COMM250 1 COMM250 Final Groupthink Janis 1972 Goal purpose of groupthink To understand the nature of decision making in a small group Boundary Conditions o Decision making main goal make decision and provide policy recommendation Or task oriented groups main goal is to work toward completing job assigned Groups under pressure to make decisions deadline More difficult and challenging but through group work people can achieve their goals more expeditiously and efficiently Concepts related to groupthink Groupthink o A way of group deliberation that minimizes conflict and emphasizes the need for unanimity o When their desire for unanimity overrides their motivation to assess all available plans of action Group Cohesiveness o The group s sense of togetherness o When attitudes beliefs values and patterns of behavior of members are attracted to each other they are more likely to be cohesive o The extent to which group members are willing to work together o An antecedent condition o Cohesiveness leads to conformity which is a primary route to groupthink Affiliative Constraints of the group undertaking o When group members withhold their input rather than risk rejection o Examines the process of problem solving in small groups a unified o Members strive to get along o They are likely to attach greater importance to preservation of the group than to the issues under consideration o Seem more inclined to follow the leader Homogeneity o Group similarity o When group members are similar to one another they are more conducive to groupthink Group Insulation o A groups ability to be unaffected by outside influences COMM250 2 o Many groups meet so frequently that they become immune from what takes place outside of their group experience Problem Solving Groups o Sets of individuals whose main task is to make decisions and provide policy recommendations Task Oriented Groups o Sets of individuals whose main goal is to work toward completing jobs assigned to them Assumptions of groupthink o ONE Cohesiveness o TWO Affiliative constraints a unified undertaking o THREE The nature of most problem solving and task oriented groups to which people belong are usually complex o Conditions in groups promote high cohesiveness o Group members frequently have a common emotional investment o Group problem solving is primarily a unified process Affiliative Constraints o Members strive to get along o They would rather let the leaders make the decision than cause any disruption in the decision making process even if they are opposed to the decision o Groups and group decision making are frequently complex o The presence of others has an effect on us o It hinders the performance of tasks o Group members may be apprehensive or anxious about the consequences that other group members bring to the group o Small groups influences o Age of group members o Competitive nature of group members o Size of the group o Intelligence of group members o Gender composition o Leadership styles that emerge from the group o Cultural backgrounds o There are many alternatives What are the differences between problem solving groups and task oriented groups According to your text pg 252 how does a vigilant decision maker make a decision How is this decision making process altered in a groupthink situation o Ways cohesive groups avoid groupthink o Look at all the objectives group members want to achieve o Develop and renew action plans and alternatives COMM250 3 o Explore the consequences of each alternative o Analyze previously rejected action plans o Have a contingency emergency that might happen plan for failed suggestions Information from groupthink video e g conditions that promote groupthink symptoms of groupthink Be able to provide examples from the video Conditions That Promote Groupthink o High Cohesiveness o Highly cohesive groups put pressure on members to conform to their standards o Groupthink occurs o Restrains others opinions o May be unwilling to express any reservations about solutions o Unwilling to express their own comments without being provoked o High risk decisions may be made without thinking about the consequences o Group Insulation o No Impartial Leadership lead groups o Homogeneity of Group Members o Some groups become immune to the outside world o One or two people that have a personal interest in the outcome o Similar characteristics lead to groupthink o Lack of disparity in social background and ideology among the members of a cohesive group makes it easier for them to concur on whatever proposals are put fourth by the leader o Without diversity of background and experience it may be difficult to debate critical issues o No Decision Making Procedures o Failure to establish norms for an evaluation process o Internal and External Stress o Groups tend to break down when under stress due to pressures inside the group or outside the group o When in high stress groups usually rally around their leaders and affirm their beliefs o Lack of impartial leadership o When groups are led by individuals who put their personal agenda first o Have a personal interest in the outcome o Lack of decision making procedures o Failure to provide norms for solving group issues o Even is a group recognizes a problem they must figure out the COMM250 4 cause and extent of it may be influence by dominate voices and go along with people that choose to speak up What are the conditions that might produce groupthink High cohesiveness of the decision making group Specific structural characteristics of the environment in which the groups functions Stressful internal and external characteristics of the situation What are the symptoms of groupthink o Concurrence Seeking o Efforts to search out group consensus in their final decision o Groupthink teams place such a high priority on supporting each other emotionally that they choose not to challenge one another 1 Overestimation of the Group Illusion of Vulnerability Belief that the group is special enough to overcome and obstacles or setbacks We are a good and wise group o If they are a good group their decision must be good as well Ignore any ethical or moral implications of their decision Belief in the Inherent Morality of the Group Assumption that the group members are thoughtful and good therefore the decisions they make will be good They purge themselves of any shame or guilt The group believes it is more than it is 2 Closed Mindedness Ignoring differences in people and warnings about poor
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