Practicing Success
Practicing Success
CUET Preparation Today
| Groupthink is a phenomenon in which a group's desire for unanimity and cohesion overrides critical thinking and objective decision-making. In a groupthink situation, members prioritize maintaining harmony and avoiding conflict over carefully evaluating different perspectives and potential risks. Dissenting opinions are suppressed or not expressed to preserve group cohesion, leading to a false sense of consensus. Groupthink can result in poor decision-making, as the group becomes insulated from external input and fails to consider alternative viewpoints or potential pitfalls. To counteract groupthink, it is important to encourage open and diverse discussions, welcome dissenting opinions, seek external evaluations, and promote critical thinking within the group. |
According to Irving Janis, groupthink can lead to: |
Beneficial and successful decisions Improved leadership effectiveness Irrational and uncritical decisions Increased motivation and cohesion |
Irrational and uncritical decisions |
While teamwork in groups generally leads to beneficial outcomes, Irving Janis has highlighted the potential negative impact of cohesion on effective leadership. Janis coined the term "groupthink" to describe a phenomenon in which a group prioritizes unanimity over objectively assessing different courses of action. This tendency can result in irrational and uncritical decision-making. |
