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Decision-Making Pitfalls: Group Think & Escalation

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Working in teams has many decision making elements. Pick two of the following Decision-Making Pitfalls that are the worst for a team; explain in detail why they are the worst:
1. Group Thinking
2. Escalation of Commitment
3. The Abilene Paradox
4. Group Polarization
5. Unethical Decision Making

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Solution Summary

This solution is about 300 words and thoroughly describes how group think within a team and escalation of an issue or "hot" topic are both detrimental pitfalls within the decision-making process.

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The two biggest pitfalls in making decisions within a team environment are group think and escalation of commitment. Groupthink occurs when the team members are more focused on consensus rather than what is truly "right" when it comes to making a decision. Groupthink is similar to a popularity contest and within a work environment, the tendency is for team members to withhold their opinions as a means to not "rock the boat" of whomever the "popular kid" is (usually ...

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