Key Point: According to Wikipedia, “Groupthink” is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Most of us are familiar with this concept, yet it thrives and will always be a concern regarding the impact on quality decision making within groups. What are the symptoms of Groupthink? According to the people who teach the Directors Education Program at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, be aware of the following:
- “Illusions of invulnerability: Members of the group overemphasize the strength of the group and feel that they are beyond criticism or attack. This symptom leads the group to approve risky actions about which individual members might have serious concerns.
- Illusions of unanimity: Group members accept consensus prematurely, without testing whether or not all members really agree. Silence is often taken for agreement.
- Illusions of group morality: Members of the group feel that it is “right” and above reproach by outside members. Thus, members feel no need to debate ethical issues.
- Stereotyping of the ‘enemy’ as weak, evil, or stupid: Members do not realistically examine their competitors and oversimplify their motives. The stated aims of outside groups or anticipated reactions of outsiders are not considered.
- Self-censorship by members: Members refuse to communicate concerns by others because of fear of disturbing the consensus.
- Mind-guarding: Some members take responsibility to ensure that negative feedback does not reach influential group members.
- Direct pressure: In the unlikely event that a note of caution or concern is interjected, other members quickly respond with pressure to bring the deviant back into line.”
This past weekend I was fortunate to be a student in the Directors Education Program and went through a few exercises that highlighted how seductive groupthink is, even to an experienced group of leaders familiar with its dangers. One business case that we used to refresh ourselves had the same elements and conditions that underscored the tragic explosion of NASA’s Space Shuttle Challenger. On Jan 28, 1986, the tenth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members. Investigation of this tragedy revealed that key people recommended the shuttle not fly due to quality concerns with the infamous “O” rings under cold weather conditions. But Groupthink, including almost every symptom above, resulted in the right decision being overruled; with fatal consequences. While most groups we are part of do NOT make life or death decisions, we still need to fiercely guard against Groupthink. This aligns with the principle I often write about: The ability of high performing groups to fight well.
Personal Leadership Moves:
Familiarize yourself with the Guidelines for Avoiding Groupthink (also from the Rotman people).
- “Assign the role of the critical evaluator to each group member; encourage the sharing of objections
- Avoid, as the leader, clear statements about your preferred alternative.
- Create subgroups or subcommittees, each working on the same problem.
- Require that members of the group make use of the information available to them through their subordinates, peers and networks.
- Invite outside experts to observe and evaluate group process and outcome.
- Assign a member to play the devil’s advocate role at each meeting.
- Focus on alternative scenarios for the motivation and intentions of competitors.
- Once consensus is reached, reexamine the next (but unchosen) alternative, comparing it to the chosen course of action.”
No Groupthink in Personal Leadership
– Lorne
One Millennial View: I’m thrilled this is a subject being touched on. I personally believe we should be way more focused on promoting the “individual” instead of any type of Groupthink. Everything at work can be considered case-by-case, and if we’re too quick to just “Groupthink,” it can be a lazy and over simplified way to problem solve that can clearly lead to big mistakes.
– Garrett
Edited and published by Garrett Rubis