Small Groups

The article by James Surowiecki was a bit confusing to me at first.  At first it states something about how being in a small group can actually make them dumber rather than wiser. Which threw me off, until I figured out he was just talking about the performance of the MMT.  Like stated, small groups are used everyday, all the time.  For juries, board of directors, teams, and meetings, small groups are present all over.  Everything has it's faults though.  Influence of the people in small groups on each other's judgment can not be ignored.  As much as they might think they still have their own ideas or opinions, they become very reliant on each others thoughts.  Because the influence is more direct and immediate, means that small groups can make very bad decisions.  Emphasizing consensus over dissent is one of the real dangers of that.  People start to just agree with each other, figuring they know what they are talking about because they have learned to share opinions and thoughts so often. Instead of challenging ideas, they just go along with whatever comes their way.  On the contrast, when a small group works well together and doesn't fall into these traps, they have the potential to be perfect.  Like mentioned in the article, when they work together so diligently and consistently, they have what can be called an "intellectual swing".  What he ends with saying though, is how group decisions are not inefficient.  Like everything though in the worlds, whether worked on in groups or by individuals, has it's faults and advantages.