Key Concepts in Leadership and Group Decision Making

Leadership

Guidance and motivation of others' efforts.

Romance of Leadership

Overestimating leaders' influence on group outcomes.

Followership

Effective collaboration with leaders and group members.

Conformist Followers

Active supporters of leaders, rarely questioning directions.

Passive Followers

Unenthusiastic contributors needing supervision to engage.

Pragmatic Followers

Neutral contributors, neither active nor passive.

Alienated Followers

Independent thinkers questioning leadership, seeking their own role.

Exemplary Followers

Engaged members expressing constructive dissent when necessary.

Task-Relationship Model

Classifies leadership behaviors as task or relationship focused.

Task Leadership

Focuses on achieving group goals and performance.

Relationship Leadership

Emphasizes interpersonal relations within the group.

Leadership Substitute Theory

Factors that reduce or eliminate the need for leaders.

Leadership Emergence

Process of becoming recognized as a leader.

Great Leader Theory

Successful leaders possess traits marking them for greatness.

Zeitgeist Theory

History shaped by the spirit of the times.

Trait Approach

Assumes leaders have specific personality traits.

Situationism

Leadership influenced by situational variables and group dynamics.

Interactional Approach

Traits and situations interact to determine leadership.

Emotional Intelligence

Ability to perceive and manage emotions effectively.

Implicit Leadership Theories (ILTs)

Assumptions about traits distinguishing leaders from followers.

Social Identity Theory

Men and women adopt different societal roles.

Terror Management Theory

Psychological defense against mortality awareness.

Functional Theory of Group Decision Making

Effective groups enhance information gathering processes.

Orientation Phase

Group defines problems and sets goals.

Discussion Phase

Group gathers information and considers options.

Decision Phase

Group reaches consensus or votes on solutions.

Implementation Phase

Decision is enacted and its impact assessed.

Parkinson's Law

Tasks expand to fill available completion time.

Law of Triviality

Discussion time inversely related to issue importance.

Information Processing Approach

Individuals acquire and process relevant decision information.

Collective Information Processing Approach

Cognitive work occurs during group discussions.

Collective Memory

Group's combined and shared memories and models.

Cross-Cueing

Group discussions enhance recall through member cues.

Transactive Memory System

Information is distributed among group members.

Social Decision Scheme

Rules for selecting alternatives in group decisions.

Authority Scheme

Leader makes decisions with or without input.

Oligarchy Scheme

Coalition represents the entire group.

Majority-Rules Scheme

Decision favored by majority of group members.

Unanimous Decisions

Consensus reached without voting.

Random Decisions

Final choice determined by chance.

Procedural Justice

Fairness perception in decision-making processes.

Procrastination

Postponing decisions instead of evaluating alternatives.

Bolstering

Exaggerating favorable outcomes while minimizing negatives.

Denying Responsibility

Avoiding accountability by delegating decisions.

Muddling Through

Considering limited policy alternatives close to existing ones.

Satisficing

Accepting easy solutions over optimal ones.

Trivializing the Discussion

Focusing on minor issues, ignoring larger ones.

Shared Information Bias

Discussing known info more than unique insights.

Informational Influence

Discussions help gather evidence for decisions.

Normative Influence

Members influence each other's opinions during discussions.

Group Decision Support System

Tools to facilitate group decision-making processes.

Sins of Commission

Misusing information in decision-making.

Sins of Omission

Overlooking useful information during discussions.

Sins of Imprecision

Relying on oversimplified mental shortcuts.

Confirmation Bias

Seeking info that confirms existing beliefs.

Group Polarization

Groups move towards more extreme positions collectively.

Risky-Shift Phenomenon

Groups tend to make riskier decisions than individuals.

Persuasive-Argument Theory

Members adopt majority opinions due to argument strength.

Groupthink

Poor decision-making due to lack of dissent.

Mindguard

Member who suppresses dissenting or negative information.

Illusion of Unanimity

Assuming all group members agree on decisions.

Albine Paradox

Groups may choose actions none endorse individually.

Pluralistic Ignorance

Members express similar views despite differing opinions.

Entrapment

Escalating commitment to a chosen course of action.

Sunk Cost

Investments that cannot be recovered by future actions.

Group-Centrism

Excessive unity efforts impair decision-making capabilities.

Cognitive Closure

Desire for swift, definitive decision-making.