Groupthink

Groupthink is a concept that was identified by Irving Janis that refers to faulty decision-making in a group. Groups experiencing groupthink do not consider all alternatives and they desire unanimity at the expense of quality decisions. Groupthink is a mode of thinking people engage in when cohesiveness is high. Groupthink leads to poor decision making and results in a lack of creativity. Groupthink has been studied widely; many people are unaware of its dynamics and the consequences that they might bring.

Irving L. Janis (1918 - 1990) was a research psychologist at Yale University and a professor at the University of California. He retired in 1986 (Wikipedia, 2008). In 1981 he was awarded Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award of the American Psychological Association. His works included "Crucial Decisions: Leadership in Policy Making and Crisis Management", "Groupthink", and with Leon Mann, "Decision Making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict, Choice and Commitment" (The New York Times, 1990).

Critique

Goal oriented groups consist of people with matching skills who are committed to a common purpose, have specific performance goals, share a common working approach, and hold mutual accountability. These types of groups are used when there are complex problems to be solved, important situations to work through, or uncertain conditions. Groups function best when there are no immediate time pressures. Groups are successful because the group members bring different ideas, the collective knowledge of everyone is significant, and groups tend to be focused. There are certain situations which call for the use of groups. Groups can be beneficial when communication between departments is necessary in a business setting or when the consent of many people is required. Individuals can also benefit from group participation. Many people who work in groups are able to learn new skills, take risks, get feedback, and discover personal strengths and weaknesses. Fullan explains groupthink as �the uncritical acceptance and/or suppression of dissent in going along with group decisions’ (Lenore Armour, p.94).

The symptoms of Groupthink are clear. The "illusion of invulnerability" happens when a group thinks that they cannot go wrong. Confidence among the members of the group is remarkably high and is reflected in the decisions that they make. A "belief in inherent morality of the group" occurs when the group thinks tremendously of their morality. The group believes that it is doing the right thing in all circumstances. "Collective rationalization" is another symptom of Groupthink. Groups who experience this believe that nothing can be wrong with their plan even if there is significant evidence to prove otherwise. A lack of creativity and a disregard for others' options is a characteristic of groups with "out-group stereotypes." Groups often pay little attention to what outsiders have to say, and this can be detrimental. "Self-censorship" occurs when group members don't share their ideas with the rest of the group because of fear of being rejected. The "illusion of unanimity" explains that silence can often be interpreted as acceptance.

Pressures from superiors and peers can be reinforced by the tendency of members

of a cohesive group to avoid introducing stress into their unanimity by suppressing dissent and characterizing potential critics as "just not getting it" (Robert, p.17). Groupthink will effect on a individual if that person has raised any obligation against the groups policies. All of these are symptoms of Groupthink. If one or more of these are commonplace in a particular group, change must occur.

The more amiability and esprit de corps among the members of a policy-making in-group, the greater is the danger that independent critical thinking will be replaced by groupthink, which is likely to result in irrational and dehumanizing actions directed against out-groups (Janis). That is, highly cohesive decision making groups are likely to fall victim of the groupthink syndrome, and this likely will lead to both a incorrect decision process and a incorrect decision. A flawed decision is, logically, more likely to result in a failure or less than optimally successful result.

According to the author there are ways where groupthink can be prevented. One way of preventing Groupthink is to make each member of the group a critical evaluator. Members of the group will attempt to find problems in group solutions by evaluating them individually. The leader must accept criticism if this is to work. But making each member of the group analyze solutions individually is problematic. Group members can spend too much time debating when there is an important deadline. Feelings can be