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by Phyllis Robel 3 min read

What is “groupthink”?

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What are the effects of groupthink on decision making?

Feb 02, 2016 · What is GroupThink & GroupShift? We can find a big difference between group decision-making, discussion, group shift and groupthink. Group discussions and decision making should be encouraged in order to maintain a perfect group and avoiding groupshift and groupthink. We will discuss about them in this section to get a better idea. Groupthink

What is groupthink According to Irving Janis?

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. In many cases, people will set aside their own personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the group. The term was first used in 1972 by social psychologist Irving L. Janis.

Does groupthink occur in groups that lack cohesiveness?

Janis introduced the concept of groupthink through the popular press in 1971.13 The idea struck a responsive chord with policy planners who had hastily ap­ proved courses of action that just as quickly turned out to be major blunders. The term . groupthink . paralleled the ominous expression . doublethink . in George Orwell's novel . 1984,

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What are 4 characteristics of groupthink?

Characteristics of Groupthink Denial of vulnerability – group members may not be willing to acknowledge their own fallibility or vulnerability. Rationalization of decisions to minimize objections. Belief in the absolute goodness of the group.Aug 7, 2015

What are some examples of groupthink?

Examples of groupthink can be found in historic events such as the U.S. Invasion of Iraq, Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba, the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster and the Enron-Arthur Anderson scandal. (Thompson, 2008) In each of these examples, leadership style played a key role in enhancing groupthink conditions.

What are the 8 symptoms of groupthink?

The eight symptoms of groupthink include an illusion of invulnerability or of the inability to be wrong, the collective rationalization of the group's decisions, an unquestioned belief in the morality of the group and its choices, stereotyping of the relevant opponents or out-group members, and the presence of “ ...

What are the 7 symptoms of groupthink?

Symptoms of GroupthinkInvulnerability. 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.

What are five characteristics of groupthink?

The characteristics of groupthink - Organisational Behaviour Illusion of invulnerability. Collective rationalization. Unquestioned belief. Stereotypical views.

What is an example of groupthink in the workplace?

This is an example of groupthink: People accepted a not-so-good idea as plausible to maintain harmony and coherence within their group. They opted for conformity rather than critical discourse. When challenged, they agreed they had gone too far and took back the accusation.May 11, 2017

Why is groupthink bad?

Groupthink can cause people to ignore important information and can ultimately lead to poor decisions. This can be damaging even in minor situations but can have much more dire consequences in certain settings.Nov 12, 2020

Why is groupthink so powerful?

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.Mar 1, 2012

How do you break a group think?

He suggested eight ways to avoid groupthink. Leaders should absent themselves from many of the group meetings to avoid influencing the outcome. Deliberately assign the role of "critical evaluator" to allow members to voice dissent. Nominate a group member to play the Devil's advocate.Oct 9, 2016

What are the causes of groupthink?

There are several main causes of groupthink. These include group cohesiveness, overall group isolation, group leadership, and decision-making stress. High levels of cohesiveness decrease the amount of verbal dissension within a tight group, due to interpersonal pressure to conform.

How to prevent groupthink?

Initially, the leader of the group should avoid stating their opinions or preferences when assigning tasks. Give people time to come up with their own ideas first.

How does groupthink affect people?

Impact of Groupthink. Groupthink can cause people to ignore important information and can ultimately lead to poor decisions. This can be damaging even in minor situations but can have much more dire consequences in certain settings.

What is groupthink psychology?

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. In many cases, people will set aside their own personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the group. The term was first used in 1972 by social psychologist Irving L. Janis.

How do you know if you have groupthink?

Janis identified a number of different "symptoms" that indicate groupthink. 1 . Illusions of unanimity lead members to believe that everyone is in agreement and feels the same way.

What is the difference between conformity and groupthink?

Groupthink involves the decision-making process. On the other hand, conformity is a process in which people change their own actions so they can fit in with a specific group. Conformity can sometimes cause groupthink, but it isn't always the motivating factor.

What is stereotyping in a group?

Stereotyping leads members of the in-group to ignore or even demonize out-group members who may oppose or challenge the group's ideas. This causes members of the group to ignore important ideas or information. Self-censorship causes people who might have doubts to hide their fears or misgivings.

Who is Kendra Cherry?

Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Emily is a fact checker, editor, and writer who has expertise in psychology content.

What are the characteristics of groupthink?

Sociocognitive theory. According to a new theory many of the basic characteristics of groupthink – e.g., strong cohesion, indulgent atmosphere, and exclusive ethos – are the result of a special kind of mnemonic encoding (Tsoukalas, 2007).

What is groupthink in psychology?

A psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people. 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 . Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, ...

Why is the Devil's Advocate important?

The devil's advocate in a group may provide questions and insight which contradict the majority group in order to avoid groupthink decisions. A study by Hartwig insists that the devil's advocacy technique is very useful for group problem-solving.

How does groupthink affect the military?

