To  re-summarize the Commitments listed in the previous section...

   To avoid mistakes and prevent blatant oversights, the group MUST consider this list of Commitments. That's not a list to be taken lightly! Many recorded errors in human history could have been prevented if the interested parties had had such a list to refer to. But then, because of their mistakes (because none of them took the time to analyze their particular circumstances beforehand), in hindsight such a list can be quickly compiled. And so it is with human learning: We don't actively anticipate. We prefer to allow circumstances experienced before to inform us of what we should do: We are lazy, lazy, LAZY!

   Which brings us to the topic of discussion for this section, Part III: Avoiding Errors. You are already familiar with what you can do to avoid the problems of conformity (page 9) that can arise within a group, but what else can you do before the group begins to discuss the problem or even before the group actually exists? What are those items that you must focus your attention on at the outset to help ascertain that you select the most effective group members for solving your own particular problem? What considerations must you make to avoid potential problems to begin with?

   You are already familiar with (discussed on page 6) the need for dedicated and competent members to occupy those roles, but there is also a need for (you may have guessed) diversification and selecting a group of an appropriate size. These considerations are now discussed, each in turn.

  I. Dedication

    A. You

   Who accepts responsibility for the final decision? The group of members assigned to the task? Or you?

   Quite obviously, that would be you. So, where do you plan to be when the group is assembled and discussing the problem? Golfing? Tending to something else? Assuming and convincing yourself that the group won't overlook something which you are already aware of is effortless, but irresponsible. Be prepared to provide the group with everything you know about the situation rather than having them learn the details on their own. What happens if they overlook some important facet of the problem that you may have been able to point out and provided much needed de-briefing on? You hold the position that you do because of what you know. Information serves no one if it stays locked up inside your head: Open your mouth or write down what you know.

   Certainly, you want to avoid the conformity problem, but that shouldn't prevent you from sharing your knowledge. Just refrain from sharing your own personal opinions of or beliefs held for what you perceive to become the most appropriate course of action: Download your knowledge. Keep your beliefs and perceptions to yourself (because they may later turn out to be wrong or not quite on the mark).

    B. Them

   A certain level of irresponsibility has been demonstrated among groups:

Research shows that group decisions tend to be less averse toward risk, reflecting greater irresponsibility, than if the members had each made the decisions individually.
— Nathan Kogan and M. A. Wallach, New Directions in Psychology: Vol. 3, "Risk Taking as a Function of the Situation, the Person, and the Group," 1967. See also M. A. Wallach, Nathan Kogan, and D J Bem, Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology: 65, "Group Influence on Individual Risk Taking," 1962.

Arguably, the most plausible explanation of the shift toward risk seems to be that the group diffuses responsibility. Group decisions free any single member from accountability for the group's final choice. Greater risk can be taken because even if the decision fails, no one member can be held wholly responsible.
— Stephen P Robbins, Essentials of Organizational Behavior (6th ed.), 1999.

   Troubling result? Absolutely. But manageable. This is just another reason for stressing to your group the above Commitments, including a Commitment To Safety. This is also another reason why you may prefer to be present during the group assembly — to keep the discussions at a sensible, caring and responsible level. They may not worry much about all the consequences to the final decision if their discussions lapse into frolic and laughter, something that your presence can help to prevent.

And everyone knows from personal experience that group discussions offer numerous opportunities for being distracted from the work tasks at hand.
— Daniel D Wheeler and Irving Lester Janis, A Practical Guide for Making Decisions, 1980.

   Another troubling consequence arises when this irresponsibility extends up to the image of the organization. It is bad enough for an individual to aspire to awkwardly projecting some desirable social image, but worse still when an entire group of business leaders seem to be fixated by the very same. Always keep in mind the priorities and goals that your organization aspires to. Bullheadedly engaging in some selfish attempt to maintain the corporate image — rather than abiding by those ideals dictated by Committing Oneself To Righteousness and Responsibility — in the end will always catch up with you and destroy that image that you had so fervently tried to protect. The public mind does allow for an honest mistake as a "mistake,” but only if you acknowledge it head-on, rather than trying to sidestep responsibility for the error altogether.

 II. Competence

   "Competence" implies TOTAL knowledge over a particular situation, and, sometimes, that is not so easy to attain. Always must we recognize the limitations associated with HOW we are retrieving information:

• Though you may see, do you see ALL?
• Though you may imagine, are you imagining ALL?
• Though you may be able to empathize, is it possible for you to feel or experience EVERYTHING?
• etc., etc., etc.

TOTAL KNOWLEDGE is necessary for TOTAL CONTROL. Anything you may overlook, ignore or are simply unaware of can lead to a potential for subsequent error. If you don't exert the necessary effort to KNOW ALL before you make a final decision, you're just another human fool waiting for potential tragedy to point you in the appropriate direction.

   The lesson is simple: At the very outset, before anything of dire consequence happens, openly acknowledge your shortcomings. We are all human. None of us is capable of knowing EVERYTHING. Then, everyone can work together to either

• supplement your expertise so as to "fill in" the gaps OR
• find someone else more capable of carrying out the pertinent task(s).

Safety knows no other alternative, and Responsibility should goad you into performing the necessary self-analysis.   [ . . continues on next page > > ]

All opinions expressed in this web site, unless otherwise noted, are my own, Michael Gaspard. If you notice any errors or have any suggestions for improvement, please let me know by e-mailing webmaster@mdpme.com. Thank you!

This web page was last updated on Monday, February 2, 2004.
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