The board of directors of a big MNC has 11 members. They have to make many decisions for the company together. A meeting was scheduled where the aim was to decide whether to open an office in a very remote location of India. During the discussion there were a few members who were in favor of the decision but as the interactions continued and views of majority of members were getting validated, the final decision got shifted towards not opening another office specially in that location. Which group phenomenon is referred here?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Group polarisation
Option (1) Social facilitation — Incorrect. It is the better performance of an individual in the presence of others, because their presence arouses her or him. It concerns one person’s performance, not a group decision.
Option (2) Groupthink — Incorrect. In groupthink, members suppress their doubts to keep an appearance of consensus, and no one voices dissent. In the board meeting the members did argue it out; the decision shifted because the majority view kept getting support during the discussion.
Option (3) Social loafing — Incorrect. It is the reduction in individual effort when people work together on a task. It has nothing to do with how a decision moves.
Option (4) Group polarisation — Correct. Groups are more likely to take extreme decisions than individuals alone, because the group’s initial position gets stronger during discussion. Members hear new arguments for the majority view, and seeing others agree makes the view feel validated, a bandwagon effect. That is why the board, as the majority’s views ‘were getting validated’, moved firmly to not opening the office.
NCERT (2025-26): “Social Loafing … Social facilitation research suggests that presence of others leads to arousal and can motivate individuals to enhance their performance if they are already good at solving something.…” “…Social loafing is a reduction in individual effort when working on a collective task, i.e. one in which outputs are pooled with those of other group members. An example of such a task is the game of tug-of-war. It is not possible for you to identify how much force each member of the team has been exerting. Such situations give opportunities to group members to relax and become a free rider.…” “Group Polarisation … Groups show another tendency referred to as ‘group polarisation’. It has been found that groups are more likely to take extreme decisions than individuals alone.…” “…After this interaction, your views may become stronger. This firm conviction is because of the following three reasons:
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