The impact of individualism - Collectivism, social presence, and group diversity on group decision making under majority influence

Abstract

Majority influence is the attempt by a majority of group members to impose their common position on group dissenters during group decision making. Because of globalization, the use of cross-cultural teams in group tasks is becoming increasingly common. The objective of this study was to investigate how national culture, social presence, and group diversity may affect majority influence in a group decision-making context. A total of 183 groups participated in a large-scale empirical experiment at multiple sites. The results show that the national culture of group minorities has a significant impact on majority influence and that the use of computer-mediated communication can reduce majority influence. The findings have both theoretical and practical implications for improving the outcome and the effectiveness of group decision making in cross-cultural environments. © 2007 M.E. Sharpe, Inc.