Have you ever experienced a situation where you have been part of a well-intentioned group of people who have made an irrational or sub-optimal decision because you felt the need to conform to what you thought the group wanted or because not conforming seemed wrong or impossible? You may have succumbed to what’s known as Group Think.
Group Think can cause individuals to go against their personal beliefs and form a consensus with the group. This can be caused by a compelling narrative or a specific agenda as is often seen in both left-wing socialist organisations such as universities and many businesses today, to alt-right-wing supremacist groups.
Group Think is not new and can be traced back to the earliest times in human evolution, but it wasn’t until 1971 when Irving Janis published an article on the subject in a prominent psychological journal, that the phenomenon was properly characterised and given the term “Group Think”. Janis’s research found that decisions made by groups, particularly under stressful conditions, tended to be based on a desire for harmony rather than on critical thinking.
Individuals often reframe from expressing their true thoughts and tend to be more ‘agreeable’ and less likely to express doubts or exercise their better judgment. The desire for harmony, fear of criticism, and avoidance of conflict lead to conformance with the popular narrative and can result in decisions being made that seem reasonable but are ethically and morally questionable.
Group Think plays out across the full spectrum of society from dogmatic political and religious ideology, school bullies, fanatical sports fans, and organisations that implement policies to conform with current business and social trends.
Group Think also extends to those who accept group decisions by not objecting to them. This can be as subtle as walking past someone being bullied and doing nothing, or agreeing with a poor decision in order to be seen as loyal to a friend, spouse, boss, or organisation. To paraphrase Jack Welch, today’s lack of candor is the dirty little secret of business.
When Group Think is prevalent, the group tends to act in solidarity and can ostracise those who are not part of the group or who think differently. At an organisational level, Group Think can lead to poor decision making and is synonymous with operating in an “Echo Chamber”. The impacts of decisions made as a result of Group Think can be significant and range from common business decisions like ‘positive discrimination’ or ‘minority balancing’ to social policy or even riots and war.
It’s up to leaders to develop, support, and even demand open, honest, and frank discourse as a means to prevent Group Think from tainting their decision-making process. The next time you are in a meeting really think about the topic being discussed and have the courage and conviction to state your views without fear and with the knowledge that others are probably thinking the same thing but aren’t prepared to speak up. If you don’t feel you can do this, you should reconsider if you are part of an organisation that values you, your experience, and your input.