Groupthink can have a strong hold on political decisions and military operations, which may result in enormous wastage of human and material resources. Highly qualified and experienced politicians and military commanders sometimes make very poor decisions when in a suboptimal group setting. Scholars such as Janis and Raven attribute political and military fiascoes, such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal, to the effect of groupthink. More recently, Dina Badie argued that groupthink was largely responsible for the shift in the U.S. administration's view on Saddam Hussein that eventually led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States. After the September 11 attacks, "stress, promotional leadership, and intergroup conflict " were all factors that gave rise to the occurrence of groupthink. Political case studies of groupthink serve to illustrate the impact that the occurrence of groupthink can have in today's political scene.

Who coined the term "groupthink"?

The term was coined in 1952 by William H. Whyte Jr. Most of the initial research on groupthink was conducted by Irving Janis, a research psychologist from Yale University. Janis published an influential book in 1972, which was revised in 1982.

Why is it so difficult to test groupthink?

Testing groupthink in a laboratory is difficult because synthetic settings remove groups from real social situations, which ultimately changes the variables conducive or inhibitive to groupthink. Because of its subjective nature, researchers have struggled to measure groupthink as a complete phenomenon, instead frequently opting to measure its particular factors. These factors range from causal to effectual and focus on group and situational aspects.

What are the factors that influence decision making?

Antecedent factors such as group cohesiveness, faulty group structure, and situational context (e.g., community panic) play into the likelihood of whether or not groupthink will impact the decision-making process.

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Overview

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Groupthink is sometimes stated to occur (more broadly) within natural groups within the community, for example to explain the lifelong different mindsets of those with differing political views (such as "conservatism" and "liberalism" in the U.S. political context or the purported benefits of team work vs. work conducted i…
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History

  • William H. Whyte Jr. derived the term from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and popularized it in 1952 in Fortunemagazine: Irving Janis pioneered the initial research on the groupthink theory. He does not cite Whyte, but coined the term again by analogy with "doublethink" and similar terms that were part of the newspeak vocabulary in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Fourby George Orwell. H…
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Symptoms

  • To make groupthink testable, Irving Janisdevised eight symptoms indicative of groupthink: Type I: Overestimations of the group — its power and morality 1. Illusions of invulnerabilitycreating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking. 2. Unquestioned belief in the moralityof the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions. Type II: Closed-mindedne…
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Causes

  • Janis prescribed three antecedent conditions to groupthink.: 9 1. High group cohesiveness. Janis emphasized that cohesiveness is the main factor that leads to groupthink. Groups that lack cohesiveness can of course make bad decisions, but they do not experience groupthink. In a cohesive group, members avoid speaking out against decisions, avoid arguing with others, and …
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Prevention

  • As observed by Aldag and Fuller (1993), the groupthink phenomenon seems to rest on a set of unstated and generally restrictive assumptions: 1. The purpose of group problem solving is mainly to improve decision quality 2. Group problem solving is considered a rational process. 3. Benefits of group problem solving: 3.1. variety of perspectives 3.2. more information about possible alter…
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Empirical Findings and Meta-Analysis

  • Testing groupthink in a laboratory is difficult because synthetic settings remove groups from real social situations, which ultimately changes the variables conducive or inhibitive to groupthink.Because of its subjective nature, researchers have struggled to measure groupthink as a complete phenomenon, instead frequently opting to measure its particular factors. These fact…
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Case Studies

  • Politics and military
    Groupthink can have a strong hold on political decisions and military operations, which may result in enormous wastage of human and material resources. Highly qualified and experienced politicians and military commanders sometimes make very poor decisions when in a suboptima…
  • Corporate world
    In the corporate world, ineffective and suboptimal group decision-making can negatively affect the health of a company and cause a considerable amount of monetary loss.
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Recent Developments

  • Ubiquity model
    Researcher Robert Baron (2005) contends that the connection between certain antecedents which Janis believed necessary has not been demonstrated by the current collective body of research on groupthink. He believes that Janis' antecedents for groupthink are incorrect, and argues that …
  • Reexamination
    Later scholars have re-assessed the merit of groupthink by reexamining case studies that Janis originally used to buttress his model. Roderick Kramer (1998) believed that, because scholars today have a more sophisticated set of ideas about the general decision-making process and be…
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Further Reading

  • Articles
    1. Baron, R. S. (2005). "So right it's wrong: groupthink and the ubiquitous nature of polarized group decision making". Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. 37: 219–253. doi:10.1016/S0065-2601(05)37004-3. ISBN 9780120152377. 2. Ferraris, C.; Carveth, R. (2003). "NASA and the Colu…
  • Books
    1. Janis, Irving L. (1972). Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign-policy Decisions and Fiascoes. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-14002-1. 2. Janis, Irving L.; Mann, L. (1977). Decision making: A Psychological Analysis of Conflict, Choice, and Commitment. New York: Th…
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