Group Think

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Group Think

This type of dysfunctional operation of an organization has many ways and opportunities for failure. The basic fundamentals of this process are the beginnings of failure as groups seek conformity and unity they sacrifice everything in order to maintain peace within the group. Many times this will take the individuals creative thoughts and ability to voice the creative edge thinking away. In many organizations this is a process that is continually used. It is perceived that management wants the organizations operation or process to run without any type of question or waves. Below are listed eight of the main symptoms of group think as detailed by Janis, I. L & Manns book “Decision making”

Symptoms of Groupthink are divided into three types in which they can manifest

themselves:

Type I: Overestimations of the group's power and morality

Type II: Closed-mindedness

Type III: Pressure toward uniformity

When broken down the three types of groupthink can be broken farther down to

eight ways groupthink causes failure.

1. Illusion of invulnerability: Members ignore obvious danger, take extreme risks, and are overly optimistic.

2. Collective Rationalization: Members discredit and explain away warnings contrary to group thinking.

3. Illusions of Morality: Members believe that their decisions are morally correct ignoring the ethical consequences of their decisions.

4. Excessive Stereotyping: The group constructs negative stereotypes of rivals outside the group.

5. Pressure for Conformity: Members’ pressure any in a group who expresses arguments against the groups’ stereotypes, illusions, or commitment, viewing such opposition and disloyalty.

6. Self-censorship: Members withhold their dissenting views and counter arguments.

7. Illusion of Unanimity: Members perceive falsely that everyone agrees with the group decision silence is seen as consent.

8. Mindguards: Some members appoint themselves to the role of protecting the group from adverse information that might threaten group compliance.

Personal styles are limited by the group with GROUP THINK. Most of the time the individual will not take the chance to buck the system or willing to take the chance of being discredited by the core group if they do not agree with the process and or direction that is being lead.

Decision styles are affe...

... middle of paper ...

...ve that the label of Groupthink can be used too loosely. I myself have experienced situations where a Group is too quick to label themselves as sufferers of Groupthink. Although I truly think that Groupthink is a severe problem that exists today, the Challenger being one of the most disastrous of those examples. I believe that we all need to be careful not to be too swift about the use of the Groupthink label. It can be just as negative to a group to label them as wronged in their process when no such error exists as to call them victims of Groupthink. Again the dilemma is that groups need to always be alert to the existence of Groupthink, they also need to not label themselves or other victims of Groupthink unfairly. Although there are many times that Groupthink leads to failure, there are few instances when it works for the food. This is a fine line to walk, but it is most definitely a line that needs to be walked time and time again.

Works Cited:

Jarvis, Chris. GROUPTHINK

Janis, Irving L. Victims Of Groupthink. Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, 1972

Janis, Irving L. Groupthink. Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, 1982

Griffin, Em. Groupthink. McGraw-Hill Inc., 1997

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