Groupthink is a phenomenon when a particular member of the group agrees with the other members despite having opposing feelings or ideas on a specific issue in order to achieve harmony and consensus. The results of such behaviour are disastrous because disagreement in the group is the key to achieving the most optimum decision. There are various examples in history, such as the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which shows the destructive impacts of groupthink. This phenomenon is very common in a business environment when employees do not oppose their colleagues to avoid the feeling of being different from them, and consequently, only one side’s perspective of different business activities and issues is developed and sustained, which may impact the company in the long term. Therefore, it is very crucial to implement strategies that can discourage groups, such as those mentioned by Gunn:
The groups should establish the fact that the conflict is normal, and while working together, there may arise disagreement or conflict, which is very healthy for critical discussion. Similarly, it is also important to develop an attitude of opposing ideas and not the individuals. For instance, as Gunn mentions, we often forget or neglect the role of structures and individuals in shaping people’s behaviour, which leads to a very deconstructive discussion. Individuals can also opt to play the devil’s role in their discussion, which makes counter positions very interesting and engaging and offers a sound critique to dominant suggestions.
Apart from these, I also think that the company’s manager or group leaders can play a very constructive role in establishing a sharing environment that welcomes different ideas to avoid groupthink. Similarly, the communication style also plays an effective role in getting the opinions of the employees separately when they are not confident to share their ideas in the group. So, if all these steps are followed, groupthink can be effectively avoided.
Works Cited
Gunn, Joshua. Speech Craft. Boston, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018.
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