Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter

Description

All around us, we see the impact of group decisions -- ones that have worked, and others that have not. This book is for anyone involved in the decision making process. In Wiser, public intellectual, legal scholar and former White House executive Cass Sunstein, along with Reid Hastie of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, make a provocative and intelligent critical assessment of our current state of group decision making. And they offer better mechanisms for problem solving in the future. Sunstein and Hastie show how groups can more effectively use information their members have to display increased creativity, rather than falling into groupthink. They outline the reasons why groups fail; and go on to provide effective new mechanisms for collective problem-solving and decision-making. Mixing ideas from management and the social sciences, the authors address the widespread use of non-deliberative decision making methods both in business and the public sector. With examples from organizations as varied as Google and the CIA. A clever and witty read.

Cass R. Sunstein is a US legal scholar and served as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration. He is currently the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School and coauthor, with Richard H. Thaler, of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Reid Hastie is an expert on the psychology of decision making, especially by groups. He has authored or coauthored several academic books, including Rational Choice in an Uncertain World. He is currently the Ralph and Dorothy Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

"Just because collective groupthink in business and public life decision-making is the prevalent paradigm, doesn't mean it's the right way to go. Discuss." -- Qantas The Australian Way "[Wiser] sheds light on the specifics of why and how group decisions go wrong, and share insights into how leaders can avoid the pitfalls and reach better outcomes...With examples from a broad range of organisations from Google to the CIA, Wiser is designed to help leaders and their teams make better decisions that lead to greater success." -- Inside HR ADVANCE PRAISE for Wiser: Lawrence Summers, Secretary of the Treasury under President Clinton; Director of the National Economic Council under President Obama-- "No man is an island, and all important decisions are made collectively. This important book shows how they can be made better and so will make groups, crowds, and our society wiser and better. Anyone involved in making decisions that matter should read this book." John Engler, President, Business Roundtable-- "Drawing on academic research, real-world examples, and, in Sunstein's case, White House experience, the authors identify the most common mistakes groups fall victim to and offer sensible ways to avoid those often-expensive errors. In Sunstein and Hastie's recommendations, CEOs and managers alike will find much that leaves them, in a word, wiser." Claire Shipman, Correspondent, ABC's Good Morning America; Author, The Confidence Code-- "More minds aren't always better, according to Cass Sunstein and Reid Hastie. In Wiser, they deftly lay out the unexpected perils of group decision making and provide smart, straightforward, and often surprising fixes. Utterly fascinating and counterintuitive, this book is an essential read for executives and managers--for anybody, actually, hoping to make an enterprise successful." Austan Goolsbee, Professor, University of Chicago Booth School of Business; former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama-- "There have been lots of books written on why and how individuals make bad decisions. But many of the most important decisions are made by committee, where normal problems get magnified. Finally, Sunstein and Hastie have provided crucial insights and lessons to help groups and teams avoid pitfalls and make effective decisions. Leaders everywhere should take these lessons to heart." Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize--winning presidential historian; Author, Team of Rivals and The Bully Pulpit-- "This gem of a book is full of penetrating insight, sensible advice, and fascinating stories drawn from practical experience. Written with clarity and grace, it provides an invaluable road map for leaders and managers in both public and private life. I can think of dozens of historical decisions that might have been better made had our leaders followed these precepts."