Final answer:
Group decisions can be flawed due to reputational pressures and incorrect informational signals, which can lead to groupthink and group polarization. Strategies like seeking diverse opinions and delaying a leader's input can mitigate these effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Two key reasons that groups may make errors in their decision-making are reputational pressures and incorrect informational signals. Reputational pressures occur when group members conform to expectations to maintain harmony or approval, suppressing their own opinions. Incorrect informational signals can involve a group's tendency to focus on specific information that confirms existing beliefs or ignores contradictory evidence, leading to groupthink. Groupthink and other cognitive biases such as availability, representativeness, and the bandwagon fallacy distort judgment and can cause groups to make less optimal decisions.
To avoid groupthink, various strategies can be employed, such as seeking diverse opinions, private voting, and withholding the leader's position until all members have spoken. Likewise, group polarization can be curbed by encountering and considering opposing viewpoints. These measures can help ensure that decision-making is based on a balance of information and diverse perspectives rather than conformity and bias.