Groupthink

• When group members striving for

agreement (norm for unanimity), fail to
realistically appraise alternative courses of
action
– A means for a group to protect its positive
image (extremely high in cohesion)
 Groupthink video
• Identify factors that may lead to groupthink

• Identify “symptoms” of groupthink

• Identify methods to minimize groupthink

 Antecedents of Groupthink
• Factors that may lead to groupthink
– High levels of cohesion
– Stressful decision-making context
• External pressure
• Tight budgets
• Recent failures
 Symptoms of Groupthink
• Illusion of unanimity (false consensus)
– Silence implies agreement
• “I’m not going to call for a vote, I think we are all in
agreement here”
• “We’ve decided..”
– Challenger example
• Self-censorship
– Not speaking up (feeling of tension caused by
pressure to be silent & internally wanting to speak up)
• “I had a few objections, but since everybody seems committed, I won’t
bring them up.”
 Symptoms of Groupthink (cont)
• Illusion of invulnerability & Rationalization
– “Our strategy has worked in the past, odds are
it will again”
– “We are the best military in the world, what do
we have to worry about”
• Mindguards
– “No need for you to be at the meeting; I’ll
summarize your concerns for the board”
 Ways to Minimize Groupthink
• Avoid isolating the group
– Bring in outside experts
• JFK example
• Critical evaluators / Devil’s advocate
– Role is to question assumptions and uncontested information
• Open climate
– Leader invites and accepts divergent thinking
• Avoid being directive
– Strong leaders speak last or sometimes not at all
• JFK example