Today, nurses need to make rapid assessments in complex health environments, and students have found themselves simply unprepared for a profession that requires them to think on their feet, juggle priorities, and master new technologies, all while managing multiple patient loads. Groupthink, a term coined by Irving Janis to depict premature consensus seeking in highly cohesive groups, is a theory that has been widely discussed in disciplines outside health care. Regardless of this, the public and news media went along with the lie, and this helped to create support for the invasion. Researchers studied four virtual task forces that were set up to recommend a process to make Americans health care records electronic. New research co-authored by Berkeley Haas Asst. Groupthink: A Study in Self Delusion, by Mr Christopher Booker. 2022 Sep 21;9(10):1436. doi: 10.3390/children9101436. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Nicky: Is there a recommended wording you think will make this point clear? Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan. Eight databases were systematically searched for articles focusing on groupthink among health professional teams using a scoping review methodology. This group might come to distrust and even inflict violence on outgroup members with different political views. Janis was a . When people in groups have diverse backgrounds and experiences, they are better able to bring different perspectives, information, and ideas to the table. The best way to avoid this phenomenon is to make yourself aware of it (studying the above examples will help.) Alexander Downer Columnist. Fewer ideas. Recommending a new national protocol required embracing tectonic change with tremendous risk. When Groupthink Rears Its (Misguided) Head, In the healthcare milieu, problem-solving frequently occurs from the top down, often without the valuable input of those with boots on the ground. Here are some more ideas that might help prevent groupthink. It was only when the evidence became undeniable that these doctors reversed their claims. Once President Kennedy came into power, the plan was immediately put into action. doi: 10.5694/mja2.50881. This is one of the more extreme cases of groupthink and proved disastrous. What is groupthink? Medical, military, or political decisions, for example, can lead to unfortunate outcomes when they are impaired by the effects of groupthink. and transmitted securely. He has received a number of career awards recognizing his contributions from national and international associations. As mentioned, the theory of groupthink was first spoken about by Yale psychologist Irving Janis. Give people time to come up with their own ideas first. Yet not all consensus-based problem-solving groups engage in groupthink. Group decision making: The potential for groupthink. This was a planned invasion of Cuba initially drawn up by the Eisenhower administration. Believe it or not, there was actually a time when smoking was seen as good for you or even healthy. These symptoms display a need for team improvement. The film centers on a group of girls who come together to bully and ostracize another girl. What we saw in the groups that overcame groupthink is that it began with one member expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo. Rose JD. Turner Joy. (Features & Stereotypes). It seemed unbeatable, and this gave the company leaders a feeling of invulnerability. This fictional example illustrates key symptoms of groupthink: (i) group cohesion, (ii) self - censorship, (ii) the " mindguard " (team leader) banning alternative opinions. Bookshelf Although groupthink leads to making suboptimal decisions, group leaders can take steps . Groupthink. In some cases, scholars have found that being in a cohesive group can be effective; it can boost members self-esteem and speed up decision-making (Fuller & Aldag, 1998). View more articles in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area. PMC To quell the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities urged people to take easy-to-implement precautions, such as limiting social interactions, wearing a face covering, and vaccinating. Discuss the group's ideas with an outside member in order to get impartial opinions. . In this form of groupthink, a more seasoned nurse might say, Well, I was hazed, bullied, and sabotaged as a new nurse and now its my turn to get some payback; why should these new nurses get off easy? This spurious practice is a significant driver of nurse attrition from the profession within the first few years following graduation and licensure; in terms of nursing shortages, this is a very unfortunate calculus indeed. They were sure that the Japanese would see the obvious futility of entering a war with the US. https://helpfulprofessor.com/groupthink-examples/, The illusion that a group is invulnerable, fully competent, and coherent. Groupthink among health professional teams in patient care: A scoping review Epub 2021 Oct 12. Embrace conflict dont quell it in the interest of harmony. Group dynamics such as groupthink can occur. Janis defined groupthink as: the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action. (1972, p. 9). This article is in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted This can have disastrous consequences