In-House Counsel

The power of peer influence in a law department

By Rees Morrison

We are all very susceptible to the actions of our peers when it comes to making a decision. This idea comes from Sloan Mgt. Rev., Vol. 49, Winter 2008 at 84, where an article gives many examples of the powerful influence on us of our colleagues? actions. Actually, the point of the article is stronger. Peer influence, though powerful, is usually denied by most people. We favor ourselves as more independent-minded than we are.

Lawyers in-house watch what their fellow lawyers do and often follow suit. They may deny that they are trailing along, that they are followers, as the research shows, but several ingenious experiments suggest that peer influence is without peer.

Full post as published by Law Department Management on January 21, 2008 (boomark / email).