When groups make decisions, they can fall into several common traps that hinder effective decision-making

Decision making

1. Groupthink

2. Groupthink Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. In many cases, people will set aside their own personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the group. People opposed to the decisions or overriding opinions of the group frequently remain quiet, preferring to keep the peace rather than disrupt the uniformity of the crowd. The phenomenon can be problematic, but even well-intentioned people are prone to making irrational decisions in the face of overwhelming pressure from the group. What Is Groupthink Theory? The term ‘groupthink’ means that the majority always controls the outcomes, and often overlooks and ignores opposing opinions and voices of an individual or a few people to ensure harmony and unity in a group. But this is a distorted—and often harmful—strategy that doesn’t reflect well on any organization Groupthink occurs normally when there a strong sense of “we” in the group. In such a case people want to be on good terms with their group no matter what the cost. They try to maintain the harmony of the group and sacrifice individual critical thinking for groupthink . Groupthink  is a psychological and sociological phenomenon in which members of a group will conform to majority opinion to maintain group harmony rather than stating their own opinions. Groupthink is differentiated from simple group consensus by its often illogical or poorly thought through conclusions.

3. Examples Of Groupthink Say, you don’t agree with a particular sales strategy even though your team members are quite confident that it’ll succeed. You choose not to speak up because you worry about how it’ll affect you professionally, even though your opinion may have the potential to save the company from making a mistake. This is how groupthink psychology prevents you from acting upon your judgment in the midst of a majority.

4. Causes Group identity : It tends to occur more in situations where group members are very similar to one another. When there is strong group identity, members of the group tend to perceive their group as correct or superior while expressing disdain or disapproval toward people outside of the group. Leader influences : Groupthink is also more likely to take place when a powerful and charismatic leader commands the group. Low knowledge : When people lack personal knowledge of something or feel that other members of the group are more qualified, they are more likely to engage in groupthink. 2  Stress : Situations where the group is placed under extreme stress or where moral dilemmas exist also increase the occurrence of groupthink.

5. Lack of diversity in groups : Groups that have members who are very similar to one another can be a cause of groupthink. With a lack of diverse perspectives, the group fails to consider outside perspectives. Furthermore, these group embers may engage in more negative attitudes towards outgroup members which can intensify groupthink (Cherry, 2020) Time constraints : Related to stress, placing time constraints on a decision being made can increase the amount of anxiety also leading to groupthink. Highly cohesive groups : Groups that are particularly close knit typically display more groupthink symptoms than groups that are not. Lack of outside perspectives : Only considering perspectives of in-group members can lead to groupthink as well. Motivation to maintain group members’ self-esteem : If group members are motivated to maintain each other’s self-esteem, they may not raise their voices against the group

6. Symptoms Illusions of invulnerability : Here the groups display excessive optimism and take big risks. The members of the group feel they are perfect and that anything they do will turn out to be successful. "everything is going to work out all right because we are a special group. When groups begin to believe their decisions and actions are untouchable or that the group is invincible, they ignore warnings or signs of danger that run contrary to their consensus. Collective Rationalization : Here members of the group rationalize thoughts or suggestions that challenge what the majority is thinking. They try giving reasons as to why the others don’t agree and there by go ahead with their original decisions. This is typically thought to be the case because if the group took into further consideration these pushbacks, the group members’ Belief in Inherent morality of the group : There is a belief that whatever the group does it will be right as they all know the difference between right and wrong. This cause them to overlook the consequences of what they decide.

7. Out  – Group Stereotypes: The group believes that those who disagree are opposed to the group on purpose. They stereotype them as being incapable of taking their right decisions and as being weak or evil. Direct Pressure on Dissenters : The majority directly threaten the person who questions the decisions by telling them that they can always leave the group if they don’t want to agree with the majority. Pressure is applied to get them to agree. Self – Censorship : People engage in self – censorship where they believe that if they are the only odd one out then they must be the one who is wrong. Illusions of unanimity : Silence from some is considered to be aceptance of the majority’s decision. Self – Appointed Mind Guards : They are members of the group who take it upon themselves to discourage alternative ideas from being expressed in the group. This term refers to when members of the group appoint themselves as protectors of the leader or other important group members. Mindguards dismiss information that contradicts the popular opinion or about past decisions to maintain group self-esteem.

8. Prevention There are steps that groups can take to minimize this problem. First, leaders can give group members the opportunity to express their own ideas or argue against ideas that have already been proposed. Breaking up members into smaller independent teams can also be helpful. More ideas that might help: Initially, the leader of the group should avoid stating their opinions or preferences when assigning tasks. Give people time to come up with their own ideas first. Assign at least one individual to take the role of the "devil's advocate." Discuss the group's ideas with an outside member in order to get impartial opinions. Encourage group members to remain critical. Don't discourage dissent or challenges to the prevailing opinion. Leaders should be absent from many group meeting to avoid overly influencing decisions.

