Small Groups

In the essays, “Committees, Juries, and Teams: The Columbia Disaster and How Small Groups Can Be Made to Work,” and “The Hive” shows the ways to properly run a small group and how to get the correct and best results. The two essays also say what to avoid when working in a small group; for example how to avoid group polarization and why that is detrimental to small groups. The essay by James Surowiecki also explains to avoid a type of dictator in the small group, someone who is the main mouthpiece to the group and why that is a negative aspect to have in a small group. The two essays show the pros and cons of working in small groups, both authors show that if the people with in the group do not work properly together the outcome the group is working towards can be deficient. Both authors also show that if the small group works well together and abides by certain rules, the group can have a positive and efficient effect on the problem the group is working towards, like having cognitive diversity in a group. Or another positive thing to have in a small group is equality. The authors touch on the dos and don’ts of a small group environment, when following closely to these suggestions small groups can do the job they were meant to do correctly. One of the main topics James Surowiecki concentrates on is, “group polarization.” This is when a few members of the small group takes a side on the extreme opposites. Some of the group might be on the extreme yes side, while others are on the extreme no side. Surowiecki touches on the downfalls of group polarization in small groups by saying, “Deliberation does not moderate, but rather radicalizes people’s point of view.” (Surowiecki Page 479)What Surowiecki is saying is that when in a discussion in a small group the topic of deliberation makes people side with an extreme, there really is no middle ground when people make their decisions. Group polarization is so common among small groups there have been