5.5.3 Avoiding group-think in teams
Group-think is a mode of thinking that results in collective actions without individual reflection on ethical behaviour. Irving Janis (1982:264) is one author who has viewed groupthink as typical amongst groups where cohesiveness is high but individual responsibility is low. An individual participating in group-think may well consider the collective interaction a basis for security and personal comfort. However, the rationalist of the group when making decisions and implementing actions may well be bounded. This means that the group may not act on rational grounds that others outside the group would accept.
Group-think, or bounded mind-sets directly limit some of the concepts covered in this course such as:
- Service excellence;
- Double loop learning (generative learning);
- Agility;
- Responsiveness to market and customer needs;
- Participative management practices;
- Ethical basis to culture and actions;
- Open communication;
- Innovation and creativity; and
- Attunement of teams to shared visions/ futures.
Dangers
Symptoms of group-think a leader should identify include:
- Prevailing viewpoints and limited alternative viewpoints permitted;
- Single loop learning, (ie. No capacity or desire to learn from experiences that do not reinforce the groups view);
- Group member's 'echo' the prevailing views of the leader or dominant personalities;
- The information and data used for decision making is narrow;
- Transformation, if it does occur, reflects known practices, ideas and technology within the comfort zone of the group;
- Collective commitment to the group's intellectual superiority to revise or ignore the purpose the organisation established the group to achieve;
- Filters or 'gate keepers' exist to prevent those providing information and knowledge submitting anything contrary to the group's desired direction; and
- Inherent and absolute belief the group can determine what is required by all others (stakeholders, customers, leader, other staff, etc.), without engaging in open communication.
Hints
How can leaders break down group think? Here are some suggestions:
- Renew the group with new members, spheres of action or boundaries;
- Place the group in a situation or structure where they must work with a group operating under a different frame of reference;
- Reduce isolation by involving group members in other groups, projects or development activities;
- Establish internal feedback and decision-making loops;
- Open communication channels;
- Commence and act on review and feedback from individual stakeholders external to the group (e.g. Customer feedback surveys, etc.);
- Remain independent and impartial of the group's thinking;
- Provide a model for accepted communication practices; and
- Use planning and other formal processes to encourage divergent input from multiple members of the group or external stakeholders.
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