9. Group polarization “Polarization refers to a phenomenon wherein the decisions and opinions of people in a group setting become more extreme than their actual, privately held beliefs.” (Renee Grinnell, Group polarization is the tendency for group discussion to intensify group opinion, producing more extreme judgments than might be obtained by pooling the individuals’ views separately Group polarization  ( Teger & Pruitt, 1967) is the strengthening of an original group attitude after the discussion of views within a group. That is, if a group initially favors a viewpoint, after discussion the group consensus is likely a stronger endorsement of the viewpoint. Conversely, if the group was initially opposed to a viewpoint, group discussion would likely lead to stronger opposition. Group polarization explains many actions taken by groups that would not be undertaken by individuals.

10. Group Polarization: ◦ Enhancement of members’ pre-existing tendencies ◦ A strengthening of the members’ average tendency ◦ Results in group decisions that are more extreme than initial individual inclination

11. Causes Group polarization Group polarization does not occur in all groups and in all settings but tends to happen when two conditions are present. First, the group members must have an initial leaning toward a given opinion or decision. If the group members generally support liberal policies, their opinions are likely to become even more liberal after discussion. But if the group is made up of both liberals and conservatives, group polarization would not be expected. Second, group polarization is strengthened by discussion of the topic among the group members before the group reaches its decision. When the group members initially lean in one direction, the conversation will naturally support this leaning, and repeated, persuasive arguments can produce group polarization ( Brauer & Judd,  1996 ; Burnstein & Vinokur ,  1975 ). Group polarization is also caused in part by diffusion of responsibility—when risky decisions are made by groups, the potential negative consequences are diffused throughout the group so that no one member may be seen to be responsible. Group members’ desires for social identity also can increase group polarization, particularly when the group wants to differentiate itself from other groups with other opinions (Hogg, Turner, & Davidson,  1990 ; Mackie,  1986 ). The members of groups who have experienced group polarization may be unaware that polarization has occurred (Keating, Van Boven , & Judd,  2016 ).

12. Causes There are two psychological explanations for group polarization: the need to be right and the need to be liked. The Need to Be Right ( persuasive argument theory , Informational Influence) informational signals People are information dependent—that is, they often lack information that another member has. Consequently, individuals look to the team to provide information that they do not know. However, it can lead to problems when people treat others’ opinions as facts and fail to question their validity. The need to be right, therefore, is the tendency to look to the group to define what reality is—and the more people who hold a particular opinion, the more right an answer appears to be. The Need to Be Liked ( Normative Influence , social comparison theory) reputational pressures Most people have a fundamental need to be accepted and approved by others. One of the most straightforward ways to gain immediate acceptance in a group is to express attitudes consistent with those of the group members. Stated another way, most people like others who conform to their own beliefs. This means that people in groups will become more extreme in the direction of the group’s general opinion because attitudes that are sympathetic toward the group are most likely to be positively rewarded. The need to be liked refers to the tendency for people to agree with a group so that they can feel more like a part of that group. Statistical minority group members are much more preoccupied with their group membership and less happy than majority

13. Social Loafing Definition:  The  Social Loafing  is the tendency of an individual to put less effort into the job when he is a part of the group, as compared to when he is working alone.

14. Motivation  can play an important role in determining whether social loafing takes place. People who are less motivated by a task are more likely to engage in social loafing when they are part of a group. Diffusion of responsibility  also contributes to social loafing. When in groups, people tend to feel less personal accountability and may even feel that their individual efforts have little impact on the outcome. the tendency to be less likely to help a person in trouble when other people are present. Because people assume that their efforts don’t matter and that they are not personally responsible, they also assume that someone else will be the one to take action. Group size  also has a serious impact on the effort people put forth in groups. In small groups, people are more likely to feel that their efforts are more important and will, therefore, contribute more. The larger the group, however, the less individual effort people will extend. Expectations  also matter when it comes to group performance. If you expect other people to slack off, you probably will as well since you don’t want to get stuck doing all of the work. On the other hand, if you are in a group of high-achievers who seem like they are in control of the group’s efforts, you might also be more likely to kick back and let them handle all the work.

15. Prevention Creating small groups and establishing individual accountability can help. Groups should develop standards and rules, define tasks, assign responsibilities, evaluate personal and collective progress, and highlight the achievements of individual members. Individuals perform less well if they do not like the task they are assigned within a group. Therefore, instead of assigning tasks, individuals should be allowed to choose specific tasks that they are personally interested in. This will lower frustration and underperformance as individual members are more likely to feel responsible for carrying out a task well if they chose it themselves. They are also more likely to enjoy the task and perform accordingly.