Jessica Hirschberg COMM250 Final Exam Study Guide Groupthink Janis 1972 Goal purpose of groupthink Concepts related to groupthink To understand the nature of decision making in small groups Groupthink the inability of a group to realistically appraise alternative courses of action due to high cohesiveness and the desire for unanimity Cohesiveness the extent to which group members are willing to work together Affiliative constraints when members withhold their input rather than face group s sense of togetherness rejection from the group Homogeneity group similarity Group insulation a group s ability to remain unaffected by outside influences Lack of impartial leadership when groups are led by individuals who put their personal agenda first Lack of decision making procedures failure to provide norms for solving group issues Internal and external stress pressure exerted on the group by issues and events both inside and outside of the group Concurrence seeking efforts to search out group consensus Assumptions of groupthink Conditions in groups promote high cohesiveness Group problem solving is primarily a unified process Groups and group decision making are frequently complex What are the differences between problem solving groups and task oriented groups Problem solving groups sets of individuals whose main task is to make decisions Task oriented groups sets of individuals whose main goal is to work toward and provide policy recommendations completing jobs assigned to them According to your text pg 252 how does a vigilant decision maker make a decision Looking at the range of objectives group members wish to achieve Developing and reviewing action plans and alternatives Exploring the consequences of each alternative Analyzing previously rejected action plans when new information emerges Having a contingency plan for failed suggestions How is this decision making process altered in a groupthink situation Information from groupthink video e g conditions that promote groupthink symptoms of groupthink Be able to identify examples from the video What are the conditions that might produce groupthink High cohesiveness exerts great pressures on their members to conform to group standards frequently Group insulation immune to outside factors by meeting with a group too No impartial leadership consider other options as detrimental to a plan of action Homogeneity of group members lack of differences in group members backgrounds makes it easier for them to concur to proposals set forth by a leader No decision making procedures failing to have previously established norms for evaluations of problems What are the symptoms of groupthink High stress groups usually rally around their leaders and affirm to their beliefs Overestimation of the group erroneous belief that the group is more than it is Illusions of invulnerability belief that the group is special enough to overcome obstacles 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 Closed mindedness a group s willingness to ignore differences in people and warning about poor group decisions Out group stereotypes stereotyped perceptions of group enemies or competitors Collective rationalizations situation in which group members ignore warnings about their decisions Pressures toward uniformity occurs when group members go along to get along Self censorship group members minimize personal doubts and counterarguments begin to second guess their own ideas Illusion of unanimity belief that silence equals agreement Self appointed mindguards individuals who protect the group from adverse information Pressure on dissenters direct influence on group members who provide thoughts contrary to the group s How can small groups prevent groupthink Require oversight and control of group decision making Establish parliamentary a committee Develop recourses to proactively monitor ongoing policy venture Establish incentive to intervene Link personal fate to fate of group members Change culture regarding decision making embrace whistle blowing within the group Whistle blowing process in which individuals report unethical or illegal behaviors or practices to others Voice doubts Avoid suppressing concerns about group processes Question assumptions Continue to disagree and debate when no satisfactory answers are given Allow for conscientious objectors Provide for group members exits Do not play down the moral implications of a course of action Acknowledge private concerns about ethical issues in the group Balance consensus and majority rule Alter rules governing choice Relieve pressure on groups in minority positions Dissuade the development of subgroups Introduce a multiple advocacy approach to decisions Evaluation of theory Positives Negatives Positive heuristic adequate scope only applies to decision making groups under high stress Negative underdeveloped poorly conceptualized lacks empirical backing How does the theory define communication Relate to issues involved in defining communication Small group Organizational Socio cultural Socio psychological What are the theory s metatheoretical assumptions Ontological Epistemological Axiological Positivistic empirical Does not really try to explain anything Organizational Information Theory Weick 1969 Goal purpose of OIT To describe how organizations collect manage and use the information that they receive Emphasizes the process of organizing over the structure How general systems theory and Darwin s theory of evolution relate to OIT General systems theory Patterns and wholes exist across different types of phenomena Understanding interactions among parts of a system will help us understand the entire system A disruption in one part of a system affects the entire system Interrelationships among various organizational units is similar goals of the organization as a whole typically require sharing and integrating the information that each of the teams has to arrive at a solution or conclusion Feedback is essential in making sense of information in an organization either positive of negative Darwin s theory of evolution Theory of sociocultural evolution Darwin s belief that only the fittest can survive challenging surroundings Organisms must make adaptations and changes to their surroundings in order to survive It has been said that companies that took steps to manage the information and convert their systems to accommodate
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