The Role Of Groupthink Through Erosion Of The Deliberative Process Within A Group

     What is groupthink? There is a simple definition for it, but is it truly that simple? The term groupthink refers to the inclination of group members to have the same opinions and beliefs; it frequently leads to mistakes. It often occurs without an individual being aware of it. Conflict is considered to be a harmful element when related to groups, but conflict is good when considering groupthink because it helps to eliminate the existence of a groupthink. The explanation sounds simple enough, but it is more complex than the description given.

For instance, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Executive committee met every day to get the best outcome for the crisis. The outcome of the Cuban missile crisis was a positive outcome of groupthink. The outcomes for France’s defeat and the Challenger Incident were both negative outcomes because they didn’t use all of their resources and allowed themselves to skip steps and be close-minded. These events define groupthink because they all included inherently risky situations and symptoms of

Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran developed the Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making theory to “offer practical advice on how participants can act to ensure better group decisions” (Hirokawa, 1999, p. 170). They believe that as long as the members in a group care about the issue and are reasonably intelligent, the group interaction will have a positive effect on the final decision. In order for a group to reach a high-quality solution, Hirokawa and Gouran believe the group 's decision-making process needs to fulfill four task requirements they refer to as requisite functions of effective decision making. "Three core assumptions define the functional perspective: (1) groups are goal oriented; (2) group performance varies in quality and quantity, and can be evaluated; and (3) internal and external factors influence group performance via the interaction process.” (Wittenbaum, 2004 p. 19).

Group think is a phenomenon that occurs when group 's need for consensus supersedes the judgment of individual group members. Group think often occurs when there is a time constraint and individuals put aside personal doubts so a project can move forward or when one member of the group dominates the decision-making process.

This case, as well as the previous two, are prime examples of how detrimental groupthink can have on the effect of your career or the lives of several others. It may not always be easy to recognize the dangers or altercations groupthink may have, which is why you should always appoint ‘mind guards’ to contradict the decisions made within a group setting. It is always beneficial to seek an outside source for their opinion, as it may be just the idea that the group has

Decision making is affected by the Group Think because of the lack of openness that should be displayed and offered by everyone involved. The development of the organization is dependent on the ability of the group to make decisions that are thought through and not made solely on pressures and accepted or narrow minded ways that are not thought out.

According to Irving Janes (1972), groupthink occurs when a group makes an irrational decision because of group pressure fostering and the deterioration of ‘mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgement” (Irving, Janis, Victims of groupthink, p.9). Social influence is the effect that people have upon the beliefs or behaviors of others (Aaronson, 2004). Both groupthink and social influence theory have a factor in what

Furthermore, research suggests that conflict in the decision making process promotes creativity amongst group members (Nemeth 1986), higher levels of commitment and satisfaction from group members (Peterson 1999), and group members become more knowledgeable about the interests of their co workers (Peterson 2007). In comparison to the first simulation, this result was evident in the second attempt. On the other hand, the decision making process was time consuming. Luckily, there were no time constraints, however, towards the end of the task, group members including myself, became tiresome and overworked. Eventually, I began to lose control of my group and those with the most useful information provided to them during the simulation began to

Groupthink: Groupthink is a way that groups may try to keep levels of conflict low. The problem is that all members pretend that they agree with a decision, which discourages creativity. Without counter arguments being presented, the group is susceptible to bad or even irrational decisions (Beebe p. 191).

In my work, we absolutely rely on a group of people from different departments in order to make proper informed decisions. Since I work in the healthcare field, all of our decisions are determined keeping the safety and care of our patients in mind first. I could not imagine making a decision that could negatively impact patient care without using all of the proper resources to gather all of the required information so that an informed decision could be made. It is important in any decision making to be as well informed as possible, be aware of any potential risks, and being prepared for contingencies if the result of the decision is not a favorable one. I have seen some not so extreme “groupthink” decisions made, and sometimes they work out and no harm is done. However, in many cases, I have seen negative results that have impacted patient care, caused a lot of unnecessary work for other people, and created safety and compliance issues. This is not to imply that bad decisions cannot be made even when not employing groupthink. The difference is the effort and the intent behind those decisions, and whether or not the consequences and risks were analyzed and acted upon in a moral and ethical

The term groupthink in this report is defined as, the social psychological phenomenon that results in groups during pressure situations. This social psychology theory is broken down into eight signs. Illusion of invulnerability, Collective rationalization, Belief in inherent morality, Stereotyped views of out-groups, Direct pressure on dissenters, Self-censorship, Illusion of unanimity, Self-appointed “mindguards”. According to research conducted by Irving Janis, there are three conditions to groupthink. The first, "high group cohesiveness" which is the direction for a group to be in unity while working towards a goal, or to satisfy the emotional needs of its members. Secondly, the structural faults such as insulation of the group, lack

Groupthink theory often occurs without the group’s realization. Irving Janis formed 8 different symptoms that indicate groupthink. The first of these symptoms is illusions of vulnerability. This occurs when members of the group are overly optimistic and believe that nothing negative will arise from their decision. Janis describes it as taking great risks and acquiring the attitude of “everything is going to be OK, because we are a special group”. Secondly we have belief in inherent morality. This symptom is characterized as the groups thought that they could do no wrong. They believe that they have high morality, that they are right in all situations and they ignore the ethical consequences that could arise because of their decisions. As the third

Groupthink is something that influences most things that people do on a daily basis. People use groupthink every single day to make decisions, to confirm their decisions, or even to compare to the decisions that they have already come to. Although groupthink has its distinct advantages in certain situations, there are without a doubt situations in which groupthink can be seen as a hindrance. How companies, and even individuals, invest their money is something that is undoubtedly being affected by groupthink every single day. Groupthink can give investors an extreme disadvantage and it can be shown by things throughout history. So, this paper is going to dive into the effects that groupthink has on investors and therefore the effects that it can even have on the economy.

3. Corbett M. (2012), Group Decision Making, Organizational Behaviour (IB8020), Warwick Business School, Warwick, pp. 3-7

This type of group mentality is referred to as “groupthink.” Group think, a concept discovered by Irving Janis, is the thought process that takes place among members of a cohesive group wherein they cease to consider their individual desires and instead respond according to group beliefs. This is done to ensure the solidity of the group. The members value this even more than their own views.