A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies on Advice-Based Decisions in Behavioral and Organizational Research

We conducted a systematic review of 143 empirical studies of advice-based decision making published in management or psychology between 2006 and 2020. We identified two distinct streams of the literature. The first, behavioral research, features experimental research on advice-based decisions conducted in laboratories. The second, organizational research, features observational field research on advice-based decisions in organizations.We organized the findings from the two research streams around three sequential stages: advice solicitation and provision, advice utilization, and the outcomes of advice-based decisions. Our review reveals the two streams to be highly complementary—with behavioral research focusing primarily on advice utilization and organizational research focusing primarily on advice solicitation. We consolidate key findings across the two streams. We also identify key challenges for future research, such as greater emphasis on the social aspects of advice-based decisions and the continued development and refinement of normative benchmarks.