It can lead to disastrous conclusions because moral and logical thinking is suspended. This was a catastrophic choice. Real World Examples of Groupthink and the Consequences Healthcare is not an industry where groupthink, blissful ignorance, or pandering to the powerful produce any appreciably positive results. According to Janis, the key characteristics of groupthink are: In the 1980s, NASA earlier debuted a space shuttle program that would be accessible to the public. This article provides a summary of research related to the groupthink theory. On December 2, 2001, energy giant Enron filed for bankruptcy. FOIA Groupthink is a common factor in bad decision-making and serious ethical breaches. Groupthink may not always be easy to discern, but there are some signs that it is present. According to historical sources, a small group of teenage girls (led by a 17-year-old called Elizabeth Hubbard) instigated the trials when they began accusing others of witchcraft. Reward creativity and give group members regular opportunities to share their ideas and thoughts. Groupthink involves the decision-making process. Med Teach. House prices would continue to rise no matter what. In this book, he provides the reader with several examples of poor group decision-making. It marks a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that results from ingroup pressures (Janis, 1972, p. 9). This is a result of a collective failure to see alternatives and seek for better . The phenomenon can have high costs. There are also some situations where it may be more likely to occur. Hitler used his understanding of group dynamics and above-average ability for public speaking to hold an entire nation in sway. Groupthink or herd mentality refers to maintaining uniformity and cohesiveness in thoughts and action by every group member due to in-group pressures. Forsyth, D. (1990). Some of them distrusted the medical experts, some did not think the virus would harm them, and some resisted because they were members of groups that resisted. A good example of this is Mensa. Because from an audit train standpoint, I would agree, its going to be very difficult to submit backup every time a physician may access a patients record in their own system. It was only when the evidence became undeniable that these doctors reversed their claims. The government did this without questioning the basic assumptions of this plan and without undertaking any further investigation. And although groups like the ALS Association received millions in extra funding, most people had no idea that there were positive intentions behind this challenge. And yes, there are people who genuinely deserve cancellation, but many people are innocent victims. Next, encourage the group to adopt and discuss a liminal idea. Similarly, not all cases of groupthink result in failures or fiascoes to use Janis wording. These groups are highly prone to groupthink quick agreement around status quo solutions with little discussion or deliberation. Authors Karissa DiPierro 1 , Hannah Lee 2 , Kevin J Pain 3 , Steven J Durning 4 , Justin J Choi 2 Affiliations 1 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. There's a reason that ideaseven erroneous onescatch fire on social media or in popular culture: groupthink. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 73(23), 163-184. Future research should develop a theoretical framework that applies groupthink theory to clinical decision making and medical education, validate the groupthink framework in clinical settings, develop measures of groupthink, evaluate interventions that mitigate groupthink in clinical practice, and examine how groupthink may be situated amidst other emerging social cognitive theories of collaborative clinical decision making. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the Considering that Mensa charges hefty membership fees, this could actually be true. From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors, 25 Most Famous Groupthink Examples in History and Pop Culture, Force Field Analysis Explained with Examples, Extreme Ownership Speed Summary (3 Minutes) w/ PDF, 25 Ways to Improve Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors. groupthink n. a type of thinking engaged in by a group of people deliberating an issue, typically characterized by the making of injudicious decisions through individuals' unwillingness to challenge group consensus. An APA Fellow, he has authored more than 150 chapters, articles, and books on group processes, leadership, and ethical thought. . So how can managers help their teams keepfresh ideas alive? official website and that any information you provide is encrypted It seemed unbeatable, and this gave the company leaders a feeling of invulnerability. Assign a devils advocate. Despite this, the Pearl Harbor command didnt actually believe that the Japanese would attack. Groupthink is a suspension of critical thinking that often occurs in groups of people. Learn More All related (32) Sort Recommended William Lockridge KL2 TR002385/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States. Analyze your school as a bureaucracy. Traditional crowd psychology suggests that their actions illustrate mob mentality, which occurs when peoples beliefs, actions, and emotions converge but also intensify, so that they seem to be responding as one. These groups are tasked with developing consensus around new ideas, such as procedures, policies, products, or services. And Ryan interpreted the audit system not allowing for patient control as onerous. Groupthink, The psychological phenomenon may have costs: The suppression of individual opinions and creative thought can lead to inefficient problem-solving. They were worried about how this could impact their career. Assign at least one individual to take the role of the "devil's advocate.". Janis, I. Under the auspices of Nurse Keith Coaching, Keith's passion is helping nurses and healthcare professionals create ultimate satisfaction in both their personal and professional lives. One of these reasons was groupthink in the financial industry. DiPierro K, Lee H, Pain KJ, Durning SJ, Choi JJ. Later reports showed that America was the aggressor and provoked North Vietnam by supporting South Vietnamese forces, as well as supplying them with reconnaissance information. Before the launch, some engineers on the project raised concerns about the ability of the O-ring seals to withstand the launch temperatures and opposed the launch. What this example also shows us is how the use of experts can influence people. At the time, there was no standard technology platform for health care providers, and no common technical language or coordination efforts across state lines. Medical, military, or political decisions, for example, can lead to unfortunate outcomes when they