...Groupthink is a concept that was identified by psychologist Irving Janis. It refers to faulty decision-making in a group. Janis defines groupthink as: "a mode of thinking people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. Groupthink refers to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that results from in-group pressures." (Borchers) When groups engage in groupthink, they all agree with one another instead of bringing their own ideas into the discussion. Groupthink interferes with creativity and independent thinking. It occurs when the staff is more concerned with seeking the approval of others than coming up with breakthrough ideas. Normally when groups get together to resolve an issue or generate ideas, different points of view are generated. This is good because the more ideas and solutions are available to consider, the better the outcome will be. In other words, the best ideas are not from an individual, but from the experience of several. Groupthink members find a solution without weighing all other options first. With a groupthink situation, the leader usually verbalizes their opinion, sells the idea and no one disagrees. “Groupthink usually happens when one or a few vocal members are highly persuasive or assertive in pushing for their ideas and points of view, making it somewhat intimidating...
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...The term "groupthink" was a theory developed by psychologist Irving Janis. The theory was intended to explain bad decisions and outcomes made by governments and businesses, which Janis sometimes called "fiascoes." (Vore, 2013) He was really interested in situations where pressure with the group seemed to result in a failure to think clearly. Janis defined groupthink as "a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. Groupthink refers to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that results from in-group pressures." (Groupthink, 2013) Groupthink can occur when a group of people disagrees with their boss and want to create conflict in the face of the powerful boss. The idea of groupthink offers an explanation of reasons that groups sometimes make poor decisions. Groups are thought to be better at making complex decisions than individuals because they contain a variety of different views. (Vore, 2013) Groups not only bring new ideas into the discussion but also can act as device to correct errors. Groups can also provide social support which is very important when creating new ideas. This issue with groupthink comes when new viewpoints are not accepted. Even though groups can work to support effective conclusions, the same processes that boost the group's...
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...Abstract Groupthink can have has its positives and its negatives depending on who you ask and the mindset of the people working together. Groupthink happens most often when the group is already cohesive, is isolated from conflicting opinions and where the leader is open and directive. Groupthink is what takes place when group work happens. Groupthink happens most often when the group is already unified, is isolated from disagreeing sentiments and where the leader is open and directive. External opinions should be taken seriously or even having external people included in meetings. The group should be split into subgroups for reporting back and discussion. Individuals should be privately polled for personal opinions. “Antecedent factors such group cohesiveness, structural faults, and situational context play into the likelihood of whether or not groupthink will impact the decision-making process.”(Wikipedia) [1] According to Irving Janis, a research psychologist from Yale University performed the majority of the initial research on groupthink. His original definition of the term was, “A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action” (Janis, 1972). [2] Some say Groupthink will not always work out for the best results because this eliminates personal creativity and ones own thinking. On the other hand some...
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...The Groupthink Theory “Researchers have studied the influence of group pressure on individual members” (Byars and Rue, 2007, 238). As defined by Byars and Rue “when group members lose their ability to think as individuals and conform at the expense of their good judgment, groupthink occurs. Members become unwilling to say anything against the group or any member, even if an action is wrong” (Byars and Rue, 2007, 238). “Keeping a group together under any circumstance is a goal in itself. Groups with this goal believe that the group is indestructible and always right. Group members justify any action, stereotype outsiders as enemies of the group, and pressure unwilling members to conform (Byars and Rue, 2007, 238). In 1972, Irving L. Janis presented a set of hypothesis that he extracted from observing small groups performing problem-solving tasks; he collectively referred to these hypotheses as groupthink (Janis, 1972). He defined groupthink as “a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action” (Janis, 1982, 9). Groups are usually successful because group members bring varied ideas, collective knowledge, and they tend to be focused while working together. Groups can be advantageous to both individuals and businesses. They are valuable to individuals because they are able...
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...will look into the term “Groupthink” and how it correlates with Charles Manson and The Manson Family cult. Groupthink, as defined by social psychologist Irving Janis is, “a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistic appraise alternative courses of action…Groupthink refers to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgement that results from in-group pressures” (Johnson & Weaver, 1992). Groups, such as the “The Manson Family”, tend to ignore alternatives and take unreasonable actions that degrade other groups. Manson and his followers, who have similar background’s, tend to be more vulnerable to groupthink especially when the group is protected from outside beliefs, and when there are no rules for decision making. Charles Manson and several of his followers were sentence to prison is 1969 for murder of eight people (Review In Brief, 1977). Manson was the leader of a group that some label as The Manson Family. He was said to have many followers in his group, some suggest close to one-hundred at one point who resided and often traveled together. Manson was the leader of what...
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...How to Avoid Groupthink We like people that agree with us; it makes us feel good. But there is a condition that develops when likeminded people agree and reaffirm each other’s decisions and beliefs. It’s called groupthink. It’s a term that was coined by psychologist Irving Janis. Per BusinessDictionary.com (2011), groupthink is defined as “Tendency of the members of a group to yield to the desire for consensus or unanimity at the cost of considering alternative courses of action.” Thompson, (2008) states, “Groupthink occurs when team members place consensus above all other priorities” (p. 172). Groupthink has been identified as a contributing factor to many political and corporate events including the 2002 US invasion of Iraq, the Bay of Pigs, and the AMA allowing Sunbeam to use their name for product endorsement (Thompson, 2008). The next few paragraphs describe five different methods for avoiding groupthink. One method for avoiding groupthink is Devil’s Advocate. This is a role that can be assigned to a member of the group. Harris (2010) wrote, “This should be a different person for each meeting” (para. 5). Implementing this responsibility will aid in identifying risks in the decision making process as well as arguing against the proposed group solution or decision. Ultimately this position would help create more alternative solutions and spawn the idea creativity of the group. What’s important with this role is that the opposing position be genuine and...
