Groupthink is one of the greatest threats to innovation that any organization faces. The issue is that groupthink turns otherwise brilliant, independent-minded people into herd animals. As difficult as it may be to believe, it happens to the best and brightest of us with alarming regularity.
Consider these two cases. The first is the landmark study conducted regarding the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961. It illustrates the basic nature and dangers of group think and was cited extensively in research by Irving Janus, the Yale social psychologist who coined the term in 1972. The second case centers on the more recent Enron collapse in 2001. In both cases, a key takeaway is that even highly respected and successful individuals can be sucked into groupthink behavior. Critically, note that there is a nearly 40-year time span between the two cases.
Groupthink is tenacious. Even with all our management smarts, it still haunts us.
In the Bay of Pigs example, every one of these groupthink attributes was present. The majority exerted enormous pressure on th minority to conform to their point of view, and the minority reacted by increasingly censoring their opinions. In the end, this gave Kennedy and the majority the illusion of unanimity where none, in fact, existed.
In addition, the majority who favored the CIA’s plan all had a shared mindset. Although they had no hard supporting evidence, these advisors believed that the citizens of Cuba wanted Fidel Castro to be overthrown. Apparently, they believed so strongly in the inherent morality of the U.S. Efforts that they were able to rationalize their decision to move forward as the only “virtuous” course of action. And, as the coup de grace, their feelings of moral superiority led them to feed a sense of invulnerability; as if the United States were already destined to win this battle.
Unfortunately, victory wasn’t preordained. All members of the invasion force were either killed or captured. In part, this was because the citizens of Cuba did not support the invasion and, in fact, took up arms against the invaders. Additionally, the advisors hadn’t bothered to dig deeply enough into the CIA’s plan to understand that the escape route for the invasion force was through an impassable swamp. Our forces were trapped—destined from the outset not to win but to lose.
After studying this case, Janis figured that if such an elite group as Kennedy’s advisors could be negatively affected by groupthink, then the rest of us could too—and the last four decades have proven him right.
You may look at these high-profile examples from government and boards of directors and wonder what they have to do with your business. After all, most management mistakes don’t result in such spectacular failures. But between 2000 and 2003 there were over 149,000 companies in the United States that filed for bankruptcy protection. I wonder what role selective information-gathering, collective rationalization, or just the plain old close-mindedness of groupthink might have played in these less publicized (but to the people involved, just as excruciating) downfalls?
Before you decide whether groupthink might be affecting your business, ask yourself whether you can think of a time in the past year when you have been less aggressive in stating your opinion, or less vocal in outlining your point of view than you otherwise might have been, because you knew your opinion was at odds with that of the rest of the group you work with.
In speeches I’ve given on this topic, 95% of the audience typically raises its hands in response to this question. In honesty, I have to wonder whether the other 5% are still employed. Most people learn before kindergarten that sometimes you just have to keep your mouth shut. And maybe that’s why groupthink is so tough to overcome. The behavior that spawns it is self-preserving from an individual standpoint. It’s only lethal to the collective. .
How can individuals recognize and avoid groupthink behavior in their workplace?
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1. Recognize warning signs
The best defense against groupthink is to recognize it early. Most people have an intuitive understanding of the problem and know very quickly when discussions are becoming unhealthy. You might recognize it as when you’re sitting in a meeting and you realize that no one in the room has challenged the accepted way of doing things. Or you watch someone who has a different point of view, become quieter and quieter, until the person hardly speaks at all.
But you might also recognize it when someone suggests an innovative solution, and another person scoffs, saying that idea was tried before and didn’t work. Inevitably, the discussion moves to why the idea can’t be successful instead of examining the reasons it failed, then trying to identify ways to make it work. Groupthink is everywhere. It’s the tendency to reach for the easiest, most comfortable option, then close the door on alternatives too quickly.
2. Be ready to challenge conventional wisdom
Groupthink is the enemy of innovation and growth. The real danger of groupthink is what can happen while the meeting is adjourned. When the discussion is over, the person responsible for following through is likely to go to their boss and say something like “Everybody thought it was a bad idea.” The person responsible for implementation will look around for someone to back them up, and likely won’t find anyone else who will challenge the decision that has already been made.
As uncomfortable as challenging the status quo might make you, the best way to fight groupthink is by refusing to go along with the group. Challenge the direction the group is headed in, even if it means being labeled as a contrarian or an insurgent. Challenge the assumptions that your organization has been operating on. Ask the annoying questions. Ask the dumb questions. Ask all the questions. Ask them all the time, because groupthink always preys on your silence. Do not let it consume you.
