What is groupthink?
Topic 7 DQ 1 What is groupthink? How does it affect the decisions made by a group? Identify the critical factors that are believed to lead to groupthink. Explain how you could reduce groupthink in terms of these factors.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Groupthink
Introduction
Groupthink is a term used to describe how a group can make irrational decisions based on group pressure. Groupthink can be caused by many factors, but it’s most often the result of a group that doesn’t have enough diversity in terms of gender, race, or personality traits. People tend to conform their behavior and opinions when they believe that they are part of the majority opinion—a phenomenon known as “groupthink”.
Definition
Groupthink is a term used to describe the phenomenon of group members reaching a conclusion without critical evaluation of alternative ideas or viewpoints, and without consideration of information from outside the group.
The term was coined by Irving Janis (1901–1988), an American social psychologist, in 1972 as a criticism of excessive conformity in groups. He argued that when people are in groups they will often make decisions that favor their own personal goals over those of the group at large.
Pressure to conform in a group
Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when the desire for harmony or conformity in a group results in irrational and dysfunctional decisions. The pressure to conform can lead members of a group to ignore alternatives and accept suboptimal solutions.
Groupthink may be caused by:
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A shared identity – people who are part of the same organization or social group tend to think alike, making it easier for them to reach consensus on certain issues. For example, if you work at Google, chances are good that everyone else there shares your worldview; this makes it harder for dissenting voices within the company (or outside) because they’ll be seen as being out-of-step with other employees’ views.
How does it affect the decisions made by a group?
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when members of a group make poor decisions or take actions that unintentionally reinforce their prior biases. It’s an issue in any situation where people collaborate, but it can be especially dangerous when you’re working together on something important—like an organization deciding how to spend its money, or employees making hiring decisions.
The problem isn’t necessarily that the group makes bad decisions; rather, it’s that they all come to agreement on what those terrible decisions should be. For example: if you’re trying to decide whether or not your company should invest money in new technology tools and services for salespeople (which would help them increase revenue), then your coworkers will probably propose different ideas because each person has his own bias about which tool would best help them hit their goals. But if everyone agrees with one another early on (even though they may not know anything about these specific tools), then there won’t be many opportunities left for collaboration later down the road—and thus no chance at all for improving upon past choices made by those same people!
Identify the critical factors that are believed to lead to groupthink
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon in which group members suppress their critical judgment to avoid being seen as less than unanimous, and they avoid questioning or disagreeing with the status quo.
Group cohesiveness is one of the most important elements of groupthink. When individuals feel that membership in a group carries more social value than personal reputation, they are more likely to conform their views and behaviors to those of others.
Unanimity is also a critical factor leading to groupthink: when there is unanimity among members on what course of action should be taken, there’s little room for dissent or debate—and thus no opportunity for internal discussion about alternative solutions or flaws in existing policies/practices/etc., which could reveal weaknesses that might lead one party down another path altogether (a process known as “thinking out loud”). Homogeneity can also contribute toward this effect; if everyone agrees that something needs doing, then any dissenting opinions will likely go unheard by those who agree with them because they don’t want anyone else present during conversations where these opinions might arise! Finally (and perhaps most importantly), lack of norms requiring careful search for evidence before taking action allows groups too quickly adopt new ideas without considering whether these ideas are actually true; this leads directly into another key aspect mentioned above – informal pressure on members not only prevent dissent but encourage conformity even more strongly than individual biases alone would do otherwise.”
Explain how you could reduce groupthink in terms of these factors
You can reduce groupthink by ensuring that the group has a diversity of opinions, and by making sure that people are heard. Encourage dissent and ensure that the leader is impartial.
If you have a groupthink problem, it’s important to fix it. Groupthink can lead to bad decisions and even dangerous outcomes, so make sure that you take steps to prevent it as best as possible.
Conclusion
By outlining the characteristics of groupthink, you can better understand why it happens and how to avoid it. Groupthink is a process that can lead to poor decisions when individuals are pressured to conform with their peers. By identifying these factors and working as a team, groups of professionals can come up with better solutions for their own organization’s problems.
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