Groupthink

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From the course by National Research University Higher School of Economics

Communication theory: bridging academia and practice

7 ratings

National Research University Higher School of Economics

Communication theory: bridging academia and practice

7 ratings

This course is about communication on various levels. Over these 9 weeks we will cover a number of theories, cases and applications in the field of communication science. We will start with the foundational concepts of communication theory, defining what the theory is and going through a number of approaches to communication itself. Each week you will have a test to check on your progress and understanding. We also have a final text in the end of the course and a little bit of writing. As Oscar Wilde said, if you cannot write, you cannot think. If you cannot think, others will do thinking for you. So we find writing and reflecting pretty important for our classes. Along the course we provide you with in-class materials: lecture presentations, articles and additional readings. If you really want to get into the topic, don’t avoid this extra work. Although a substantial part of this course is theory-based, communication theory has a very practical application. Communication is an underlying process which creates and develops relationships, communities, societies. We communicative on a daily basis via a variety of means and channels. In our globalised and increasingly interconnected world, communication skills are essential in both the personal and professional spheres. It is our goal to leave you with a contextualisation and conceptualisation of communicative processes that will poise you to hone your own communicative skills — in other words, to put theory into practice.

From the lesson

Group Communication

How group dynamics can be maintained and what are the main approaches to navigate effective group work? This lecture provides you with answers for these questions as well as it highlight the importance of leadership in group communication.

Meet the Instructors

Olga Solovyeva
Lecturer
Integrated Communications Department, Faculty of Communication, Media and Design
Maria Mordvinova
Head of BA Program in PR and Advertising
Integrated Communications Department, Faculty of Communication, Media and Design

[SOUND] Let's move to Groupthink.

Do you remember a famous fairy tale about emperor who has no clothes?

Instead of telling the truth, people pretend to agree with certain things,

admire the clothes because it makes them look better.

This case illustrates a phenomenon of groupthink.

Irving Janis has made the most significant conceptualization of groupthink.

Groupthink is a theory dedicated to understanding

the decision-making process in groups.

Janis originally defined the term as a mode of thinking that people

engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in group.

When the members striving for anonymity override their motivation

to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.

Janis in 1972 defines groupthink as a negative group phenomenon

characterized by a lack of critical evaluation of proposed ideas or

courses of action that results from high levels of cohesion and

high conformity pressures.

Janis referred to this tendency as a concurrence seeking.

Their rationality of decisions is distorted by dysfunctional group and

social forces because members come to prize anonymity and

agreement over considering all courses of action rationally.

The basic terms of the groupthink theory is antecedent conditions, corresponding

symptoms, effect on decision processes and ways the phenomena might be prevented.

Janis observes three conditions that lead to groupthink.

High levels of cohesion, specific structural characteristics of

the environment in which the group functions, excessive conformity pressures.

When groups exhibit high levels of social cohesion,

members may be reluctant to criticize or question another group member's ideas or

suggestions for fear that it would damage the relationship.

Remember the fairy tale?

In organization it may show up on group meetings that appear

to go smoothly with only positive interaction among happy friendly people,

may seem ideal, but these actions may be symptomatic of groupthink.

Janis knows that specific structural

characteristic outfalls promote groupthink.

They include insulation of the group, lack of partial leadership,

lack of clear procedures for decisions, and

homogeneity of group members' backgrounds.

Internal conformity pressures may still lead group members to withhold criticism

of an idea because the norm is to defer todecisions made by organization.

Leaders or majority of group members,

external conformity pressures because of independent reward or punishment,

time pressures or aggressively, there are also factors that can lead to groupthink.

There are eight symptoms of groupthink.

Let's discuss each of them.

Illusion of invulnerability, that happens when members are highly optimistic and

willing to take extreme risks.

Collective efforts to rationalize, members cast doubt on

validity of information that brings into question assumptions made.

Illusion of morality, the moral consequences of a decision go

unexplored because group members do not question the morality of the group.

Excessive stereotyping, the group use rivals as too evil to warrant

serious negotiations with them or too weak or stupid in efforts to defeat the group.

Pressure to conform.

Pressure is brought to bear against those members who disagree with the group, often

through claims that such disagreements are indicative of disloyalty.

Self-censorship, members do not voice dissenting or

contrary views to the group concensus.

Illusion of unanimity,

there is a false perception that members have achieved a consensus.

Silence is consent.

Self-appointed mind-guards, some members take on the role of guarding the group

from information that might call into question their effectiveness and

morality of decisions made.

There are ways the groupthink might be prevented.

It requires oversight and control.

It should embrace whistle-blowing, allow for

objection, balance consensus and majority rule.

According to Hart, to overcome groupthink,

members of a group should follow this recommendations.

Require oversight and control, which means develop

resources to proactively monitor ongoing policy ventures.

Establish incentives to intervene.

Link personal fate to fate of group members.

Embrace whistle-blowing are words suppressing concerns about group

processes.

Continue to disagree in debate when two satisfactory answers are given.

Question assumptions, allow for objection.

Provide for group members' exits.

Do not play down the moral implications of course of action.

Acknowledge private concerns about ethical issues in the group.

Balance consensus and majority rule.

Relieve pressure on groups in minority positions.

Dissuade the development of sub-groups,

introduce a multiple advocacy approach to decisions.

The theory of groupthink has retained its appeal in the years and

has been applied to diverse groups, not only groups in crisis periods.

However, some scholars believe that the focus of the theory is

primarily on decision-making groups, juries, councils, etc.

In this lecture, we have presented antecedents and

symptoms that lead to groupthink and identified some ways to prevent it.

[SOUND]

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