Journal of Management Development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a systemic approach to understanding the challenges facing executive teams in making good decisions and propose a simple framework for addressing these challenges.

Design/methodology/approach – Having identified Groupthink as a useful framework for understanding the challenges facing decision-making groups, the paper reviews research into potential solutions and leverages case studies to propose a new model for tackling the challenges inherent in decision making.

Findings – The suggested model incorporates previously proposed process- and insight-based solutions and adds a broader focus on information flow and how decision-making behaviour is influenced and informed by the context in which it occurs.

Practical implications – The paper emphasises the role of a trusted, expert coach in implementing the proposed solutions and describes how coaches can leverage an understanding of the systemic nature of decision-making behaviour to improve decision-making ability in both teams and individuals.

Research limitations/implications – Areas for future research are identified and potential limitations to the model are discussed, in particular the impact of geographical and organisational cultural issues.

Originality/value – The paper questions the predominantly individual-based approach to tackling the challenges of decision making and highlights additional interpersonal processes that can both cause and be the source of solutions to Groupthink.