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...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 power and morality...
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...the Theory of Groupthink Communication Theory, COMM 25902 Professor Ponder April 13, 2010 Groupthink is a common method of deliberating used by members in a group in order to reduce conflict and promote unanimity. People are often unwilling to share conflicting viewpoints to a group of those who hold the same perspective on a subject. Irving Janis developed Groupthink while studying foreign policy decision-making. In doing so, he maintained that when group members share a common fate, there is great pressure towards conformity (Amidon, 2005). Following the initial theorization of Groupthink, researchers continued to study the patterns of those involved in-group discussion. According to Henningsen, Henningsen, Eden and Cruz (2006), despite the widespread acceptance of groupthink as a theory, it has never been fully backed by lab research. Researchers began examining inconsistencies between Janis’s model and the results found in a lab setting. In testing the theory in a lab, researchers hoped to provide an explanation for why lab tests produced different results than case studies for the same occurrence. In the past, researchers have tended to study limited components of the groupthink model, which includes antecedents, concurrence seeking, symptoms, decision-making defects and poor decision outcomes. Studies that examine this full model or large parts of it have produced a set of interesting findings concerning the symptoms of groupthink. Janis argues...
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...with all of your teammates you will eventually have to work in groups. This is where the term ‘groupthink’ comes into play. Group think is thinking as a group trying not to force your own individual opinions, biases, and creativity for sakes of the group. A mentality that says the group is more important than my individual self. The research conducted over this topic will give us a better understanding of groupthink and group decision making. This research will also argue and support if groupthink is said to be positive or negative according to many scholars. According to Richard West and Lynn H. Turner in their book called ‘Introducing Communication Theory Analysis and Application’ the definition of groupthink can be defined as: “… a way of deliberating that group members use when their desire for unanimity overrides their motivation to assess all available plans of action” (West & Turner, 2014, pp. 252). Irving Janis the man who coined the term groupthink and has done extensive research over the subject gives a bit of different but similar definition, which is defined as: “a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ striving for unanimity override their motivation realistically appraise alternative courses of action” (Harter, 2012, pp. 269). Most companies and organizations are heavily involved with groupthink when it comes to making critical decisions. The decisions are always made on behalf of the group’s...
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...What is Group Think The term “groupthink” was created by Irving Janis (Moorhead et al. 1998)Irving Janis would describe groupthink as a “mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.” Janis (1972, p. 9) Janis theory would suggest that, members of a group may adopt an idea as an answer to problems without thinking about it appropriately, to acquire approval of the group and its members. Groupthink does not result in failure of decisions but if a board falls subject, the chances of unethical, low quality decision within the origination become increased. In 1975, the term had been registered in...
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...Avoiding Abilene Bea Carson Page 1 5/22/2006 AVOIDING ABILENE: BREAKING OUT OF GROUPTHINK by Dr. Bea Carson Introduction Have you been trapped in the frustration of meetings that were not functioning well? Have you sat in a meeting where you did not speak your mind because you knew the risk, or the futility of it? Perhaps you suffered in more bad meetings than you participated in useful ones. Did meetings, when nothing of value was accomplished, seem a terrible waste of time, yours and everyone else’s? Reflecting on it later, did you wonder what it was that caused the teams to be so ineffective? The situations that led to these non-working meetings tend to fall into three categories: 1) We are so sure that everyone is in agreement that we don’t want to be the lone dissenting voice. 2) Our team has always been “right.” We have been on the cutting edge for as long as anyone can remember – therefore we must be “right” now. 3) The boss says we must – therefore we must. After biting our tongues through these exasperating meetings, the next thing we know something blows up (figuratively or literally) and we berate ourselves for not having said something. What causes this ineffective – actually, dysfunctional – behavior and how do we stop it? Let’s start by putting names to those three situations described above. © 2006 Carson Consultants 1187 Neptune Place Annapolis, MD 21401 410-349-1326 www.carson-consultants.com Avoiding Abilene Bea Carson ...
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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...
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...Groupthink in a Family Trust This is a concept application paper of the term groupthink as applied to the decision making process of a family trust. The paper is broken into to three major parts. First section of the paper is to explain the concept of groupthink, what it is defined to be. The second part of the paper is an analysis of my personal experience with groupthink within a family trust. The third part of the paper proposes a remedy other than argument and debate which would act as a “group antihistamine” against this phenomenon called groupthink. Defining Groupthink Groupthink as defined by Irving Janis in his book entitled Victims of Groupthink, in it is stated to be “the tendency of a group to conform to ideas simply because the general sense of the group has moved in a particular direction and members of the group feel committed to continue in the same unchallenged line of thought.” Consequently it is the practice of thinking and making decisions in a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. Groupthink is an occurrence where by a group comes to a unanimous decision about a possible action despite the existence of facts that points to another more fruitful corrective course of action. In groupthink the members of the group place emphasis on everyone agreeing therefore there is a threat when a member is not in consensus. Unfortunately it results in more optimum solutions not being fully considered because of intimidation tactics...
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...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...
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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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