rule has superior synergic effects as compared to the consultative decision rule. The ninety one groups working in a collaborative fashion made more rational choices (above and beyond the average rationality of their members) than the eighty five groups working in a consultative fashion. Moreover, the groups using a collaborative decision rule were closer to the rationality of their best member than groups using consultative decision rules. Nevertheless, on average groups did not outperformed their best member. Therefore, our results reveal how decision rules prescribing interpersonal interactions impact on the emergence of collective cognitive competencies. They also open potential venues for further research on the emergence of collective rationality in human decision-making groups.

Cognitive synergy in groups and group-to-individual transfer of decision-making competencies

“…Based on these tasks we evaluated individual rationality at time 2 (IRT2). This procedure fits group synergy research (Larson, 2007; Curşeu et al, 2013, 2014; Meslec and Curşeu, 2013) as it allows for computing weak and strong group synergy. It also aligns well with the procedures used in group-to-individual transfer of learning research (Schultze et al, 2012).…”

“…The group synergy framework has been used to describe the emergence of group rationality as a collective decision-making competence (Curşeu et al, 2013, 2014; Meslec and Curşeu, 2013). Groups that achieve weak synergy are those groups that collectively are more rational than the average rationality of their individual members, while groups that achieve strong synergy are those groups that collectively are more rational than their most rational group member.…”

Balancing divergence and convergence in transdisciplinary research teams

“…Team literature shows that a decentralised structure facilitates collaboration (Sparrowe et al, 2001). Also for decision making in teams it has been shown that such a collaborative structure is beneficial 11 (Curseu et al, 2013). A decentralised structure might reduce the negative effects resulting from diversity, because problems related to misunderstanding each other might be reduced.…”

I will follow (when I need to)

“…High and low intergroup competition consultative groups (groups in which the leader decides upon consultation) shows that collaborative groups perform better (Campion et al, 1996) and make more rational collective choice (Curseu et al, 2013) than consultative groups.…”