Managing Groupthink in the Organization
According to Natemayer and Hersey (2011), groupthink is one of the concepts, which resulted from the introduction of interpersonal and group behavior. Groupthink usually occurs in a group when individuals in the group refuse to acknowledge the alternatives or options available to them but rather decide to adhere to the cohesive group whose main aim is to maintain their unanimity (Janis, 1982). Janis (1982) explains further by indicating that, any group, which engages in groupthink, typically, makes the best effort to hide relevant information from the leader or manager by protecting the interest of their group and its leader. Groupthink usually has individuals in the group antagonizing group leaders outside their group as well as members of such groups. For example, the human resource department as a group may consider the leader of the finance or accounts department of the organization as hindering the progress of the programs of the department by making it difficult for them to gain funding for such programs. Vice versa, the employees in the finance or accounting department may be stringent when working on funding for programs of the human resource department based on bad perceptions spread in the department about the human resource manager and the employees in the department. Members of a group involved in groupthink usually do not welcome expert advice and consider it as outside opinion, even though such a resource may have valuable information that could better inform and improve the decisions made by the group (Natemayer & Hersey, 2011).
Managing Group Effectiveness
There are several steps that a leader can put in place to ensure that group effectiveness is achieved, and the negative effects of groupthink are avoided. One of such strategies is to encourage members of each group to raise objections and provide relevant information, which may challenge other members of the group to become critical of the statements made in the group. The leader can also create an atmosphere, in which the decisions made by one group, can be independently evaluated, and analyzed by another group with a different group leader. This would ensure that the decisions made by the group are well founded and relevant for achieving the set goals. For example, effective communication of information should be prioritized by the leader to empower the members of each group with the right information for decision-making. It also ensures that the members of the group work hard to ensure that the final decision reached at the end does not reflect group interest, necessarily, but a consensus which aims to provide the best solution to the problem at hand. Demonizing of outside group leaders and their members, which is typical of groupthink, may be reduced or avoided, when leaders implement such strategies. Another critical strategy to reduce or avoid groupthink involves putting measures in place to ensure that members from each group evaluate all the decisions made, to ensure that consensus is reached, before the final decision from such activity, is made (Janis, 1982).
In order for group members to avoid groupthink, they need to be able to help in making the relevant decisions by supporting and contributing to critical thinking towards achieving the set goals in the group but does not harm the harmony in the group (Janis, 1982). The author explains further by indicating that members of the group can avoid groupthink by challenging decisions made in the group to ensure that the best decisions are made; and not worry too much about protecting group norms and harmony within the group. Leaders should make it a point to ensure that each member of a group has well-defined roles as well as encourage the use of laid down procedures to ensure critical thinking in decision-making. The more a group is encouraged to become more objective, the more they are able to reflect on the risks associated with each decision they make which in turn will help prevent the sense of invulnerability, which is typical of individuals involved in groupthink (Natemayer & Hersey, 2011).
References
Janis, I. (1982). Groupthink: Psychological studies of policy decisions and fiascoes. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/theory/grpthink.html
Natemeyer, W. E. & Hersey, P. (Eds.). (2011). Classics of Organizational Behavior (4th ed., pp. 163-229). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
