Group Think

• Divide the workload
• correct each others mistakes
• evaluate possible decisions
• have more information on a problem
• more ideas generated
• broader range of experience and skills
• complementary knowledge

• Group members too different for effective communication
• too many members = less participation
• group discussions = time consuming
• conjecture = irrelevancies
• Individual members dominate the group = conformity.

Janis(1972)

" A detereoration of mental efficiency, reality testing and moral judgements that result from in - group pressure."

Antecedents

• Members - similar backgrounds and experience
• decision process is one sided
• Cohesive group
• group has illusion of invulnerability "if we work together we cannot go wrong"
• extreme optimism
• Group over estimates its own morality "we are doing this for the greater good"
• Insulation of group from outsiders
• no impartial leadership

Symptoms

• ethical issues are ignored
• blind spots are rationalised
• out groups are stereotyped
• conformity leads to suppression of doubts
• emphasis on any answer rather than the correct one
• belief the group must be right - ignore info contradicting the group

Consequences

poor decision making procedures with LOW chance of success / favourable outcomes.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

• President Kennedy and his exec, sent a small number of cuban exiles with the intention to over throw Fidel Castro but invaders were either captured/killed and it nearly sparked a nuclear war.
• Janis (1972) argues this was caused by GROUPTHINK and the president and his exec made impractical and unrealistic decisions, i.e. could the exiles out wit an entire army.
• Kennedy and his advisors later admitted it was a mistake and changed the decision making technique adopted. With more input from out side and someone who's role was to play devils advocate.

Evaluation

• desriptive studies of groupthink support the idea that increased cohesiveness causes it CALLAWAY et al but experimental research shows little or no support LEANA.
• Group Cohesiveness may need to be more clearly defined - at present focueses on group based liking and friendship
• Hogg and Harris (1998) symptoms of group think associated with cohesivness only in group based liking not friendship
• Is group think RISKY SHIFT - where a group then tends towards more risky decisions polarises through discussion and makes a more risky decision - MYERS et al
• Is group think just an aggregation of individuals coping responses to stress - CALLAWAY, the coping reponses are mutually reinforced by other members.