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  • March 2011 (Revised April 2011)
  • Exercise

The Future of BioPasteur

By: Giovanni Gavetti and Francesca Gino
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:4
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Abstract

The purpose of this exercise is to let students experience a few biases that can be deleterious to strategic decision-making. In particular, students are induced to fall into a confirmatory trap, and to experience other biases such as anchoring and sampling bias. Although the exercise can be performed individually, it is a better vehicle to explore how some team-level dynamics and structural choices can either increase or reduce the probability of falling into such biases. The exercise creates a situation that mirrors the one leading to the Challenger disaster.

Keywords

Interpersonal Communication; Decision Choices and Conditions; Outcome or Result; Groups and Teams; Prejudice and Bias; Strategy

Citation

Gavetti, Giovanni, and Francesca Gino. "The Future of BioPasteur." Harvard Business School Exercise 711-508, March 2011. (Revised April 2011.)
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About The Author

Francesca Gino

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • March–April 2023
    • Harvard Business Review

    You Need Two Leadership Gears: Know When to Take Charge and When to Get Out of the Way

    By: Lindy Greer, Francesca Gino and Robert Sutton
    • March 2023
    • Social Psychological & Personality Science

    Authentic First Impressions Relate to Interpersonal, Social, and Entrepreneurial Success

    By: David M. Markowitz, Maryam Kouchaki, Francesca Gino, Jeffrey T. Hancock and Ryan L. Boyd
    • January 2023
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    Mellody Hobson at Ariel Investments

    By: Lakshmi Ramarajan and Francesca Gino
More from the Authors
  • You Need Two Leadership Gears: Know When to Take Charge and When to Get Out of the Way By: Lindy Greer, Francesca Gino and Robert Sutton
  • Authentic First Impressions Relate to Interpersonal, Social, and Entrepreneurial Success By: David M. Markowitz, Maryam Kouchaki, Francesca Gino, Jeffrey T. Hancock and Ryan L. Boyd
  • Mellody Hobson at Ariel Investments By: Lakshmi Ramarajan and Francesca Gino
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