Although a group may be more dynamic and synergic in terms of productivity (if focused on the task at hand), it is prone to a detrimental effect known as Groupthink (GT). According to prominent research psychologist Irving Jarvis, GT is "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action".In other words, excessive belief in your group might actually be negative because it could be an illusion of invulnerability, morality or unanimity- all symptoms of GT.
To combat this intangible enemy, a group should appoint a third party to advocate and supervise; or reflect objectively on their own if they're mature and aware enough. A patient cannot be cured if he does not admit he's sick enough to see a doctor- similarly, a group needs to be educated of the existence of GT before they can combat it.
I'm basing this week's article on GT because my group is incredibly proactive and deeply involved in our communication project- hence, we are subject to GT ourselves! But at least one of their group members is enlightened! Haha! <:D
1 comment:
to sum up your post, 'too many cooks spoil the broth.'
no man is an island, and we have to work in groups at one point of time in order to achieve the synergy needed to accomplish task normally out of reach if attempted alone.
i guess the important thing is to be aware of what is going on, and combat group think before it happens.
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