Real World Examples of Groupthink

• The Bay of Pigs invasion. An invasion was planned by the Eisenhower administration, but accepted by the Kennedy administration without question when they took over.
• The bombing of Pearl Harbor.
• The collapse of Swissair.
• The mass resignation of the Major League Umpires Association.

Two well-known examples of Groupthink in action are the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Engineers of the space shuttle knew about some faulty parts months before takeoff, but they did not want negative press so they pushed ahead with the launch anyway.

Symptoms of Groupthink

• Invulnerability. Members of the group share an illusion of invulnerability that creates excessive optimism and encourages taking abnormal risks.
• Rationale.
• Morality.
• Stereotypes.
• Pressure.
• Self-censorship.
• Illusion of Unanimity.
• Mind Guards.

The following are symptoms of groupthink: illusion of invulnerability, rationalization, direct pressure. Many projects result in escalation of commitment when decision makers underestimate the risk and overestimate their probability of success.

Question: Which Of The Following Is Not A Symptom Of Groupthink? Collective Rationalizations Illusion Of Vulnerability Direct Pressure Illusions Of Unanimity.

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.

Groupthink—the tendency of groups to make decisions that preserve the status quo rather than take dissenting opinions into account—can be toxic to teams and organizations. It can stifle innovation and make employees feel pressured to conform. In most cases, the consequences of groupthink aren’t nearly so serious.

Impact of Groupthink Groupthink can cause people to ignore important information and can ultimately lead to poor decisions. This tendency to seek consensus above all else also means that group members may not adequately assess the potential risks and benefits of a decision.

Groupthink is essentially a psychological phenomenon wherein a group of people is looking for common harmony and desire. If the purpose is positive and the end result is positive, it is called a positive groupthink while if the outcome is negative, it becomes negative groupthink.

It also has a downside; it can make us conform to the wrong beliefs or take the wrong actions because well… “everyone knows…”. For example, nowadays, social media have an enormous effect on groupthink. It’s a cognitive bias that makes us believe something because other people believe it.

There are several main causes of groupthink. These include group cohesiveness, overall group isolation, group leadership, and decision-making stress. Another cause of groupthink is isolation. Often in group situations, it is important that the decisions being made or the actions being carried remain secret.

Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives.

To do that, make sure your decision-making process does the following to help avoid groupthink:

1. Includes participation from all employees involved in the decision.
2. Introduces alternative viewpoints for discussion.
3. Rewards employees for vocalizing opinions outside the norm.

Groupthink specifically refers to a process of decision-making; it can be motivated by a desire to conform, but isn’t always. Conformity, on the other hand, pertains to individuals who (intentionally or unintentionally) shift their behaviors, appearances, or beliefs to sync up to those of the group.

Groupthink seems to occur most often when a respected or persuasive leader is present, inspiring members to agree with his or her opinion. It also is a powerful force when it validates the preconceived opinions of the individual members. It can be spot on and right. It also can be dreadfully wrong.

a diverse groupa cohesive groupa heterogeneous groupa decentralized groupCohesive, non-diverse groups are highly susceptible to groupthink, which in turn can lead to flaweddecision making with potentially disastrous consequences.

The correct answer is that groupthink can be a problem in very unified and cohesive groups.

organization faults such as directive leadership, lack of formal procedures, or lack of social diversity in the decision team; and. a challenging decision environment that could include stress from external threats, time pressure, and/or moral dilemmas.

What is the best way to develop a ready-made solution? Identify best practices and turn them into standard operating procedure….

1. identify the problem or opportunity.
2. think of alternative solutions.
3. evaluate alternatives and select a solution.
4. implement and evaluate the solution chosen.

Here are some steps on how to eliminate groupthink and avoid it altogether.

1. Step 1: Require everyone in the group to evaluate ideas critically:
2. Step 2: If you’re leading the group, keep your opinions to yourself:
3. Step 3: If you’re the group leader, consider being a no-show:
4. Step 4: Consider a team approach:

Group decision making provides two advantages over decisions made by individuals: synergy and sharing of information. Synergy is the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When a group makes a decision collectively, its judgment can be keener than that of any of its members.

The term “groupthink” was first used by a social psychologist named Irving Janis, and it is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when a well-intentioned group works together to make decisions and strives for harmony and consensus. This, in turn, leads to non-optimal decision making and conformity within the group.

Four of the most commonly cited group decision-making techniques are brainstorming, the nominal group technique, the Delphi technique, and the stepladder technique. These techniques vary in the manner in which they structure group problem solving.

Group decision making is a type of participatory process in which multiple individuals acting collectively, analyze problems or situations, consider and evaluate alternative courses of action, and select from among the alternatives a solution or solutions.

6 Group Decision Making Techniques Your Team Needs Now

• Brainstorm Ideas. When you think of a thunderstorm, they tend to be scattered, sporadic, and unpredictable.
• Nominal Group Technique. This unique group decision making strategy takes brainstorming one step further by including a voting process.
• Delphi Technique.
• Put it to a Vote.
• Rank the Possibilities.
• Pros & Cons List.

Group decision-making (also known as collaborative decision-making or collective decision-making) is a situation faced when individuals collectively make a choice from the alternatives before them. The decision is then no longer attributable to any single individual who is a member of the group.

When consdidering individual versus group decision-making, a group decision is one made by several people, while an individual decision is made by one person.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to involving groups in the decision making process. On the one hand, the advantages of group decision making include: greater sum total of knowledge, greater number of approaches, more alternatives, increased acceptance of a decision, and better comprehension of a problem.

Group decision making has the advantages of drawing from the experiences and perspectives of a larger number of individuals. Hence, they have the potential to be more creative and lead to a more effective decision. In fact, groups may sometimes achieve results beyond what they could have done as individuals.

Answer: C. It requires adequate time and good leadership to be successful is a limitation of group decision making.