During times of high pressure, everyone may have some level of insecurity. Groupthink is a term first used in 1972 by social psychologist irving l. Iain clacher, associate professor in accounting and finance, deputy. And, finally, different group decision making techniques can be used to limit the effects of groupthink and other problems inherent in shared decision making.
Is vigilant decision making the cureall for group decision making ills as janis 1982 argued. How to avoid groupthink nine suggestions for avoiding groupthink are the following janis, 1982. Space shuttle challenger and a revised groupthink framework article pdf available in human relations 446. It was coined by psychologist irving janis in a seminal 1971 paper on the role of group decisionmaking in historic u. This results in the direct importance of groupthink and how it can help or hinder an organization. Decision making is one of the major attribute of a good leader. Pdf groupthink has caused teams of qualified members to make some decisions with catastrophic consequences. Groupthink how to avoid in investing and portfolio management. The capability of an organisation to develop and progress depends heavily on the ability of its members to arrive consistently at appropriate. Judgment in managerial decision making, 8th edition max h. Academic research reinforces the idea that groupthink leads to bad group decision making. Group dynamics and the study thereof can significantly contribute to understanding the decision making in corporate boards of directors. Evaluating janis groupthink model of faulty decision. Groupthink definition groupthink refers to decisionmaking groups extreme concurrence seeking conformity that is hypothesized to result in highly defective judgments and outcomes.
Groupthink can lead to the downfall of a business due to failure to acknowledge dissenting opinions. Thus the ingroup significantly overrates its own abilities in decisionmaking and significantly underrates the. Understanding the task at hand and people involved is important. For the financial crisis of 2008, there is specific evidence of collective overoptimism by. Maybe it was a business or academic committee, a social group, a church board, a government agency. In this paper, i look at the psychological phenomenon of groupthink in a corporate setting. How to kill groupthink in your company venturebeat. Groupthink is a common phenomenon in team discussions and decisionmaking processes. Groupthink is clearly a destructive, limiting dynamic and is one that can affect trustees, just like any other group tasked with decision making. Janis believes that groups frequently make decisions with profound consequences, and although he focused his efforts on foreign policy groups, the application of groupthink terminology resonates in many other decisionmaking groups.
A brief history of groupthink features yale alumni. Intriguingly, groupthink has even been used to try to account for perceived antirightwing political biases of social psychologists redding, 2012. Essentially, groupthink is the situation where, because of a desire for conformity and the need to minimize conflict, group dynamics stifle debate and critical reflection. The management was unhappy about the decision but they argued that harmonious group thinking. When people become assimilated to a group, they feel like insiders, but they also suppress their uniqueness and conform to the groups norms. It also discusses how groupthink leads to team failure and identifies how managers and project leaders can minimize the. Groupthink is a phenomenon developed in groups marked by the consensus of opinion without critical reasoning or evaluation of consequences or alternatives. The dynamics of groupthink the cape coral experience. But what should be done when an investment committees or boards opinions and goals diverge. Decision making stressors like extreme stress or limited time can increase the possibility of groupthink. Some cognitive biases are amplified in group settings e. Following from the concept of groupthink, coined by social psychologist irving l.
A key theme is that poorly structured groups, rather than dampening or canceling out individual. Groupthink can occur quickly and without detection, which makes groupthink extremely detrimental to team success. Groupthink is a phenomenon in which the ways of approaching problems or matters are dealt by the consensus of a group rather than by individuals acting independently. Twentyfive years of groupthink theory and research. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the. Benabou 2012 develops a model to explain corporate cultures characterized by groupthink and provides several examples of negative consequences associated with groupthink. This paper portrays the multiple facets groupthink has. A brief history of groupthink features yale alumni magazine. Janis that refers to a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. Janis believed it affected decisionmaking to the point it overrides realistic and necessary points of view. Groupthink in the boardroom the good, the bad and the. In fact danny kahneman won the 2002 nobel prize based on his research into how rational people make irrational decisions. Groupthink is a term developed by social psychologist irving janis in 1972 to describe faulty decisions made by a group due to group pressures. While there are too many to list them all, an example is the blind trust in.
The theory, however, was not researched or clearly defined until around 1972 by irving janis. The answers depend on employee acceptance of the decisionmaking process. Gruppendenken ist ein moglicher prozess innerhalb einer gruppe. Groupthink learn about the negative impact of groupthink. J anis, 1989 hypothesizes that decision making groups are most likely toexperience groupthink when they are highly cohesive, insulated from experts, perform limited search and appraisal of information, operate under directed leadership, address reprint requests and cor. Whyte acknowledged that groupthink was a definition in progress. December 2011 abstract this paper investigates collective denial and willful blindness in groups, organizations and markets. This provides support for janis groupthink model as a good explanation of how faulty decision making occurs in groups. Janis tested the theory against two decisions where groupthink was absent the marshall plan. It also discusses how groupthink leads to team failure and identifies how managers. But what emerged subsequent to groupthink was an area called judgment and decision making, which is one of the most important areas in all of psychology.
Pdf groupthink in the south african police service. Insights and innovations in behavioral finance for fiduciaries anil suri, cio, multiasset class modeled solutions investment success can rest on tailoring an approach to meet an institutions unique financial goals. The welfare analysis differentiates group morale from groupthink and. The best way to do so, he said, is to strive for inclusion, not assimilation. May 30, 2019 groupthink is a phenomenon developed in groups marked by the consensus of opinion without critical reasoning or evaluation of consequences or alternatives. Nevertheless, the existence of groupthink and its influence on homeland security has not been thoroughly studied or evaluated. These results, however, do not represent particularly strong support for the groupthink model given that such factors would seem likely to produce defective. The financial crisis is a great example of groupthink within an entire industry. First, ensure that the board is a place where decisions are challenged and debated. Janis picked up and further developed the study many years.
