...process of making these decision sometimes members of the team tend to agree with each other with out considering other factors and alternatives. This paper outlines Irving Janis’ theory of “groupthink”, which explains how group mentality can stifle effective decision-making. Groupthink is the phenomena whereby the cohesiveness of groups leads to peer pressure which inhibits debate and encourages self-censorship (Janis I L, 1982). As a result, alternative solutions and the implications of certain decisions are not fully explored. There are a number of ways in which this type of mentality can be countered, leading to more effective decision- making. Armed with these strategies, groups will be able to make the best decisions, benefitting from the diversity of perspectives a team brings and managing the disadvantages of groupthink. Since Irving Janis first presented the outline of his theory of groupthink, the theory has received a great deal of attention. According to Janis, groups experiencing groupthink reach poor decisions because group members try to conform and avoid deviation, hampering critical thinking. Groupthink may result in an incomplete survey of objectives, inadequate research, limited discussion alternatives, and a failure to examine significant costs and risks of preferred alternatives. In other words, Groupthink occurs when a person's thought process and decision-making capabilities become influenced by peer pressure. This may cause the group to overestimate their...
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...Abstract This paper will give brief introduction to the deep meaning behind the word groupthink and the extent to which it is prevalent in our society today , at home, work places, institutions, entertainment places and its effect on consumer buying behavior. Then there will be an elaborate discussion on one of the well documented form of Groupthink in behavioral psychology called Bandwagon effect and its contribution in shaping consumer behavior by looking from different aspects of marketing and products. This effect relates to the spread of different beliefs among people even without any strong evidence and affects the psychology and personality of the person. This mainly helps people to identify themselves and categorize into groups which eventually become the reference group for all their behavior , adaptations and decisions. This forms the basis of the formation of groups, societies pertaining to which is a major part of the social psychology. At last but not the least some real life examples can be will be added to give insights from a practical dimension rather than just theoretical perspective to help understand and develop the idea even more. These examples will never occur to us until we try to think in this particular perspective and realize than since childhood we have been a part of them. Introduction Human being is a social animal. We cannot survive alone that is the reason that over the years they have developed thousands of such bonding and relationships...
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...Abstract Kowalski, R.,& Westen. D. (2005). Psychology (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley This paper will examine basic concepts of human interaction from a psychology perspective. It will describe at least two examples of how human behavior changes based on social situations. The two behaviors that this paper will examine are teenagers who drink in a crowd of their peers but don't drink when they are alone and taking part in bullying in a group but not alone. In both of these scenarios the individual who participates in the behaviors to fit in are “changing their attitudes or behavior to accommodate the standards of peers or group by a process called conformity (Kowalski & Westen, 2005).” The paper will also discuss precursors and consequences of both of these behaviors. Next, the paper will analyze and identify any associated phenomenon like social facilitation, social loafing , or groupthink. Last, there will be some discussion from the NIMH on whether or not these behaviors necessitate intervention. Social Influences Paper Introduction “Sociologist and philosophers have recognized that people behave different in crowds than they do as individuals and that a crowd is more than the mere sum of its parts (Kowalski & Westen, 2005).” Human behavior changes based on the social situations they encounter. This paper will examine basic concepts of human interaction from a psychology perspective. It will describe at least...
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...Janis’s model of groupthink is arguably the most widely publicized application of psychological principles to high level military, political and technical group decision- making in the history of experimental psychology. This had to have pleased its author who offered this formulation as a compelling bridge between principles documented by laboratory research and “real life” problems (e.g., Janis, 1971). As such the model “legitimized” the importance of decades of academic research on social influence and group process much of which focused upon perceptual and attitudinal judgments having little or no material consequence for participants1. The model has been widely cited (cf. Fuller & Aldag, 1998), and is still described as a valid model in most texts within social psychology (e.g., Baron & Byrne, 2003; Forsyth, 1999; Lord, 1997; Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2003) and many introductory psychology texts as well (e.g., Myers, 2003). The longevity of this broad coverage both reflects and contributes to the common acceptance of groupthink as a valid and verified phenomenon not only by the lay public but by many academic psychologists as well (Fuller & Aldag, 1998, Turner & Pratkanis, 1998). As a result, it is disconcerting to find that there is substantial skepticism regarding this model among those involved scholars who have offered detailed reviews of the groupthink and group decision making literature (e.g., Aldag & Fuller, 1993; Esser, 1998; Hogg, 1992; Kerr & Tindale, 2004; Kramer...
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...utilizing legal tax shelters, it is possible to avoid taxes without evading them illegally and suffering consequences. However, in the case presented by Tanina Rostain. KPMG has used tax shelters as a form of tax evasion rather than tax avoidance. My goal in this paper is to discuss how the concept of Groupthink and Rationalization played a role in the partners decisions, point out when tax avoidance becomes tax evasion, Describe how CPA firms can provide high quality tax consulting for their clients without crossing the line into tax evasion, and Finally analyze why KPMG (as an organization) failed to prevent this scandal from occurring at their firm. First of all, when discussing concepts like "Groupthink" and "Rationalization" I prefer to start with a brief definition. "Groupthink occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment”(Irving). While " Rationalization is a defense mechanism that involves explaining an unacceptable behavior or feeling in a rational or logical manner, avoiding the true reasons for the behavior"(Cherry). As we can see from these definitions, the tax partners in KPMG showed popular symptoms' of groupthink which are: * "Illusion of invulnerability –Creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks. * Collective rationalization – Members discount warnings and do not reconsider their assumptions. * Belief in inherent morality – Members...