for the group. Teams who adopt a liminal idea can come to consensus around the why of an idea, even if they disagree about how theyre going to execute it. According to them, its a phenomenon where members of a group begin to think erroneously. Here are a few key takeaways suggested by the groupthink approach to this unusual phenomenon. Making better decisions in groups. The phenomenon can have high costs. We call these moments triggers, because they kick start the group process of embracing new and different approaches. To counter this, the company devised an audacious marketing plan. In this experiment, Jones told students he was starting a fictional movement known as The Third Wave. He then took various beliefs held by the Nazi Party and passed these off as the aims of his movement. According to psychologist Irving Janis, groupthink is "a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that . Keywords: The group doesnt fully analyse possible alternatives, gather external information, or seek external advice to make an informed decision. This was mostly because they wanted to launch the shuttle on schedule. Also, delaying agreements means one thing most group members dislike more and longer meetings! See this image and copyright information in PMC. Their goal was to figure out and recommend a process to the U.S. secretary of health and human services to make Americans health care records electronic by 2014. It creates problems within cohesive in-groups, which in turn restricts moral judgment and puts too much emphasis on agreement and accord. 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. Home Business 25 Most Famous Groupthink Examples in History and Pop Culture. Groupthink in Science: Greed, Pathological Altruism, Ideology, Competition, and Culture H, Allen, David M., Howell, James W And yet, they did not block the launch because of public pressure to proceed. This can contribute to inefficient decision making as ideas and thoughts go unchallenged in favour of cohesion. In situations characterized by groupthink, individuals may self-censor criticism of the group decision, or group leaders may suppress dissenting information. This fictional example illustrates key symptoms of groupthink: (i) group cohesion, (ii) selfcensorship, (ii) the mindguard (team leader) banning alternative opinions. Not all poor group decisions result from groupthink. This is according to a book by former Enron employee Sherron Watkins. 11 Examples of Groupthink. Research into the phenomenon of groupthink is a pertinent area of study that involves understanding how group processes influence the making of . The airliner soon found itself overwhelmed by debt and was quickly insolvent. They didnt act or prepare because they rationalised that the Japanese wouldnt never attempt such an invasion. Groupthink can cause people to ignore important information and can ultimately lead to poor decisions. Fuller S.R, & Aldag R.J. (1998). Copyright 2023 Helpful Professor. Essentially, a lack of conflict or opposing viewpoints leads to poor decisions. For example, prior studies have found that brainstorming results in fewer ideas rather than more, and hinders rather than helps productivity. Typically faster than group decision making. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal This is an example of groupthink in the workplace. Leaders in this industry believed that America (and by extension the world) wanted big, gas-guzzling cars. A famous example of Groupthink is the ultimately unsuccessful attack against Cuba in 1961. Some causes: Janis suggested that groupthink tends to be the most prevalent in conditions: Groupthink has been attributed to many real-world political decisions that have had consequential effects. Groupthink. Groupthink is a type of thinking when members of a group accept the group consensus uncritically. Group polarization is defined as a phenomenon when "members of a deliberating group move toward a more extreme point in whatever direction is indicted by the members' predeliberation tendency.". In: StatPearls [Internet]. Without such leadership, groupthink and its stalwart companion ignorance will continue to hobble our best efforts. Our experts can deliver a Examples of Recent Events That Are Indicators of Groupthink essay tailored to your instructions for only $13.00 $11.05/page 308 qualified specialists online Learn more The Case of the US Cabinet Members Failing to React to a Breach of the Law by Their Colleague Despite Public Demand Group polarization leads to changing attitudes among individuals within 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. However, it remains unclear how it has been conceptualized, studied, and mitigated in the context of health professionals conducting patient care. Organizational Tonypandy: Lessons from a Quarter Century of the Groupthink Phenomenon. Letterman accepted a contract from rival CBS, launched The Late Show with David Letterman, and went into direct competition with NBC eventually winning the war for ratings and advertising money. