Groupthink

Groupthink
Groupthink is a phenomenon where groups can come to poor decisions and have very poor decision making.

Issues
The following issues can arise from groupthink: influenced by members seeking concurrence with one another.
 * incomplete survey of alternatives
 * incomplete survey of objectives
 * failure to examine risks of preferred choice
 * failure to reappraise initially rejected alternatives
 * poor information search
 * selective bias in processing information at hand
 * failure to work out contingency plans
 * high probability of a bad decision.

This often occurs when the need for agreement is of utmost priority over the motivation to find accurate information and to commit to making the right decisions.



Causes
Groupthink is caused by: 
 * highly cohesive groups
 * Groups that are made of people from similar backgrounds
 * Groups that are isolated
 * Groups that have an overly strong leader
 * Groups that lack in systematic procedures for reviewing and making decisions.
 * Stressful situations

Symptoms
The symptoms of groupthink are: Those who put pressure on other people to conform are known as “'mindguards'” and they discourage deviant thought.
 * overestimation of the group’s abilities
 * the close-mindedness of the group and its members
 * pressure to conform to the group’s norms.



Solutions
These methods can fix groupthingk:
 * Avoid isolation by consulting with outsiders
 * Leaders should encourage criticism within the group and limit their stances on important issues by not being overly strong on them.
 * Establish a very strong norm of critical review, subgroups can be formed to discuss the same issue
 * Assign “devil’s advocate” to challenge and criticize all ideas.
 * Computerized support systems and how they avoid groupthink (take word from word from book)
 * allows members to raise concerns anonymously
 * reduces the leader’s directive role
 * enable members to input simultaneously. No waiting for a chance to share idea.
 * Allows least assertive group members to state ideas as easily as assertive members
 * systematic foundation for information gathering and decision-making
 * keep focus of group meeting on ideas and not on people or relationships.

