OVERCOMING GROUPTHINK

It is not only leaders who need to be challenged; sometimes a courageous follower must challenge the thinking of the whole group. Some groups are fractious and need help focusing on the common purpose. Other groups are cohesive; the members closely support each other, giving the group strength. Cohesiveness can become a weakness, however, if this close support develops into the need, almost regardless of cost, for unanimity. The value placed on concurrence supplants the central purpose of the group and becomes its primary, though unstated, agenda. Ideas that conflict with the group’s policies and actions are, at best, offered weakly and withdrawn quickly if opposed. This phenomenon is known as “groupthink.”

A symptom of groupthink is a group self-image of infallibility and superiority: “Whatever we do is excellent. What other groups do is inferior.” Groupthink screens out data and views that challenge this image. It eases out people who express divergent perceptions. The group becomes obsessed with its cleverness and importance, its power and image. It develops the illusion it is invulnerable to danger. Political and economic history is strewn with examples of the consequences of groupthink. The more subtle tyranny of groupthink replaces the more obvious tyranny of authoritarian leadership.

Courageous followers should periodically encourage a group and its leader to question themselves:

Have we objectively compared ourselves with similar groups lately, or do we just believe we are superior?

Are we using the right measures of success?

Are our measures consistent with our purported values?

Are we relying solely on self-measurement or are we asking those we serve to evaluate us?

Have we grown complacent about searching for new ways of accomplishing our purpose?

Are other organizations doing innovative things that we should also consider?

Have we become so sure of ourselves that we no longer critically evaluate even risky ideas or pay attention to warning signals?

Are newcomers having to conform to our ways or are we also learning from them?

Are we failing to treat environmental changes seriously because we don’t think they can affect us?

Groupthink causes self-censorship. We do not permit ourselves to acknowledge our own divergent thoughts. We relinquish responsibility for our unique perspectives, which is a terrible error. If other members of the group accept the organizational status quo, we invalidate our own discomfort with it, even if the status quo dramatically departs from our ideals.

To rise above groupthink we must trust ourselves. Trusting ourselves doesn’t mean trusting that we are right, but trusting that we are relevant, that our perceptions are keen, that we have verified our facts, that our thoughts are meaningful and important. It is only the individual who can rise above groupthink and help the cohesive group and its leaders test their ideas and actions against reality. We need to pay attention to our “inner voice”:

Am I uncomfortable with things others seem to accept?

Am I accepting things I would not accept in another environment?

Am I devaluing information that contradicts what is supposed to be happening?

Am I inhibited from acting on my perceptions because no one else seems to share them?

If we aren’t confident enough to voice our feelings strongly, we can raise them tentatively and observe the responses we get. Do the responses satisfy or reinforce our concerns? If the group and leader dismiss our concerns out of hand, we should continue to be concerned. If they genuinely address our concerns, we are probably not dealing with groupthink.