Author
Irving Janis
Year
1982
Group Think
Irving Janis. 1982. (View Paper → )
Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment”. Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanise other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making
Eight Symptoms of Group Think:
- Illusion of invulnerability: Excessive optimism leading to extreme risks.
- Collective rationalization: Discounting warnings, not reconsidering assumptions.
- Belief in inherent morality: Ignoring ethical consequences of decisions.
- Stereotyped views of out-groups: Dismissing effective conflict responses.
- Direct pressure on dissenters: Suppressing arguments against group views.
- Self-censorship: Not expressing doubts or deviations from group consensus.
- Illusion of unanimity: Assuming majority views are unanimous.
- Self-appointed 'mindguards': Protecting group from contradictory information
Remedies to Group Think:
- Assign critical evaluator roles: Distribute these roles to all group members.
- Leader impartiality: Leaders should avoid stating initial preferences.
- External consultation: Members discuss with trusted associates outside the group and report back.
- Invite outside experts: Bring in challenging external perspectives to meetings.
- Devil's advocate: Appoint someone to question assumptions and play this role.
- Scenario analysis: Allocate time to analyze rival intentions and construct various scenarios.