3. Seek out diverse viewpoints
Having a variety of different personalities, skillsets and backgrounds is helpful in creating a diverse problem-solving culture. For example, at Zappos, they like to say that one of their goals is to hire a small number of great people and a large number of good people, because it creates a balance of strong leadership with a good workhorse mentality. This balance of leadership and innovation is important, but the idea of balance isn’t necessarily
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Groupthink is one of the greatest threats to innovation that any organization faces. The issue is that groupthink turns otherwise brilliant, independent-minded people into herd animals. As difficult as it may be to believe, it happens to the best and brightest of us with alarming regularity.
Consider these two cases. The first is the landmark study conducted regarding the Bay of Pigs fiasco in 1961. It illustrates the basic nature and dangers of group think and was cited extensively in research by Irving Janus, the Yale social psychologist who coined the term in 1972. The second case centers on the more recent Enron collapse in 2001. In both cases, a key takeaway is that even highly respected and successful individuals can be sucked into groupthink behavior. Critically, note that there is a nearly 40-year time span between the two cases.
Groupthink is tenacious. Even with all our management smarts, it still haunts us.
In the Bay of Pigs example, every one of these groupthink attributes was present. The majority exerted enormous pressure on th minority to conform to their point of view, and the minority reacted by increasingly censoring their opinions. In the end, this gave Kennedy and the majority the illusion of unanimity where none, in fact, existed.
In addition, the majority who favored the CIA’s plan all had a shared mindset. Although they had no hard supporting evidence, these advisors believed that the citizens of Cuba wanted Fidel Castro to be overthrown. Apparently, they believed so strongly in the inherent morality of the U.S. Efforts that they were able to rationalize their decision to move forward as the only “virtuous” course of action. And, as the coup de grace, their feelings of moral superiority led them to feed a sense of invulnerability; as if the United States were already destined to win this battle.
Unfortunately, victory wasn’t preordained. All members of the invasion force were either killed or captured. In part, this was because the citizens of Cuba did not support the invasion and, in fact, took up arms against the invaders. Additionally, the advisors hadn’t bothered to dig deeply enough into the CIA’s plan to understand that the escape route for the invasion force was through an impassable swamp. Our forces were trapped—destined from the outset not to win but to lose.
After studying this case, Janis figured that if such an elite group as Kennedy’s advisors could be negatively affected by groupthink, then the rest of us could too—and the last four decades have proven him right.
You may look at these high-profile examples from government and boards of directors and wonder what they have to do with your business. After all, most management mistakes don’t result in such spectacular failures. But between 2000 and 2003 there were over 149,000 companies in the United States that filed for bankruptcy protection. I wonder what role selective information-gathering, collective rationalization, or just the plain old close-mindedness of groupthink might have played in these less publicized (but to the people involved, just as excruciating) downfalls?
Before you decide whether groupthink might be affecting your business, ask yourself whether you can think of a time in the past year when you have been less aggressive in stating your opinion, or less vocal in outlining your point of view than you otherwise might have been, because you knew your opinion was at odds with that of the rest of the group you work with.
In speeches I’ve given on this topic, 95% of the audience typically raises its hands in response to this question. In honesty, I have to wonder whether the other 5% are still employed. Most people learn before kindergarten that sometimes you just have to keep your mouth shut. And maybe that’s why groupthink is so tough to overcome. The behavior that spawns it is self-preserving from an individual standpoint. It’s only lethal to the collective. .
How can individuals recognize and avoid groupthink behavior in their workplace?
user
1. Encourage open and honest communication: Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable speaking up and sharing their opinions, even if they differ from the majority. Encourage open dialogue and constructive criticism.

2. Seek diverse perspectives: Actively seek out different viewpoints and perspectives, including those of outsiders, to prevent groupthink. Encourage debate and encourage dissenting views.

3. Assign a devil’s advocate: Appoint someone to take on the role of devil’s advocate, whose sole purpose is to challenge the dominant viewpoint and bring up alternative perspectives.

4. Encourage critical thinking: Encourage everyone to question assumptions and challenge conventional wisdom. Analyze all options, examine evidence, and consider the long-term consequences of decisions.

5. Separate evaluation from ideation: Separate the process of generating ideas from the process of evaluating those ideas. This will prevent people from prematurely dismissing ideas that have the potential to be successful.

6. Foster independence: Encourage individuals to think independently and make decisions based on their own analysis and judgment.

7. Emphasize individual accountability: Hold individuals accountable for their decisions and actions. Encourage personal responsibility and discourage blaming others or the group as a whole.
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