Decision as ritual: How power structure affects collective tourism destination decision-making

The optimal destination decision made by a group is the one that perfectly balances group utility maximization with individual satisfaction. The power structure of the group and personal interactions underpinning group decision-making will directly determine individuals’ evaluations of and emotions generated by these decisions. However, research has not sufficiently revealed this pattern, which limits our understanding of how optimal group decisions can be made. By integrating the power perspective with the theory of interactive ritual chains, this study applies the experiential focus group observation method to track the decision-making process. The analysis produces six models of that process, which show how different power structures and leadership influence the joint focus of attention, shared mood and behavioral co-presence in reaching a decision. In summary, leader democracy and effective equality can create a rewarding situation, influencer dominance creates a paradoxical situation, while, multiple leadership, ineffective equality and leader dominance lead to a ritualistic punishment situation.