Systems Thinking Vocabulary

Groupthink

Quote
I use the term groupthink as a quick and easy way to refer to the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action. Groupthink is a term of the same order as the words in the newspeak vocabulary George Orwell used in his dismaying world of 1984. (Irving Lester Janis)
Categories: Systems Thinking

8 symptoms to recognize the groupthink:

  • Illusions of invulnerability
  • Unquestioned belief
  • Rationalizing warnings
  • Stereotyping the oppositions
  • Self-censorship for consensus
  • Illusions of unanimity
  • Direct pressure on members who are questioning the group
  • Mindguards are the self-appointed members who shield the group

Acknowledgement

References
  • Janis, I. L. (November 1971). “Groupthink” (PDF)Psychology Today
  • Turner, M. E.; Pratkanis, A. R. (1998). “Twenty-five years of groupthink theory and research: lessons from the evaluation of a theory”

Acknowledgement

Concept Coordinates

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs.[1] This causes the group to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation. (Wikipedia)

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