Effect of Concurrence, Controversy, and Consensus on Group Decision Making

Abstract

Managers can, by structuring the interpersonal interaction among group members, affect the processes and outcomes of decision making. Seventy-eight Canadian business administration undergraduates were divided into small groups and told to seek agreement (concurrence), to discuss opposing opinions openly (controversy), or to express their own personal views (consensus) as they made a decision about a promotion. Participants in the controversy condition were found to feel uncertain about their knowledge and the decision and were observed exploring the problem in depth. Participants in the concurrence condition felt confident about their understanding of the problem and the decision they made, though they did not explore the problem as fully as participants in the controversy condition. Concurrence-seeking participants indicated that they liked each other and felt their relationships were cooperative. Consensus decision making had effects distinct from controversy: Participants were more confident about their understanding and decision but actually did not explore the problem as thoroughly as participants in the controversy condition.