The 8 Symptoms of Groupthink

Collective thinking is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when we make decisions in a group. Even if there are members who do not agree, no one wants to oppose it and become a trouble maker. Therefore, anyone with a question or opinion disagreement is excluded or completely misunderstood, so you do not question yourself about your group. This is what happens when a bad organizational culture is established. For example, if everyone makes a violation or thinks the procedure is unnecessary, the employee may repeat the action or even oppose his or her better judgment.

Psychologist Irving Janis (1972) found eight symptoms of group thought. Pay attention to these signs in the workplace and learn to work hard to eliminate those adverse effects

Even if it is clearly dangerous, members can take risks if they are very optimistic. Give me courage from the enormity of the team

Everyone in the group finds illogical excuses and explanations, people ignore important warning signs.

Panelists do not consider the moral or moral impact of their behavior. There is an implicit validity because everyone is doing this

People outside the group are considered "enemies" that threaten the safety of the group. These people may be people with different faiths

Members are not free to oppose the mainstream view. Therefore, those who feel that there is a problem with the idea of ​​the group remain silent.

Because the atmosphere of the group itself is not allowed, understanding of the group agreement is never disclosed to the group.

Suppose most ideas are held by everyone in the group. They are forced to agree as they are alone with their unusual thinking

Some members protect the group from information inconsistent with the cohesiveness of the group. Therefore, members can not make any further reasonable judgment.

The best way to fight collective thinking is to ensure that someone on the team has the right not to agree. This is possible when someone is given the role of "devil defender" and that person tries to present a different perspective to the group than the currently dominant group. It will encourage opposing subjects to do more healthy, more thorough discussion and prevent symptoms of collective thinking.

Raj Singh is the founder and CEO of Singapore-based consulting firm Safety @ Work, which provides training programs, management advice and IT solutions to companies in various industries in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East. One of the trademark projects is Winning Hearts and MindsTM. This will help multiple clients build a positive safety culture within the organization by turning employees into changing agents in the workplace.

For details on SIW products and services, please call + 65 6264 1500 or contact @ contact @ safetyatwork.com.sg.

In this training video we use a drama based on historical example to simulate the eight symptoms of group thought. These symptoms include perfect hallucinations, beliefs about the collective inherent morality, rationalization, external group stereotypes, self-censorship, direct pressure, conservative thought and consistent illusions. Recognizing collective thinking can help leaders to avoid yielding to this by nurturing an open environment, avoiding isolation, encouraging valued valuations, and avoiding excessive guidance . Employees recognizing group thinking can make their team make a great decision in the encouraging atmosphere.

Do teams with all or most of the thinking symptoms of the group always make false decisions? It is not always the case. Sometimes they are very lucky. Indeed, group decisions may prove useful when decision-making is secondary or routine. However, collective thinking almost always produces bad results if the team faces a tough situation or needs to make a big decision that will affect the situation of the organization. It is time for the devil defender to start shaking his rake. Barry is a practical leader in the leadership and professional development of the Workforce Solutions Group. His experience includes providing and managing business training in a variety of industries including leadership, team development, intergenerational diversity, customer service. Twitter