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...| Followership in cases of conflict of interest. | By: Modupe Blessing Igbafen ABSTRACT An area is usually perceive as basic concerning the piece of followers in definitive ethics is aficionados' responses to dishonest requests by a leader (Carsten & Uhl-Bien, 2007). Followers face moral issues when leaders approach them with wrong requests, for instance, asking for that they take part in practices, which are doubtlessly beguiling. In such circumstances, supporters must settle on a decision: They can choose to stay up to the beguiling sales (e.g., by troublesome the pioneer's request, declining to join in exploitative direct or proposing alternative strategies) or they can oblige the pioneer's allure, largely getting the opportunity to be complicit with the untrustworthy behavior. This decision will apparently be connected with their emotions about follower’s relationship with pioneers, and their particular part. For followers to have the ability to stay up to a pioneer's exploitative sales, they ought not to see their followership part as reserved and obedient. Maybe, they must feel a commitment as a dynamic part in the administration process (Carsten & Uhl-Bien, 2007) INTRODUCTION. The idea of conflict of interest is more important today than any other time in recent memory. Moral sensitivities about the relationship in the middle of experts and those they serve are a wellspring of steady verbal confrontation. This book sets another standard for chip away...
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...discussing a topic of interest such as a focus group, a community public assembly, a department meeting at your workplace, or local support group • Study how the group members interact and impact one another • Analyze how the group behaviors and communication patterns influence social facilitation • Integrate your findings with evidence-based literature from journal articles, textbook, and additional scholarly sources Purpose: To provide you with an opportunity to experience a group setting and analyze how the presence of others substantially influences the behaviors of its members through social facilitation. Process: You will participate as a guest at an interest group meeting in your community to gather data for a qualitative research paper. Once you have located an interest group, contact stakeholders and explain the purpose of your inquiry. After you receive permission to participate, you will schedule a date to attend the meeting; at which time you will observe the members and document the following for your analysis: Part I • How were the people arranged in the physical environment (layout of room and seating arrangement)? The people were all sitting in a long rectangular table with rolling chairs. Their boss was seated amidst them instead at the head of the table. • What is the composition of the group, in terms of number of people, ages, sex, ethnicity, etc.? It was 10 people at the meeting. There were 3 african...
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...Everest University Brandon Online Abstract The research included within this paper is several online articles, periodicals, and related books to mass-media control and its psychological adaptation in an individual’s mind. I also performed a media and mind control case study. I used my family for the subjects; my older sister who is a Licensed Practical Nurse (L.P.N.) and my mother who is a widow, an evangelist, and retired home nurse, for the control group, and my nephews who are fraternal twins, age thirteen for the experimental group. My observations were to observe both groups for a week during different intervals of media exposure. My nephews, the experimental group, were observed during and after watching television, using the computer, and listening to music. They were then observed when these forms of media were limited. My mother and sister, the control group, were observed during the limited periods of their television usage and listening to non-secular music. I believe there is direct correlation between adults and children who watch and listen to obsessive amounts of television, movies, news, and popular music and aggressive behavior, stress, dispositions, and sleep and eating habits. The case study observations supported this theory. Keywords: mass media, mass-media control, aggressive behavior, perceptions, adverse misconceptions, psychological adaptation, media nationalism, suggestive media, groupthink nationalism Mass Media Control Mass media...
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...Group Influence Some groups are formal with designated titles and rules. Other groups are informal, organized casually and have unwritten or flexible rules. For purposes of this paper, I chose to observe a district meeting of the Med Pay Unit within my company. I have highlighted my observations and thoughts below: Part I The meeting was held in a conference room large enough to hold 30 people, however there were only 12 members on the team. The seating arrangement was U-shaped with chairs around the outside. The manager sat in the center. The composition of the group was comprised of seven women and five men whose ages ranged from 22-mid 50’s. The racial makeup included African Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics and a Bi-racial member. The meeting was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and when I arrived five minutes early, I found that everyone had already arrived. The meeting started on time. The unit is a department of Nationwide Insurance and their focus is processing medical payments for members who have suffered injuries in accidents. The number one focus for the unit is providing excellent customer service while exemplifying the core values of the company. The Med Pay unit is long-term and in fact, will be expanding to add two more teams which will include a bi-lingual unit. The manager passed out an agenda at the beginning of the meeting and was successful in keeping to it. She was the primary facilitator of the group, but introduced a guest speaker from...
