Group Think
 

From http://changingminds.org/explanation...groupthink.htm
:

Janis (1972) defines Groupthink as "a way of deliberating that group members use when their desire for unanimity overrides their motivation to assess all available plans of action."

Eight Symptoms of Groupthink:

1. Illusions of invulnerability where the group thinks it is invincible and can do no wrong.
2. Collective efforts to rationalize or discount warnings.
3. Unquestioned belief in the moral correctness of the group.
4. Stereotyped views of the out-group, often as too evil, weak or stupid to be worth bothering with.
5. Self-censorship as people decide not to rock the boat.
6. Pressure to conform.
7. A shared illusion of unanimity (everyone always agrees with everyone else).
8. Protecting the group from contrary viewpoints, by self-appointed 'mind-guards'.

Groups suffering from Groupthink are:

1. More dogmatic.
2. Justify irrational and poor decisions.
3. See their actions as highly moral.
4. Stereotype outsiders.


Sinjefe

My first reaction is that groupthink is rather common. Perhaps the reality of human nature and the desire to fit in provide an ideal environment.

And yet - is it always a bad thing? Seriously. That feeling of unity and invulnerability could contribute to a success mentality, could it not? Granted, there are real and substantial risks, and failure, when it occurs, may be spectacular. However, prior to such failure, the group might be able to achieve much.

When I worked at SWC and my current job I had/have to work often in working groups. Organizations, especially government ones, seem to resist change and are overcome by inertia. It becomes evident fairly quickly, especially when working in a military setting, that our leaders are often more interested in a specific outcome than in using the process to figure out how to do something. In other words, they know what they want before the group starts and "massage" the group into going along. I think, to a degree, some groupthing is unavoidable in a cohesive organization. the point really is to recognize that it exists and fight it. It is my experience that groupthink tends to stifle creative thinking and cause the group to overlook what might be obvious resolutions to an outsider.

I remember a book on this subject.

A friend in upper management at Verizon said they studied it but ultimately never utilized it.

Perhaps some good old-fashioned brainstorming without judgment first could go a long, long way.

Nmap, I believe the problem is that those eight symptoms tend to develop as a package in the civilian world. How to cull out the possible good traits without the bad?

Or just read Blaber's book and cut to the chase. ;)

The bright idea and planning for 1944's Operation MARKET GARDEN is a good example of group think. The lone voice of a British intel officer who suspected Panzers were near the landing zones was pushed aside. The goal was to end the war by Christmas and once Montgomery used the expression "an airborne carpet" to describe how the tanks would rush forward, there was no stopping the error and everyone jumped on board, including Ike. The brits lost an airborne division in the disaster and we significant suffered losses as well.

I doubt you can avoid the bad - since the attributes lead to both good and adverse outcomes.

My thinking goes back to the classic motivational tape that one might provide to salesmen. The salesmen do more business for a time. Then, their productivity slumps. But the improvement in business during the "up" time more than offsets the losses that are sure to follow.

So - does the same pattern apply here? The people involved in groupthink are unified, see themselves as superior, and function accordingly. I came across an item that found that high expectations of students led to a "small but detectable advantage on subsequent academic achievement." LINK

I realize it can lead to disaster, as in the case mentioned by 219seminole, but I wonder if it might actually be positive much (most?) of the time.

Eight Symptoms of Groupthink:

1. Illusions of invulnerability where the group thinks it is invincible and can do no wrong.
2. Collective efforts to rationalize or discount warnings.
3. Unquestioned belief in the moral correctness of the group.
4. Stereotyped views of the out-group, often as too evil, weak or stupid to be worth bothering with.
5. Self-censorship as people decide not to rock the boat.
6. Pressure to conform.
7. A shared illusion of unanimity (everyone always agrees with everyone else).
8. Protecting the group from contrary viewpoints, by self-appointed 'mind-guards'.

Groups suffering from Groupthink are:

1. More dogmatic.
2. Justify irrational and poor decisions.
3. See their actions as highly moral.
4. Stereotype outsiders.

Look at the words Janis uses. Illusions of invulnerabilty, rationalize or discount warnings, unquestioned belief in moral correctness of group, stereotyped views, etc, etc

These are all negative conclusions, not positive. Groupthink is the ultimate expression of human arrogance (rather than "I am right" ,"we are right") and dangerous

I don’t know why but for some reason when I think of “Group Think,” I think of the “Peoples Cube” :D

:D > http://thepeoplescube.com/groupthink.html

When I think of Group Think, I think of lemmings going over the cliff or go along to get along. Like a salmon, I'd rather go up stream than to float down river with the dead fish.:D

Reflection
 

This isn't just a military technique. It is a very unproductive type of groupthink. I was part of a senior management team whose company President did this often. Every person in these meetings knew the decision was pre-made and we would "discuss" ideas until his desired outcome was reached. He failed to give any manager in the room credit for their intelligence and creativity disappeared. I brought this to his attention. He disagreed with my assesment. He thought he was such a master persuader that no one could be sharp enough to see through the smoke. The company lost the core group of managers over 60% of the revenue after he was selected to run the company. I learned a lot from him. You can learn a great deal from poor leadership.

Back in my lane.

V/r,

The first thing I thought when I read this list is that it was a list of warning behaviors to identify a cult. Using these rules to characterize a business or working group is intriguing.

At a recent "In-House" Seminar, they started off with : "We want you to think "Outside Of The Box"":eek: At which, I raised my hand and asked "What IS A BOX?!?!":munchin After they explained the definition, I again raised my hand. I then stated that I had not been in such a place since somewhere back around........ 1968!!!

The facilitator had just LOST control of this 2 day conference!!..............IT WAS THEN FUN!!!!:D

Groupthink does not stand a CHANCE if you mix in a QP!!

Later
Martin

Panda's.............
 

Stringray's panda looks pretty tough, but Richard's panda looks too big and tough for this fight,I'll take Richard's,giving 3-1 odds..........;)

Big Teddy :munchin

Hmm...I have visions of the Abilene Paradox all over again...

http://www.xecu.net/schaller/management/abilene.pdf