Groupthink is a term that was first used in 1972 by social psychologist Irving Janis. It applies to organizations where group members are so close-knit that they fail to think for themselves or act independently. In short, it's a way of thinking that leads to bad decision-making. Show
Groupthink can be seen as an extreme form of conformity. Still, it differs from other forms of conformity because it involves following the majority opinion and being willing to sacrifice one's own ideas and opinions. It is often associated with situations where little information is available, and people have to make decisions based on incomplete data. This may lead to poor decisions, which could potentially cause harm to others. Causes of Groupthink:Pressure to conform, self-censorship, and the illusion of unanimity. Groupthink is a dangerous phenomenon that can occur when a group of people make decisions or come to a consensus while under pressure to conform, self-censor, or believe that they are in unanimous agreement. The pressure to conform can come from the group leader, the rest of the group, or some external force. Self-censorship can refer to either individual censoring their own thoughts or the group censoring information that does not support its position. Symptoms of Groupthink:Rationalization, pressure to agree, and fear of dissent. Groupthink is a dangerous phenomenon that can occur when a group of people make decisions or come to conclusions based on the opinion of the majority rather than critical thinking and individual analysis. Symptoms of groupthink include rationalization, pressure to agree, and fear of dissent. When groupthink is present, individuals are afraid to express their own ideas or opinions if they are seen as dissenting or not conforming to the rest of the group. How to Avoid Groupthink:Promote dissent, establish norms against groupthink, and use effective decision-making techniques. Groupthink is a dangerous phenomenon that can occur in any group but is especially likely to happen in groups that are under pressure to make decisions quickly. Groupthink can lead to poor decisions and even disaster. You can do three things to avoid groupthink: promote dissent, establish norms against groupthink, and use effective decision-making processes. 1) Promoting dissent: When individuals don't feel safe expressing their own opinions, they won't speak up. They'll just go along with whatever the group decides. So if you want to prevent this kind of behaviour, you need to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable voicing their opinions. It would help encourage your employees to share their ideas freely and openly, without fear of reprisal. 2) Establishing norms against groupthink: When someone expresses their opinions, they should be treated fairly and listened to respectfully. If you want to avoid groupthink, you need to set clear rules about what constitutes acceptable behaviour. For example, you might say that in meetings, no one will interrupt another person who's speaking unless they're asked for permission first. Or you might decide that anyone who disagrees with the majority must have a chance to explain why. 3) Using effective decision-making techniques: It would help if you found ways to ensure that your group makes good decisions. One way to do this is by using structured decision-making techniques. These techniques help you identify problems, gather data, analyze them, and reach a conclusion. Then you can take action based on those results. Conclusion:Groupthink is a common problem in many organizations today. It's important to understand how it works to manage our decision-making process better and work together more effectively. Decisions are central to success in meetings - but consensus isn't a prerequisite in every respective group. In fact, there are a number of pitfalls that can bring meetings to unfavourable results, even to the point of making capital mistakes. Groupthink - a widespread psychological phenomenon - is a real danger. After all, groupthink quietly tears down the structures from which good decisions ordinarily emerge. In some cases, the decision-making process seems to run optimally, but meeting participants unsuspectingly leads it ad absurdum as a result of this phenomenon. As a result, bowing to the pressure to conform and the strong need for collective harmony can lead to missteps - caused by groupthink. And the causes are myriad. Given their highly social nature, meetings are especially susceptible to groupthink, especially when a respected subject-matter expert or dominant leader appears. However, this does not have to be the case. Instead, meetings can benefit from some targeted precautions against groupthink. This article takes a closer look at the phenomenon of groupthink and explores its causes, connections, and consequences. It also provides examples of groupthink, and guidance on how to avoid groupthink in meetings. Groupthink: What is behind it?It is widely accepted that, when acting in groups, people often deviate from their individual behaviour patterns and inner convictions. Groups often act differently than how each individual participant tends to act for themself. This phenomenon is initially not subject to any evaluation and can only be judged on the basis of its consequences: Ideally, group dynamics lead to successes that individuals would not be capable of. Too often, however, the opposite is true: through patterns of interaction such as peer pressure, valuable individual impulses are lost, they are - quite literally - suppressed. The result is usually consensus decisions that are only formally reached and remain below the cognitive potential of the group. But what does groupthink mean in concrete terms? In the following we present a definition. NewsletterSubscribe to Sherpany newsletter and access the articles, interviews and product updates Definition of groupthinkGroupthink refers to behaviour in which individuals subscribe to the position or judgement of a collective, regardless of their own views. This leads to a complete assimilation of the various individual opinions into a shared or tacitly accepted group opinion. Since the rationality of each individual is thus only diminished or not brought to bear at all, the subsequent decisions are often characterised by irrationality. The consequences increase parallel to the importance of the respective decision and, in the worst case, lead to catastrophes.1 Groupthink arises above all when participants - in favour of a need for harmony - do not pursue alternatives with the accuracy they deserve or do not pursue them at all.Groupthink arises above all when participants - in favour of a need for harmony - do not pursue alternatives with the accuracy they deserve or do not pursue them at all. Thus, decision-making shows deficits and the interactions do not fulfil the desired function of making an adequate, well thought-out decision that is as profitable as possible. In this context, groupthink arises both from structural weaknesses and from unfavourable situational contexts.2 The origin of groupthinkThe term groupthink was coined by the US social and research psychologist Irving Janis. He introduced it in 1972 in his book "Victims of Groupthink”. Janis analysed bad decisions in American foreign policy. He held group-dynamic processes responsible for these decisions: those involved in decision making had yielded to the consensus, contrary to their actual opinions. As a result, according to Janis, groupthink led to fiascos such as the failed invasion of the Bay of Pigs. Janis' findings were eventually confirmed in further studies, including one on the Challenger disaster. 