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Critique of the Abilene Paradox

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Critique of The Abilene Paradox: The Management Of Agreement Section (3) Article (7)

By
ROHINI GANDHOTRA

Dr. Frear MBA 500: Business and Leadership

January 31, 2009

BIOGRAPHY
Jerry B. Harvey, a management expert and pioneer of The Abilene Paradox is a Professor of Management at The George Washington University. During his career, he has served as a consultant to a wide variety of industrial, governmental, religious, military, educational, and voluntary organizations. He is the author of approximately fifty professional articles and has written two books: The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management and How Come Every Time I Get stabbed in the Back, My Fingerprints Are on the Knife? He is also featured in several videos focusing on organizational behavior including, "The Asoh Defense," "The Gunsmoke Phenomenon," and "The Abilene Paradox". In addition, he has published articles such as, "It's Not My Dog," "Eichmann in the Boardroom," "Organizations as Phrog Farms," "Interrupted Prayers and Organizational Un*Learning."

Many years ago Professor Jerry B. Harvey discovered that the fundamental problem of contemporary organizations is the inability to cope with agreement—not conflict. He finds that most agreement in organizations is actually false consensus. It occurs because many people feel they might be isolated, censured or ridiculed if they voice objections. This often leads groups to act on inappropriate goals and is a setup for organizational failure and from this emerges ‘The Abilene Paradox’.
Currently, he is involved in research dealing with ethical, moral, and spiritual issues of organization. (Wikipedia, 2008)
Organizations frequently take action contrary to the desires of their members, and thereby defeat the very purpose they set out to achieve."
--Dr. Jerry B. Harvey
(http://www.abileneparadox.com)
The Abilene paradox

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