Help wanted: Innovative thought leaders and decision-makers.
Basically, the term Groupthink describes a go-along to get-along human behavioral tendency.
Do employers really want employees to say only what they wish to hear?
You may see this group dynamic played out when tightly knit work teams make decisions, (some of which can, unfortunately, lead to tragic endings). Tragic reminders are NASA’s 1986 Challenger disaster; or, the Columbia mission disaster—as reported by The New York Times in a March 9, 2003, article. The reporter led the story by announcing that Groupthink was alive and still going strong.
So Groupthink serves to remind decision-makers what can happen when a group of individuals collectively succumb to irrational thinking; which can, in turn, lead to a breakdown in considering all the outcomes. As a result, poor or disastrous consequences can cause undesirable outcomes.
Leaders should be cautious. Groupthink fallout is especially relevant in today’s collaborative business environment where teamwork is highly valued and touted.
While teamwork is essential when organizational teams work toward a vision; employees should also be encouraged to think independently and to feel secure in sharing ideas and voicing concerns.
Survival could even be at stake. In addition to history-making government and political miscalculations, the failings of Groupthink have also been attributed to major business fiascos and collapses. The devastating causes/effects of this most recent recession will, no doubt, be studied and analyzed for decades to come.
One historical example, of course, is the infamous Enron scandal. Reporters and government hearings told the story of one employee who dared to blow the whistle and break step with Enron’s Groupthink culture. Eventually, an Enron whistleblower, Sherron Watkins, was credited with helping to uncover the scandal.
It’s hard to quantify how much pain, harm and damage might have been averted if other Enron employees felt secure in voicing concerns—before it was too late. Today, only authors and movie makers are making a profit off the Enron empire crash.
Equally important: In order to remain competitive today, organizations and businesses must develop a safe, inviting and trusting environment in order for innovation to take root.
Certainly, not all decision-making teams or groups are destined to the failings of Groupthink. This is why it is so important that employers foster an environment where employees feel free, or at least unthreatened, to step forward and challenge the status quo.
So how can organizations counterpunch Groupthink? To get started, try out these techniques:
- Engage in role play — gather two teams together. Throw out a problem and ask employees to solve it. Establish boundaries and guidelines, but let them know you expect a respectful difference of opinion, along with two separate outcomes.
- Mix it up by shuffling team members — and repeat number one above. Make it clear that divergent opinions are not only welcome, but expected. Even the most subtle undertones of non-acceptance will sabotage the process.
- Foster brainstorming by encouraging anonymous feedback. For example, post or distribute questions to employees and provide a way for them to submit solutions anonymously. Share some of the ideas or solutions with the employees.
- Encourage and recognize innovative thinking within teams. For example, ask team members to bring a list of previous accomplishments to a meeting. Or, ask them to be prepared to describe their personal career dreams and why/how their skills and abilities will help them reach those dreams. Start every team meeting with a tongue-in-cheek comment, “Please don’t check your brains at the door.”
- Assign teams of two to work together and solve a problem. Ask each individual to play devil’s advocate with one another by taking a side and then arguing against it. Employees can be led or taught to effectively ‘push’ one another to expand their horizons and reach greater heights.
I’m sure you can think of more techniques that will fit in with your organizational environment. What matters, is, that employees ‘get it.’ An organization will be well-rewarded by team achievements that arise from employee ideas or pushback, even when they challenge the status quo.
The Groupthink concept was introduced to me years ago during a political science class. Back then, the Groupthink constructs pretty much summarized what my father had always tried to teach me and my five siblings. My father’s favorite saying was, “If everyone else jumps off a bridge, are you going to do it, too?”
The university professor leading the class referenced the 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion, as a powerful example of what can happen as a result of Groupthink.
As it turns out, the class was required to read Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes by Irving L. Janis. Although the second edition of this book was published in 1982, I’ve always thought if I ran a business—I would ask leaders, managers and employees to read it.
Because, sometimes, it is an employer's best interest to consider what employees have to say, even if they don't want to hear it.