When team members offer unconventional suggestions that foster creativity, effective firms flourish. While coming to a team consensus might be advantageous, introducing these new ideas can also be hampered by it.
While fostering a sense of community and cooperation is important, critical thinking and creativity shouldn’t be sacrificed in the process. Individuals grow distracted and may even stop contributing if they are not permitted to share their thoughts.
Groupthink can potentially cause businesses to disregard red flags and take negative turns. How deadly the phenomenon may be is demonstrated by the Challenger Space Shuttle catastrophe.
Before the launch, engineers were aware of problematic components, but they remained silent. If the specialists had raised their worries instead of going along with the consensus, NASA might have been able to prevent the catastrophe.
To avoid the pitfalls that groupthink entails, it is advisable to get familiar with its signs. We talk about that and a lot more in this piece.
What is Groupthink?
The propensity for people to fervently agree on a favored viewpoint or course of action is known as groupthink. They prefer group consensus to independent thought. When groupthink occurs, individuals suppress their own unbiased opinions in favor of following the herd.
Because it encourages teamwork and collaboration, doing so may feel pleasant. Sadly, it also discourages individuals from questioning concepts that might be foolish or destructive.
William H. Whyte Jr. first used the phrase in 1952, but it gained widespread recognition because of Irving L. Janis’ 1972 book Victims of Groupthink. In the book, Irving uses instances like the 1961 Bay of Pigs, in which President JF Kennedy made poor choices that led to an unsuccessful attack on Cuba.
This psychological phenomenon is particularly prevalent in small, tight-knit groups. Friendly relationships or common objectives may prevent constructive conflict. There is frequently a dominating culture, an ingrained sense of group identity, complex group dynamics, and intense pressure to fit in.
Members who hold opposing views are prevented from speaking up in this cohesive setting. A collective inability to think independently is known as groupthink.
Symptoms of Groupthink
Janis listed these “symptoms” to demonstrate how groupthink affects people and organizations. These signs point to a need for team development. Several signs of groupthink include the following:
- Self-Censorship — Team members with opinions that conflict with those the group has chosen to adopt will keep their thoughts to themselves.
- Collective Justification — Team members won’t question their opinions and won’t pay attention to red flags.
- Unquestioned Assumptions — Team members disregard moral issues and the ramifications of individual and collective behavior.
- Direct Pressure — When group members who disagree with the subject or the group are seen as disloyal, conformity is urged.
- Stereotyping — Stereotyping enables the group’s core members to exclude individuals who disagree with their beliefs.
- Illusions of Invulnerability — People who are influenced by groupthink tend to be too optimistic and take chances that could be disastrous.
Causes of Groupthink in a Workplace
1. Fear of Unfavorable Outcomes
Nobody likes to be the outcast on small teams, which is one of the biggest problems. So nobody expresses opposing views, especially if the group tends to keep out dissenters.
When they anticipate a negative response from the team leader or the other group members, employees self-sensor. Businesses fail to receive innovative criticism, which leads to the adoption of disastrous judgments that could cost you.
2. Lack of Effective Leadership
Groupthink thrives on closed leadership, which is a prescription for disaster. Strong, charismatic leaders frequently influence the decisions of a team. Additionally, prominent, vocal people win over the more reserved ones and have their viewpoints accepted. These viewpoints may not be the best ones for the business.
3. Inadequate Diversity
Having staff members with comparable backgrounds and values is a major contributor to groupthink. They believe they are better than others and that outsiders are inferior.
They might even deem a different viewpoint immoral and not worth their time. Hiring practices that favor a specific group of employees deprive your company of a comprehensive perspective in debates or disagreements.
According to research, businesses with a diverse workforce have a 70% greater chance of expanding into new markets.
4. Lack of Knowledge
Members are more inclined to engage in groupthink and accept whatever is put forth if they are ignorant about the subject being discussed. Additionally, this issue can easily be caused by the assumption that some employees are more qualified than others.
5. Stress
Under the pressure of stress, members may accept the consensus as long as the discussion is over.
How to Avoid Groupthink at the Workplace
1. Develop a Diverse Staff
Better decision-making is supported by cultural and social diversity in the workplace. Everyone contributes unique ideas and points of view, which helps to clarify issues and increases the likelihood that the best solution will be found.
2. Encourage the Introverts to Speak
Although a workforce can be varied, it cannot be inclusive. A smart leader should encourage quiet employees who are frequently silenced by noisy ones to foster inclusivity. One technique to make sure all attendees participate in meetings is to ask for hands-ups.
3. Promote Inclusive Leadership
The tone for employees to feel valued is set by you, the leader. Some employees may feel intimidated if you start dominantly, and as a result, they may follow your instructions out of fear of being fired or penalized. As much as possible, try to involve members in the conversation instead of imposing your agenda.
4. Provide Opportunities for Learning
Employee empowerment through learning empowers them to voice opposing viewpoints confidently. You can permit them to enroll in courses that will educate them and help them perform better.
5. Conduct Frequent Performance Evaluations
As their leader, regularly meet with your staff to discuss their problems and concerns. Encourage them to express all viewpoints, positive or bad, so long as they are productive. Additionally, you can use this chance to hear from staff members who are too shy to speak up in meetings.
6. Promote Sharing and Participation
Encourage a shared culture where involvement is valued. One method to support this culture and ensure that opposing viewpoints are given a chance to be heard is by rewarding staff.
Additionally, all information should be objectively analyzed whether it comes from internal or external sources.
Conclusion
If not controlled, groupthink can have severe effects on an organization. It may cause workers to abandon critical, independent thought in favor of group thinking. The business misses the chance to innovate and come up with fresh concepts.
In a perfect world, every employee would feel safe coming to work and feeling like they belong. Coworkers shouldn’t be made to feel as though their opinions are unimportant. Once you’ve done that, your decision-making and inventiveness should have increased.
About the Author
BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, with majority of the jobs coming from Vancouver. For nearly 20 years, BC Jobs has connected job candidates with companies looking to add talent to their team. If your team is looking to recruit, BCJobs.ca is the right tool for you. Our job board has grown through virtual career fairs, branding, and partnerships. Contact us at community@bcjobs.ca today.
