Small Groups: Common Knowledge Effect

Small Groups: Common Knowledge Effect Name Institution Common Knowledge Effect In the modern world, most companies or organizations use groups as the means of accomplishing different tasks. Usually, the problem-solving process relies on the diverse ideas, knowledge and experiences. In the event of making these decisions or trying to solve problems, most teams are faced by the challenge of Common Knowledge Effect. The common knowledge effect refers to a case whereby information is ignored or considered irrelevant if it is only held or known by a few members. On the other hand, when all members in a group know about such information then it is accepted and given priority. In this case, before any discussion is held all members forming a group must be knowledgeable about information relevant to the decision. Rey (2015) notes that in most cases people that tend to hold crucial information are easily dismissed because of their low status or lack of experience. This makes the group lose out on a lot of information that could otherwise help solve a problem. As a solution to this, he proposes that group leaders should pay attention to peripheral individuals (those with a high likelihood to access important information than others). By doing so, it becomes easy to get to know and share that information which can in turn be used in problem solving. Straus et al (2009) recognize the common reasons for increased preference for shared information. To begin with, there is an increased likeliness for shared information to be mentioned which in turn makes it easier to be accepted because most members know about it. Second, the need for validation makes most people focus on sharing what is already known rather than presenting unshared information. In addition, there ...