The "groupthink" bias, is a phenomenon that occurs within a group where "absurd" decisions can be made, while all or some of the individuals in the group would have personally made a completely different decision.
This paradoxical result comes from the fact that, in a groupthink situation, each member of the group tries to conform his opinion to what he believes to be the group consensus , with a view to reaching an overall agreement.
By more or less strongly evacuating certain questions that are nevertheless legitimate: "is this really realistic?", "is this what I really want?". The phenomenon occurs in all groups (family reunions, groups of friends, work groups, etc.). Famous illustrations have been made, such as the Asch experiment .
What symptoms allow a group and its leader to detect the risk of "groupthink"?
👉 the illusion of unanimity: everyone "seems" to agree;
👉 pressure from hierarchy and/or time: strong pressure is exerted on individuals to align with the will of the group and not to disagree with it;
👉 when an opponent is viewed with bias or prejudice, statements that contradict the group's beliefs are ignored;
👉 the illusion of invulnerability: when groups believe themselves to be invulnerable, they tend to repress dissent; 👉 the belief in the moral and intellectual superiority of the group: when a group thinks it is more moral or of superior intelligence, it tends to ignore its own immorality or weaknesses;
If, as a group leader, you observe that one of these symptoms is present, how can you avoid the harmful influence of bias?
✅ rather than seeking consensus, express any possible reservations, and if they are blocking, discuss them. If they are not blocking, expressing them allows you to know them and live even better with them
✅ ask each person to express their point of view on the advantages and disadvantages of the decision
✅ pre-select a person who will have the role of opposing any suggestion presented (devil's advocate), thus helping the different members of the group to present their own ideas, and highlighting the reasoning flaws of the others
✅ replace "brainstorming" with "brainwriting" (writing rather than talking)
✅ and if you are responsible for making an important decision involving a group, take a step back to detect and see how to avoid this risk.
Francois Thouret
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