How to Overcome Your Biggest Improvement Obstacle - Groupthink

Groupthink. It’s probably one of the biggest hurdles you will encounter as you lead change. It’s common and subtle in the impediment it places on your efforts to make things better for your organization. 

Recently, I attended a group meeting of a physician group who is a client. The group does have elected officers, but each physician of the group feels they have an equal voice. The group feels it’s incredibly important to have a consensus before making any decision. If a decision isn’t reached, they opt to stay the same and maintain their current trajectory. In this case, a vendor owed the group a large sum of money. However, not everyone wanted to take action against the vendor. While it is in the group’s best interest to terminate the vendor and stop losing money on a bad deal, there were not enough physicians who wanted to terminate the agreement. Therefore, the group finds themselves in the position of contenting to work with a vendor who is in breach of contract. I witnessed the power of groupthink that evening. The group made an ineffective decision that will likely harm them in the future. That’s the power of groupthink. Before we can deal with groupthink, we must define it. What is groupthink?

Groupthink is when a group’s need for consensus supersedes an individual’s judgment. The group believes so strongly in arriving at consensus they create pressure or understood normal. It’s when the individual subordinates their needs and desires to that of the group. The group becomes more important than the individuals. The members of the group use social pressures to work against the individual who doesn’t support the group. It works to maintain the norm and resists change.

Groupthink often leads to poor decisions because it inhibits and prevents independent thinking and creativity. Common sense, debating alternatives, attempting to understand reality and express an opinion contrary to the group is frowned up, if not oppressed. Disagreeing with the group’s culture or way of doing things will garner you a label of a troublemaker, an outsider, a rebel, and a nonconformist, and not a team player. This is because the need for unity is greater than the outcome of the decision the group makes. Consensus is more important than making the best decision. Groups afflicted with groupthink will ignore realistic and true alternatives because they desire to maintain harmony within the group as a whole. 

Groupthink can develop easily under certain conditions. What are the risk factors for groupthink? First, groups are vulnerable to groupthink when they are relatively homogenous and cohesive. One would think cohesiveness is a strength, and it is, but if not monitored, the culture of the group can lead to groupthink. The second risk factor is a lack of clear rules or policies of their decision making processes. Who is responsible for what? Who has authority? Who has the ability to affect change? Having a defined decision-making process subjects a group to this affliction. Creating written rules in how decisions are to be made and implemented will go a long way to combat groupthink.

Another tool to combat groupthink is to consider splitting the group up into smaller groups before bringing new ideas forward. Rather than one individual presenting a new idea, a group of individuals who make a cohesive proposal will be more likely to be accepted by the group. Another option is to consider seeking outside counsel and advice; having someone from outside the group will increase the validity of their findings. Another option is controlling the actions of the leaders. Every group will have a leader, or two everyone looks to for guidance. Encourage these leaders to refrain from expressing their opinions until new ideas have been shared with the group. Finally, consider using a devil’s advocate to challenge the group’s decisions and thoughts. Someone who can politely point out the blind spots and problems of the group can be helpful when challenging the status quo of the group. Keep in mind this can be a very unpopular position.

Groupthink can impede your improvement efforts. Identifying the risk factors for groupthink will help you combat its adverse effects. Take the suggested steps discussed, and you will go a long way to fighting groupthink in your organization.