Why groupthink happens

It is important to note that while groupthink and conformity are similar and related concepts, there are important distinctions between the two. 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. While groupthink can generate consensus, it is by definition a negative phenomenon that results in faulty or uninformed thinking and decision-making.

Some of the problems it can cause include:. Group consensus can allow groups to make decisions, complete tasks, and finish projects quickly and efficiently—but even the most harmonious groups can benefit from some challenges. There are steps that groups can take to minimize this problem. First, leaders can give group members the opportunity to express their own ideas or argue against ideas that have already been proposed.

Breaking up members into smaller independent teams can also be helpful. Diversity among group members has also been shown to enhance decision-making and reduce groupthink. When people in groups have diverse backgrounds and experiences, they are better able to bring different perspectives, information, and ideas to the table.

This enhances decisions and makes it less likely that groups will fall into groupthink patterns. Ever wonder what your personality type means?

Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. Lunenburg FC. Group decision making: The potential for groupthink. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration. Bang D, Frith CD. Making better decisions in groups. R Soc Open Sci. Rose JD. Diverse perspectives on the groupthink theory - A literary review. Unfortunately, if groupthink takes hold, group members may not even question ethically dubious decisions and actions. Indeed, groupthink can cause us to value harmony and consensus over independent judgment, and can lead to unethical behavior.

Tens of millions of dollars in salary and endorsements can hang in the balance, depending on whether a player performs well or poorly. Likewise, hundreds of millions of dollars of value are at stake for the owners as teams vie for World Series glory. Plus, fans, players and owners just want their team to win. And everyone hates to lose! Now, the Houston Astros have joined this inglorious list.

Catchers signal to pitchers which type of pitch to throw, typically by holding down a certain number of fingers on their non-gloved hand between their legs as they crouch behind the plate. It is typically not as simple as just one finger for a fastball and two for a curve, but not a lot more complicated than that. In September , an Astros intern named Derek Vigoa gave a PowerPoint presentation to general manager Jeff Luhnow that featured an Excel-based application that was programmed with an algorithm.

MLB rules allowed a runner standing on second base to steal signs and relay them to the batter, but the MLB rules strictly forbade using electronic means to decipher signs. With that information, Codebreaker determined how the signs corresponded with different pitches. Once decided, that information would be communicated through intermediaries to a baserunner, who would relay them to the hitter.

Any dissenters are pressured to come around to the consensus. After the pressure is exerted, members censor themselves to prevent further shunning. Once decisions are made, the group assumes them to be unanimous. Some members of a group may act as a mindguard; these sentinels prevent any contrary advice from reaching the leaders of the organization. With groupthink, a time constraint exacerbates all of these issues, and any decisions that need to be made fast may not undergo due diligence.

Unfortunately, all of these groupthink traits can lead to disaster. Groupthink is a dynamic that can lead to bad decisions and even disasters; it is a phenomenon in which a group of individuals may consider themselves infallible. After the space shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on the morning of Jan.

The day before the launch, engineers from Morton Thiokol, the company that built the solid rocket boosters, had warned flight managers at NASA that the O-ring seals on the booster rockets would fail in the freezing temperatures forecast for that morning. The O-rings were not designed for anything below 53 degrees Fahrenheit. NASA personnel overrode the scientific facts presented by the engineers who were experts in their fields and fell victim to groupthink.

When flight readiness reviewers received the go-ahead for launch from lower-level NASA managers, no mention was made of Morton Thiokol's objections. The shuttle launched as scheduled, but the result was disastrous.

Other events that may be possible groupthink-involved failures include the Bay of Pigs invasion, Watergate, and the escalation of the Vietnam War. Trading Basic Education. Wealth Management. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. This meeting technique allows for decompression, and for rebonding of the group. Because of the flaws of individual decision making—selective perception, excessive self-interest, limited knowledge, limited time—most important decisions today are made in groups.

And groups can do a spectacular job; but they often do not. Meetings, the place where groups do their decision-making work, have a bad reputation these days, largely because of processes such as groupthink.

Groupthink is the result of flawed procedures, poor leadership, insulation, and an unmanaged desire for the maintenance of group cohesion and its good feelings.

These factors can be addressed positively, and group decision making improved, while groupthink is kept to a minimum. September Esser, James K. February-March Janis, I.

Houghton Mifflin, Free Press, Moorhead, Gregory, Christopher P. Neck, and Mindy S. Neck, Christopher P. August May Tropman, John E. Effective Meetings. Sage Publications, Toggle navigation.