What Is Groupthink? Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives. Groupthink is based on a common desire not to upset the balance of a group of people. A Brief History of the Groupthink Concept Yale University social psychologist Irving Janis coined the term groupthink in 1972. Janis theorized that groups of intelligent people sometimes make the worst possible decisions based on several factors. For example, the members of a group might all have similar backgroundsthat could insulate them from the opinions of outside groups. Some organizations have no clear rules upon which to make decisions. Groupthink occurs when a party ignores logical alternatives and makes irrational decisions. Symptoms of Groupthink Irving Janis described the eight symptoms of groupthink: Type |: Overestimations of the group — its power and morality e /llusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking.e Unquestioned beliefin the morality of the group, causing members to ignore the consequences of their actions. Type Il: Closed-mindedness e Rationalizing warnings that might challenge the group's assumptions. e Stereotyping those who are opposed to the group as weak, evil, biased, spiteful, impotent, or stupid. Type Ill: Pressures toward uniformity e Self-censorship of ideas that deviate from the apparent group consensus. e Illusions of unanimity among group members, silence is viewed asagreement. e Direct pressure to conform placed on any member who questions the group, couched in terms of "disloyalty" e Mindguards— self-appointed members who shield the group from dissenting information. The Impact of Groupthink Groupthink, in essence, values harmony and coherence over accurate analysis and critical thinking of individual members. It creates a group where individual members of the group are unable to express their own thoughts and concern, and unquestioningly follow the word of the leader. For example, think of a corporatemeeting where the members of the board just nod in agreement instead of challenging the ideas proposed. Therefore, the impact of groupthink includes the following: e Bad decisions due to lack of opposition e Lack of creativity e Overconfidence in groupthink negatively impacts the profitability of an organization e Optimal solutions to problems may be overlooked e Lack of feedback on decisions and hence poor decision-makingPREVENTION : As observed by Aldag and Fuller (1993), the groupthink phenomenon seems to rest on a set of unstated and generally restrictive assumptions:[23] e The purpose of group problem solving is mainly to improve decision quality e Group problem solving is considered a rational process. e Benefits of group problem solving: e variety of perspectives e¢ more information about possible alternativesbetter decision reliability dampening of biases social presence effects Groupthink prevents these benefits due to structural faults and provocative situational context Groupthink prevention methods will produce better decisions An illusion of well-being is presumed to be inherently dysfunctional. Group pressures towards consensus lead to concurrence-seeking tendencies.By Sudheesh Mohan 1st MSc Clinical psychology