A true-to-life adventure tested out in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) by a group of experts, the Swamped simulation demonstrates the concept of team synergy. It's backed by the theory that decisions made by groups are better than decisions made by individuals acting alone (Michaelson, Watson, & Black, 1989). Groups bring a greater sum total of knowledge and information to the discussion of a problem, as well as a greater number of approaches and perspectives. Swamped can also demonstrate “process loss.” This phenomenon occurs when a knowledgeable group member outperforms the group, indicating that the member’s knowledge was lost sometime during the group discussion. In order for group decision making to work, unique information must be shared and absorbed by the group (Stasser, 1992). Download the complete Theoretical Background for Swamped.
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