Why Informed Groups Make Faulty Decisions

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Abstract
This study seeks to determine whether the interactions associated with high- and low-quality decisions possess unique characteristics that might account for the differences m decision-making performance. The discussions associated with 68 "high- quality" and 29 "low-quahty " decisions made by comparably informed groups were systematically analyzed using cross-contact comparison. The study found four communication characteristics that distinguish the interactions associated with high-and low-quality decisions: (1) Interactions associated with high-quality decisions were characterized by the presence of vigilance; (2) interactions associated with high-quality decisions were characterized by second-guessing; (3) interactions associated with high-quality decisions were characterized by accurate information processing, while the interactions associated with low-quality decisions were characterized by faulty information-processing; and (4) interactions associated with low-quality decisions were characterized by improbable fantasy chains.