Groupthink
(Janis)

Knowledge Center

Irving Janis developed a study on group decision-making, called Groupthink Theory. It is based on human social behavior, in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is regarded more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner. Janis gave the following definition of Groupthink:

What is Groupthink? Definition

A mode of thinking of people when they are deeply involved in a cohesive group. When the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.

Groupthink is a result of cohesiveness in groups, already discussed by Lewin in the 1930s and is an important factor to consider in decision processes, such as workshops, meetings, conferences, committees, etc.

Certain Conditions are conducive to Groupthink

• The group is highly cohesive.
• The group is isolated from contrary opinions.
• The group is ruled by a directive leader, who makes his or her wishes known.

Negative consequences of Groupthink

1. The group limits its discussion to only a few alternatives.
2. The solution initially favored by most members is never restudied to seek out less obvious pitfalls.
3. The group fails to reexamine those alternatives originally disfavored by the majority.
4. Expert opinion is not sought.
5. The group is highly selective in gathering and attending to available information.
6. The group is so confident in its ideas that it does not consider contingency plans.

Preventing Groupthink

1. Appoint a devil's advocate.
2. Encourage everyone to be a critical evaluator.
3. The leader should not state a preference initially.
4. Set up independent groups.
5. Divide into subgroups.
6. Discuss what is happening with others outside the group.
7. Invite others into the group to bring fresh ideas.
8. Collect anonymous reactions. Via a suggestion box or an online forum. See: Delphi Method

Typical symptoms of Groupthink

Janis listed eight symptoms that show that concurrence seeking has led the group in the wrong direction. The first two stem from overconfidence in the group's powers. The next pair reflect the tunnel vision members use to view the problem. The final four are signs of strong conformity pressure within the group.

1. Illusion of Invulnerability: Janis summarizes this attitude as "everything is going to be OK, because we are a special group." Examining few alternatives.
2. Belief in Inherent Morality of the Group: under the sway of Groupthink, members automatically assume the rightness of their target. Compare: Seven Signs Of Ethical Collapse
3. Collective Rationalization: a collective mindset of being rational. Being highly selective in gathering information.
4. Out-group Stereotypes
5. Self-Censorship: people only offer equivocal or tempered opinions. People are not looking for expert opinions, or for outside opinions. Pressure to conform within group; members withhold criticisms.
6. Illusion of Unanimity. Individual group members look to each other to confirm theories.
7. Direct Pressure on Dissenters. Pressure to protect group from negative views or information.
8. Self-Appointed Mindguards: these "mindguards" protect a leader from assault by troublesome ideas.

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Expert Tips Advanced insights about Groupthink. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips Boosting Creativity in Groups Avoiding Groupthink Best Practices, Workshops, Creativity Following 13 golden rules to boost creativity in group and avoid Groupthink to happen: 1. All ideas and information hav... Strategies to Change Employee Habits, Hearts and Heads Changing Organization Cultures According to J.E. Kee and K.E. Newcomer ("Why Do Change Efforts Fail? What Can Leaders Do About It?", The Public Manager... The Advantages of Group Decision-Making Group Decision-Making The benefits of group decision-making include: - Synergy: Group decisions tend to combine and improve on the knowledge... The Disadvantages of Group Decision-Making Group Decision-Making The drawbacks of group decision-making include: - Longer time frame: Groups generally need more time to make decisions ... How to Avoid Groupthink? Prevention Mechanisms One method that is particularly well suited to avoid Groupthink is the Six Thinking Hats method by De Bono, because the ... Mobilize the Expertise in your Team Early On Team Formation, Expert Power, Group Decision-making, Extroversion, Introversion In a short article, Bonner and Bolinger describe a surprisingly simple process to beef up the problem solving and/or dec... 3 Causes of Disagreement in Team Decision-making Processes Group Decision-making, Team Decision-making, Reasons for Disagreement, 3 Fs, Group Collaboration According to Freeman and Haskins (2014), there are three main categories of potential root causes for disagreements with... The Mechanism behind Groupthink in Organizations Organization Culture, Culture Change, Corporate Culture, Change Management, Recruitment Why is changing an organization culture so difficult? Because, once it is established, a culture has the tendency to str... Avoiding Groupthink in Brainstorming Private Brainstorming Cardstorming is a creativity tool, similar to Brainstorming, allowing people to share ideas. It can be used as an altern... Pluralistic Ignorance and the Abilene Paradox Problems in Group Decision Making Pluralistic Ignorance can be described as a situation in which a certain person has an opinion, but believes that most o... Janis Revisited Critical Review of Groupthink In the paper "Groupthink Versus High-Quality Decision Making in International Relations" by Schafer, Janis’ work ... PROs and CONs of a Strong Corporate Culture Corporate Culture Change, Change Management, Organizational Change Implementing a significant change is generally easier when the corporate culture is not strong. By strong Corporate Cult... Recovering from Groupthink Dealing with Groupthink When you have been unable to avoid Groupthink from occuring in an event, you can do the following to decrease the damage...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding Groupthink. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. Groupthink of Janis (In depth) Groupthink, Group Decision Making This presentation explains how the theory of Groupthink has developed and clearly explains the concept of Groupthink. Th... How is a Paradigm Formed? Explaining Groupthink Humorous presentation by Sunil Verma explains Groupthink via a story with monkeys trying to reach a banana.... Bubbles and Groupthink Financial Markets Research in psychology and behavioral finance is surveyed for evidence to what extent experts such as professional inves... Group Decision Making: Using Team Conflict to Drive Performance Group Decison Making, Group Dynamics, Conflict Management, Team Conflicts Mark de Rond of Judge Business School explains why and how we should get more comfortable with team conflicts. Many peo... Group Conflicts, Group Cohesion and Groupthink in Decision Making Group Decision Making, Conflicts in Groups, Cohesion of Groups, Groupthink Presentation about conflicts and cohesion in groups, and how it influences decision making. The presentation includes th... Avoiding Group Biases: The Pre-Mortem Technique Group Decision Making, Avoiding Group Biases, Group Think, Tunnel Vision Nobel laureate Professor Emeritus Daniel Kahneman explains the Pre-mortum approach by Gary Klein to arrange a special me... Individual Decision Making and Group Decision Making Decision Making Process, Groupthink, Decision Making Styles, Vroom-Yetton Method Presentation about Decision Making by groups and individuals. The presentation includes the following sections: 1. Know... Group Influences and Opinion Leadership Groupthink, Group Dynamics, Word of Mouth Marketing, Sales, Opinion Leadership, Convincing People, Persuation Presentation about Group Influences, including various related concepts such as the Social Comparison Theory and Word-of...

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