3,4 Examples of groupthink: Pitfalls and paradoxesMeetings mostly have these purposes: To gain clarity and to reach informed decisions. With groupthink, this clarity turns out to be deceptive: although positions have been presented, they do not necessarily correspond with reality - at least to some extent. For various reasons, participants fail to stand up for their convictions, and instead adopt a perceived socially accepted view. In short: the purpose of the meeting, to benefit from collective knowledge, with unified expertise and targeted contributions, is instead reduced to absurdity. In this way, participants can adhere to numerous meeting rules, but still become entangled in paradoxes: In some cases, the result is the exact opposite of its outward appearance - namely, not a majority decision, but the mere reproduction of a minority opinion that is perceived as harmonious. Consider the following example of groupthink: In the course of a meeting, a participant has the impression that he is the only one whose opinion contradicts that of the CEO. In order not to attract negative attention, he votes according to the CEO's position - but still thinks the same way about the problem. In subsequent conversations with other participants, it finally turns out that many of them shared his opinion but also voted "conform". The result was therefore unanimous, but did not reflect reality. Reasons for groupthink: The factors blocking good decisionsThere are some individual characteristics and social processes that bring about groupthink, and therefore work against good decisions. Here is an overview of some of them:
Consequences of groupthinkKnowing the causes of groupthink provides a good understanding of the suboptimal and potentially devastating dynamics in meetings and in professional life in general. To understand the nature of groupthink in more detail, we should explore its underlying consequences. Organisations should be aware of the effects of groupthink in order to be vigilant to them, and to be ready to counteract them.
How to avoid groupthink: Ways to make clear decisionsIs groupthink now an inevitable, necessary evil? Certainly not. However, the risk of succumbing to this phenomenon is, objectively speaking, relatively high. However, there are a range of effective countermeasures that can be taken. It is crucial to identify groupthink as early as possible, and to be aware of (and effectively implement) remedial strategies. Since the highly social nature of meetings makes them susceptible to such dynamics, countermeasures to this effect are important contributions to collective success. In the following, we present some guidance on how to avoid groupthink. Five strategies to avoid groupthink and achieve clarity
There are, therefore, a number of means at hand to prevent or reduce groupthink, and psychological safety plays a key role here. It ensures that team members approach meetings with more self-confidence and less pressure to conform to the group norms. Leaders should be aware of this and, based on it, find strategies to ensure that dangerous social dynamics do not steer their meetings off course. Recognising and acting upon groupthinkGroupthink is a widespread phenomenon: it arises in many social interactions. We are also increasingly dealing with it in the world of work, and especially in meetings. On social media, it almost prevails as a basic principle: The groups and the news feeds of users increasingly reflect their opinions, and often manifest already existing thought patterns.7 In general, groupthink is based on a pressure to conform and a pronounced need for harmony. It has a negative impact on the quality of decisions and poses several pitfalls - from misunderstandings to paradoxical decisions. In order to avoid these pitfalls and conduct productive meetings, the characteristics of groupthink should first be known. Based on this, countermeasures can be implemented to help thwart dangerous dynamics as much as possible. Groupthink cannot be completely prevented - people as social beings often adopt it without noticing. But knowledge about it can help enormously in business contexts, and especially in meetings. It is a valuable stop on the journey to excellent meetings. Do you want to learn more about Meeting Management? 1 "The Nation: NASA's Curse?; 'Groupthink' Is 30 Years Old, And Still Going Strong", J. Schwartz and M. L. Wald, NY Times, 2003. 2 "Closed-mindedness and insulation in groupthink: their effects and the devil’s advocacy as a preventive measure", M. Akhmad, S. Chang & H. Deguchi, Journal of Computational Social Science, 2021. 3 Groupthink – Gruppendenken & die Bedeutung für Teamführung, Psycho-Wissen für Führungskräfte, Axel Rittershaus, 2020. 4 “Gruppendenken”, Lexikon der Psychologie, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag. 5 “Gruppendenken”, Dr. Georg Angermeier, Projektmagazin, 2004. 6 Groupthink – Gruppendenken & die Bedeutung für Teamführung, Psycho-Wissen für Führungskräfte, Axel Rittershaus, 2020. 7 "Auf einer Linie: Warum Gruppendenken so gefährlich ist", Josef Häckler, BR24, 2021. About the author Tobias is an experienced writer who loves creating valuable content. His journalistic background allows him a deep focus on topics such as meeting management, digital transformation and agile leadership. Which of the following is an effective way to prevent groupthink?Intentionally structure meetings.
The structure of a meeting – in terms of both its consistent schedule and format – can help to avoid groupthink. In my opinion, meetings should never be a monologue or led by any one person - even the CEO. They can tend to be boring and lack audience attention and effectiveness.
Which method can reduce groupthink quizlet?Explanation: E) In order to minimize groupthink, managers should encourage group leaders to play an impartial role.
Which of the following is an appropriate measure to prevent groupthink quizlet?Which of the following is an appropriate measure to prevent groupthink? Encourage each group member to vocalize doubts and criticisms.
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