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...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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...Option 2 Given the highly competitive nature in business, organisations have struggled in . This can be seen with so many theories regarding organisational learning being conceived. This paper discusses how individual learning theories and organisational learning theories are related as well as the roles of organisation leaders in facilitating organisational learning. One of the most fundamental theory to help us understand organisational learning is the concept of single-loop learning and double-loop learning developed by Argyris and Schon (1978). Single-loop learning is associated with the detection and correction of error without amendment made to the master program, which is the guide for daily operations in an organisation. It is only suitable for repetitive job tasks where minor problems can be solved immediately. Restricted to only making small changes, single-loop learning is not learning (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2004). Thus, the double-loop learning, in order to solve more complex issues. Double-loop learning happens when the underlying values of the master program are changed. This would involve challenging norms rather than blindly accepting them. While single-loop learning and double-loop learning theory focuses on outcomes, Kolb (1984) proposes another type of learning which focuses on process, which is the experiential learning theory. It is a theory that merges experience, cognition, behaviour and perception. One of the models of experiential learning theory...
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...Taking what you've learned from the readings and videos this week, write a 3-5 page paper using APA style and formatting to include a title page, abstract, and bibliography. Research ways to effectively communicate within a team. What works? What doesn't? What do you do when a communication breakdown occurs within a team? Write a communication plan for your group that includes ways to prevent communication breakdowns, and ways to fix communication breakdowns when they occur. Be sure to include examples of teams where communication breakdowns occurred, identify where, when and how the breakdown happened, and why. List possible ways the communication breakdown could have been prevented or fixed. If the solution is given in your example, evaluate the solution. Would your communication plan need to change if you were working with a culturally diverse team? Why or why not? Also, share your experiences about two different work groups--one effective and one ineffective in the areas noted below. If you don’t have any or much experience with groups at work, you can instead analyze other types of groups in which you’ve been a member, such as a club, church group, sports team, etc. a. Describe each group with regard to an overview of the members, their positions/roles, gender, ages, and any other factors you think will help us understand the makeup of the group. Please do not share names. b. Describe the purpose of each group with regard to what it did. What tasks did...
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...restaurant and must decide how much money he owes his suppliers. This is an example of a non-programmed decision. FALSE AACSB: Other management-specific knowledge/abilities Blooms taxonomy: Application Difficulty: Easy Learning Objective: 1 4. (p. 89, Table 3.1) Programmed decisions are useful when there is no predetermined structure on which to rely. FALSE AACSB: Other management-specific knowledge/abilities Blooms taxonomy: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium Learning Objective: 1 5. (p. 90) Risk is not a fact of life in management decisions. FALSE AACSB: Other management-specific knowledge/abilities Blooms taxonomy: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy Learning Objective: 1 6. (p. 90) According to research, managers prefer uncertainty to certainty because it makes the job more challenging and interesting. FALSE AACSB: Group/individual dynamics Blooms taxonomy: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium Learning Objective: 1 7. (p. 91) Conflict exists when the manager must consider opposing pressures from different sources. TRUE AACSB: Group/individual dynamics Blooms taxonomy: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy Learning Objective: 1 8. (p. 92) In the fourth state of decision making, problem diagnosis is linked to the development of...
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...social norms. Describe the core social motives. Illustrate social categorization. Discuss how stereotypes and subjectivity impact personal perception. Explain the various types of attribution. Describe the components of attitudes. Illustrate the different ways to influence attitudes. Differentiate between conformity, obedience, and compliance. Describe the biological, psychological, and sociocultural aspects of prejudice, aggression, and attraction. Discuss the pros and cons of group influence on an individual. 16.5 Conformity and Obedience Conformity The Power of the Situation: The Stanford Prison Experiment Obedience Milgram’s Experiment Media Impact: The Impact of TV, Movies, Music, and Videogames Group Polarization Groupthink Individual Influence Factors in Attraction Competence Proximity Physical Attractiveness Similarity Reciprocity CRITICAL THINKING APPLICATION...
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...ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORAND HUMANPERFORMANCE33, 141-152 (1984) Escalation of Commitment in Individual and Group Decision Making MAX H. BAZERMAN Massachusetts Institute of Technology TONI GIULIANO University of Texas at Austin AND A L A N APPELMAN Citicorp Previous research (cf. B. M. Staw, Academy of Management Review, 1981, 6, 577-587) has found that when managers are given negative feedback on an initial individual investment decision, they allocate more additional funds to that investment if they, rather than another member of their organization, made the initial allocation decision. Justification is thought to underlie this phenomenon. This study explored commitment in group and individual decisions and examined the plausibility of dissonance processes as the mediator of escalation of commitment. One hundred eighty-three individuals participated in a role-playing exercise in which personal responsibility for an initial decision was manipulated for groups and individuals. As expected, escalation of commitment occurred for both groups and individuals. In support of a dissonance explanation, dissonance processes did vary as a function of the personal responsibility manipulation, and individual variation in dissonance responses accounted for a substantial portion of variance in allocation behavior beyond that accounted for by the experimental manipulations. The results concerning dissonance processes suggest a number of ways in which escalation can...
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