are impaired by the effects of groupthink. In the above conversation, Kevin interpreted the comment onerous in terms of how the backup system functioned. Emerging Leadership Journeys. Gatekeeping is the process of filtering messages. These communications confirmed that an attack was imminent. The purpose of this film was supposedly to start an international movement that would bring him to justice. Juries can also fall victim to groupthink. Daniel: It sounds like we have broad agreement about some of these elements. Consider allowing people to submit anonymous comments, suggestions, or opinions. In the above conversation, when Kevin says: Say a patient gives Dr. Jones permission to view and incorporate their information, rather than selling the group a great idea, he invites members to play and experiment with him to make the idea work. For example, prior studies have found that brainstorming results in fewer ideas rather than more, and hinders rather than helps productivity. Not all poor group decisions result from groupthink. Maddox and U.S.S.C. In many cases, people end up engaging in groupthink when they fear that their objections might disrupt the harmony of the group or suspect that their ideas might cause other members to reject them. As far as wrong decisions go, this was a major blunder. To the contrary, groupthink and its accompanying lack of knowledge or forethought are what has lent an air of inevitable dysfunction to healthcare delivery, especially in the United States, where we spend more per capita for far worse outcomes than any other industrialized country. Upon release, this ad sparked a huge outcry, resulting in it being pulled from television within a day. We call these liminal ideas while they may not be the final solution, they function as transitional placeholders that allow the group to think both concretely (i.e., drilling down on how the idea might work) and abstractly (i.e., developing agreement around the broader principle in question). What actually happened was that an economic bubble steadily grew and eventually popped. Also, the groups exhibited many of the symptoms of groupthink, including the illusion of morality, inclusivity, and an overestimation of the reasonableness of their beliefs. The four fund managers meet bi-weekly to discuss investing strategies and their top picks of the week. Group polarization is defined as a phenomenon when "members of a deliberating group move toward a more extreme point in whatever direction is indicted by the members' predeliberation tendency.". a group of intelligent people working together to solve a problem can sometimes arrive at the worst possible answer., Well, thats the way weve always done it., Well, I was hazed, bullied, and sabotaged as a new nurse and now its my turn to get some payback; why should these new nurses get off easy?. Foremost of these was the ill-advised hunter strategy in which the airline attempted to expand by buying up smaller airlines. This ad shows Jenner attending a protest march and climaxes with her handing a can of Pepsi to a police officer. Groupthink can cause people to ignore important information and can ultimately lead to poor decisions. Insist on debating the opposite viewpoint of an issue what if we are wrong? Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. Pacific Grove, Calif: Brooks/Cole. At one point, Kodak was the world leader in camera technology. Four to look out for. 2020 Dec;213 Suppl 11:S3-S32.e1. Without such leadership, groupthink and its stalwart companion ignorance will continue to hobble our best efforts. Resisting health mandates: A case of groupthink? This enhances decisions and makes it less likely that groups will fall into groupthink patterns. However, American psychologist Irving Janis introduced the comprehensive theory of groupthink in 1972. They have even planned for more than 50 affordable flights a year. Groupthink has become a widely studied and accepted phenomenon. Weak-willed and ineffective politicians, mercenary insurers, greedy pharmaceutical companies, cadres of lobbyists, and others standing in the way of innovation and positive change must be thwarted by most any means necessary. Actively seek and value diversity on teams to include age, cultural, educationaland ideas. A primary threat to group effectiveness is groupthink. Groupthink can also aid in the performance of a new company or organization by placing an emphasis on the familiar and concentrating a coordinated effort toward a single goal. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help For example, these times have pitted group against group, race against race, sex against sex. Indeed, previous research has challenged Janis model. What this example really teaches us is how groupthink impacts your problem-solving abilities. The decision to launch Challenger that day, despite problems with mechanical components of the vehicle and unfavorable weather conditions, is cited as an example of groupthink. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies New research co-authored by Berkeley Haas Asst. This is an excellent example of groupthink theory. Cognitive biases are worrisome for physicians because they can affect one's ability to gather evidence, interpret evidence, take action and evaluate their decisions, the authors noted. This was a vote on whether the UK should leave the European Union. Thus, they failed to prepare for the bombing of Pearl Harbour, which claimed many lives. There were dozens of reasons why (the biggest being accounting irregularities), but another answer was groupthink. When Groupthink Rears Its (Misguided) Head, In the healthcare milieu, problem-solving frequently occurs from the top down, often without the valuable input of those with boots on the ground. Cognitive influences facilitating Groupthink 1,3,9,10 Conclusion Medical education and clinical medicine occur frequently in small groups or teams. Janis defined groupthink as: the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action. (1972, p. 9). Whats also interesting to note is that this event paved the way for the Cuban Missile Crisis. Prior to making a major decision, go around the room and ask each member for the pros and cons of the decision. Innovative thinking is the natural enemy of groupthink. Groupthink: An Impediment to Success, by Clifton Wilcox Victims of groupthink; A psychological study of foreign-policy decisions and fiascoes, by Irving Janis. Groupthink can also . Based on an in-class social experiment by the American teacher and author Ron Jones, this exercise helped to show students why Germans accepted the Nazi Party and fell beneath Hitlers spell. That these doctors reversed their claims of poor group decision-making grew and eventually popped suggestions or... 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