Groupthink is a dysfunctional decisionmaking process that happens when. Groupthink theory is present in virtually all decisionmaking processes. Groupthink is a common phenomenon in team discussions and decision making processes. This study also showed that the relationship between groupthink and defective decision making was insignificant.
Groupthink is a psychological dynamic that can occur in groups tasked with decisionmaking. Trust is an essential factor in teamwork, but too much trust can lead to selfcensorship and the phenomenon referred to as groupthink. These results, however, do not represent particularly strong support for the groupthink model given that such factors would seem likely to produce defective decisionmaking even in the total absence of groupthink reactions. While the books case studies relate to political fiascos they have implications for all types of decision making by groups, particularly financial decisions. Pdf groupthink and quality of decisionmaking process among. To counter the everevolving threats to the nation, the. Academic research reinforces the idea that groupthink leads to bad groupdecisionmaking. Groupthink is a theory dedicated to understanding the decisionmaking process in small groups. This video includes discussion of when group decision making is better than individual decision making, process loss, groupthink, and its.
Groups and group decision making are complex small groups need to understand the available and be able to distinguish among these available options. Janis believes that groups frequently make decisions with profound consequences, and although he focused his efforts on foreign policy groups, the application of groupthink terminology resonates in many other decision making groups. A group is more vulnerable to groupthink when the group is composed of members with similar backgrounds, is highly cohesive, has no clear rules or defined processes for. Janis in the early 1970s, this study focuses on several detective groups in the south african police services. Contagious exuberance can also seize asset markets, generating investment frenzies and crashes. Evaluating janis groupthink model of faulty decision making. Understanding groupthink provides a key to better decision making. Group dynamics and the study thereof can significantly contribute to understanding the decisionmaking in corporate boards of directors.
He found that such decisionmaking wasnt always effective, largely because people prioritized conformity over rational. Wiser is a well researched volume on how groups operate. Groupthink is a concept introduced by irving janis 1972 to describe extreme consensus seeking tendencies in decisionmaking groups. Ricciuti executive summary the groupthink psychological phenomenon widespread throughout the homeland security enterprise is a significant threat to the national security of the united states u. A case study by choi and kim shows that with group identity, group performance has a negative correlation with defective decision making. The complexity of todays modern organizations has increased the need of for effective decisionmaking. Groupthink, gerstandt believes, is the default state for most teams, but it can be overcome. Groupthink in the boardroom the good, the bad and the ugly. When groups go along to get along, the end result of the decisionmaking. That said, there are a number of things that can be done to mitigate its presence and improve decision making. Thirtyfive years ago, yale psychologist irving janis published an essay in the yale alumni magazine explaining how a group of intelligent people working together to solve a problem can sometimes arrive at the worst possible answer. What are the disadvantages of groupthink in decision making.
In this research the risks faced by any person or company in financial decision making and. The financial issues at enron and worldcom are considered examples of. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon born of our innate desire to conform with others. Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter gives an indepth analysis of factors that influence how groups reach a certain decision and the various biases at play. And, finally, different group decisionmaking techniques can be used to limit the effects of groupthink and other problems inherent in shared decision making. Groupthink, while it is thought to be avoided, does have some positive effects.
The research psychologist irving janis introduced the concept of groupthink in 1972 to describe extreme consensus seeking tendencies. Groupthink is the name given to a theory or model that was extensively developed by irving janis 1972 to describe faulty decision making that can occur in groups as a result of forces that bring a group together group cohesion. Leana 1985 studied the effect of cohesiveness and leaders behaviour on. These fiascos include the bay of pigs, the pearl harbor attack, the north korea escalation, and the vietnam escalation. Groupthink theory and its implications for group decision making methods. First coined in 1972, the term specifically refers to. According to janis, groupthink is detrimental to effective decisionmaking in that concurrence seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative. In terms of group decision making, however, there is an additional level of complexity because of the need for the exchange of interpersonal information. Our example for the groupthink and financial crisis in ireland, is mostly based on the report that was published from the commission for investigation into the banking sector in ireland nyberg, 2011, which concludes that bankers, regulators and others were in line with the norms of groupthink. Oct 10, 2016 understanding groupthink provides a key to better decision making. Avoiding groupthink will help many professionals reach sounder business decisions. According to irving janis, the inventor of the groupthink concept, decisionmaking groups are most likely to experience groupthink when they operate under the following conditions. Leana 1985 studied the effect of cohesiveness and leaders behaviour on decision making in four. Both moorhead and montanari 1986 and ahlfinger and esser 2001 found support for the proposition that groups with biased leaders were.
Jul 18, 2018 this video includes discussion of when group decision making is better than individual decision making, process loss, groupthink, and its antecedents, symptoms, and consequences. Eurozone groupthink and denial on a grand scale william mitchell1 university of newcastle, australia 1. Lessons in decision making jfks legacy and groupthink have you ever been part of a group that was making an important decision and you felt uncomfortable with the direction things were headed. Groupthink is a theory dedicated to understanding the decision making process in small groups. Janis 1972 developed the groupthink theory based on assessment of some of the worst decisions or. Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter cass r. Guarding against groupthink in the professional work. The aim of this research is to provide an overview of financial decision making and theory and practise according to which the decision has been taken. How groupthink can cost your business and 3 corporate.
Apr 18, 2020 kendra cherry, ms, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Agents with anticipatory preferences, linked through an interaction. Collective delusions in organizations and markets roland bonabou princeton university this version. The term groupthink originated in 1952 in fortune magazine by the author william whyte.
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