Groupthink is the concept of having many people go along in agreement with a decision essentially because, either someone of authority has spoken and others are afraid to contradict their idea, or because in the silence of a discussion, each individual believes that others agree with the “apparent” consensus and don’t want to demolish the group cohesiveness . For example, have you ever thought about raising an issue or question in a group meeting, but then abstained because you didn’t want to destroy the consensus view the team had spent considerable time forming, or because you didn’t want to appear to be the only unsupportive member of the team? Conversely, have you ever been a manager who has had to force a team through change when clearly the team was hesitant and not expressing their true opinions? or have you ever been in a situation where you have a team school project and all of you just agree with a certain suggestion because you just want the meeting to be done as soon as possible? The answer to these questions is groupthink. Along with this, the only thing that can help managers combat the groupthink effects is staying aware of the number of key indicators, or symptoms that this mentality presents. The four main symptoms of groupthink are: illusion of invulnerability, self censorship, direct pressure and an illusion of unanimity.

One of the most dangerous symptoms of groupthink is the illusion of invulnerability, in which the entire group believes to have unlimited power and confidence. A degree of confidence among a group making tough decisions is important, but when that confidence becomes over-inflated and unfounded, the group may rush into choices that they aren't prepared for. What happens usually is that even if the plan seems to be risky, the group, in its cohesive behavior, believes to have the key to a guaranteed success.

A second symptom of groupthink is self-censorship. Censorship usually occurs when members hold back expressing their doubts or deviations from the apparent group consensus with a reason that they want to be accepted in the group. Frequently, this results in the most prominent or popular member of the team always dominating the conversation, as others don't want to be seen as opposing them.

Self-censorship and other devices create an environment of unanimity concerning judgments conforming to the majority view. When a group of persons who respect each other's opinions arrives at a unanimous view, each member is likely to feel that the belief must be true. This reliance on consensual validation within the group tends to replace individual critical thinking and reality testing.

The final symptom is pressure on dissenters to conform. The group uses direct social pressure on any members who express descent with the majority’s views, stereotypes, proposed solution, or commitment. Group pressures and norms make it clear that dissenting viewpoints and behavior are contrary to expected group norms of loyalty.

Groupthink has the power to not only limit the creative potential of an organization, but direct it into dangerous and costly courses of action. Therefore recognizing the symptoms of groupthink mentioned above is an important first step in managing and counteracting its dangerous effects.