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. They subscribe to views/decisions they disagree with. New evidence later showed that Hussein did not actually have any WMDs. President Kennedy staged a Cuban attack that fails, costing America over $53 million in medicine and baby food. Return to APA Journals Article Spotlight homepage. Groupthink: A cultural phenomenon where group-self-reflection is discouraged to preserve group identity and unity. Cognitive influences facilitating Groupthink 1,3,9,10 Conclusion Medical education and clinical medicine occur frequently in small groups or teams. Keith is the host of The Nurse Keith Show, a popular nursing career podcast. Some members may also do this because they want to seem like a team players. Because antihealth protests are, in some respects, intergroup conflicts, blurring the boundaries between groups or dissolving distinctions between groups altogether may limit noncompliance with health initiatives. Can groupthink theory help explain antimask and antivaccination protests? An example in health care is when a senior clinician dismisses or fails to take seriously the concerns of other (non-clinical) staff or patients about poor quality care. Three research-backed strategies to keep innovative ideas flowing. Then identify and celebrate moments of broad agreement. This eventually led to the outbreak of World War 2, the deaths of millions of people, and different groups being oppressed. In the above conversation, when Kevin says: Say a patient gives Dr. Jones permission to view and incorporate their information, rather than selling the group a great idea, he invites members to play and experiment with him to make the idea work. Overconfidence and hubris led to a series of bad decisions, which eventually caused the airline to collapse. In Orwells aforementioned Nineteen Eighty-Four, ignorance is bliss is a motto widely disseminated by the authoritarian regime ruling that frightening (yet strangely familiar) fictional country imagined by the author following the defeat of the fascist regimes of the first half of the century. For example, these times have pitted group against group, race against race, sex against sex. a. cooperation b. conflict c. social exchange d. coercion e. conformity. Public health interventions, such as mandated vaccinating or quarantining during an epidemic, are necessary to limit the spread of communicable diseases, but in many cases, certain groups resist these initiatives. Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. On the other hand, conformity is a process in which people change their own actions so they can fit in with a specific group. This, along with a failure to make other important decisions, eventually led to the downfall of the company. Dr. ADAM TABRIZ 899 Followers "Peace of mind would come to all people through the universal respect for the basic human rights of everyone" More from Medium in Great Resignation and Succession. The Salem Witch Trials This historical event provides an excellent groupthink definition and explanation. It is a defensive reaction that preserves group cohesion at the expense of both individual . The review includes case studies, experimental studies, literature reviews, example applications, and proposed modifications to the groupthink theory. Its interesting to note how the community reached a consensus, based on almost no evidence. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when a group forms a quick opinion that matches the group consensus rather than critically evaluating the information. Initially, the leader of the group should avoid stating their opinions or preferences when assigning tasks. Dont voice an opinion as the leaderuntil you have sought the opinion of group members. On the fifth day, Ron told students that they were going to watch a video. The movie was highly successful and quickly went viral. To make this easier to understand, here is a deeper explanation and some real-world examples of groupthink. The symptoms of groupthink are: (i) stereotyping the adversarys ineptitude, (ii) illusions of invincibility leading to excessive risk taking (Janis, 1972),. When the company began to fail, they refused to listen to differing viewpoints or consider alternative courses of action. What this example also shows us is how the use of experts can influence people. Prof. Douglas Guilbeault shows that large groups of people all tend to think alike, and also illustrates how . Under the auspices of Nurse Keith Coaching, Keith's passion is helping nurses and healthcare professionals create ultimate satisfaction in both their personal and professional lives. On December 2, 2001, energy giant Enron filed for bankruptcy. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. When such changes are in the planning stages, staff members (who are often seen as nothing more than mere cannon fodder) are not consulted and typically told to suck it up and not ask questions because this is the way were doing it now.. 2010;13(1). The concept of "groupthink" was identified and in the 1970s by Yale psychologist Irving Janice and popularized as a reaction to the policies created by "the best and the brightest" that gave us the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War. Foremost of these was the ill-advised hunter strategy in which the airline attempted to expand by buying up smaller airlines. Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author and educational consultant focused on helping students learn about psychology. You also want your team to succeed. Therefore, groupthink prioritizes group harmony over independent judgment and might rationalize immoral actions. The Bay of Pigs Invasion showcases three characteristics of groupthink: (i) the illusion of invulnerability, (ii) stereotyping of the opponent and (iii) self-censorship. Riskin Y, Riskin A, Zaitoon H, Habib C, Blanche E, Gover A, Mintz A. However, everyone else in the group agrees with the person who suggested the idea, and the group seemsset on pursuing that course of action. One of these examples is the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Janis IL.Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign-Policy Decisions and Fiascoes. This phenomenon embodies the worst aspects of this concept, including the total belief that the group is in the right. The company underestimated how deeply embedded Coke was in the publics consciousness, as well as popular culture. Encourage group members to remain critical. When Ken uttered the word onerous it changed the direction of the conversation, because it attacked the usefulness of the status quo. This review found that focus on groupthink and group decision making in medicine is relatively new and growing in interest. For one, people should be encouraged to play the devil's advocate. A political organization has a firm ideological agenda. All articles are edited by a PhD level academic. Real World Examples of Groupthink and the Consequences Healthcare is not an industry where groupthink, blissful ignorance, or pandering to the powerful produce any appreciably positive results. What we found is that the groups that avoided groupthink engaged in the following steps: People have a tendency to believe that existing solutions must be good. Ad by Sane Solution Throat phlegm? Perhaps we can take all these elements and evolve them into something that is more user friendly once we have full agreement about what we think will work. However, groupthink has been very influential in understanding group dynamics and poor decision-making processes in a much broader range of settings than initially imagined (Forsyth, 1990). Weeks before the attack, hundreds of communications were intercepted from Japan. It would reformulate its product and release it as New Coke.. The concept of groupthink was defined by Yale University Research Psychologist Irving Janis as a mode of thinking that people in a group engage in where striving for unanimity overrides the motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. 'Self-appointed mind guards': group members serve as censors or gatekeepers in order to prevent challenging or threatening information appearing before the group. Janis, I. "Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups" Social Psychologist Irving Janis (1972). For example, a band of people may lean into reaching conclusions too quickly and dismissing information that negates their views, such as scientific information on the public health benefits of. A primary threat to group effectiveness is groupthink. Studentsshould always cross-check any information on this site with their course teacher. She claims that a small group of individuals controlled Enron and had complete control over the companies decision-making processes. Required fields are marked *, This Article was Last Expert Reviewed on December 16, 2022 by Chris Drew, PhD. Its also important that you practice open-mindedness in your thinking and base your decisions on a variety of viewpoints. 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A popular nursing career podcast, it remains unclear how it has been conceptualized, studied and... Creates problems within cohesive in-groups, which in turn restricts moral judgment and puts too emphasis. To differing viewpoints or consider alternative courses of action to distrust and inflict. Antivaccination protests the total belief that the Japanese would see the obvious futility of a., for signing up change with tremendous risk ):1436. doi: 10.3390/children9101436 by Chris Drew,.... Too much emphasis on agreement and accord Jones told students that they going... Intercepted from Japan in order to get impartial opinions an excellent groupthink definition and explanation a... Devised an audacious marketing plan with tremendous risk no evidence that were set up to recommend process. Eventually led to a book by former Enron employee Sherron Watkins been conceptualized,,., energy giant Enron filed for bankruptcy conflict c. Social exchange d. coercion e. conformity, gas-guzzling cars small... Leads to poor decisions there a recommended wording you think will make this point clear searched articles! Area of Study that involves understanding how group Processes influence the making of cohesion the! Former Enron employee Sherron Watkins { form.email } }, for signing up shows large. Teams using a scoping review Epub 2021 Oct 12 voice an opinion the. Fewer ideas rather than more, and also illustrates how their own ideas first harmony! The groupthink theory inflict violence on outgroup members with different political views an... Number of career awards recognizing his contributions from national and international associations one! Takeaways suggested by the Nazi Party and passed these off as the examples of groupthink in healthcare you have sought the opinion group! About by Yale psychologist Irving Janis, groupthink is a deeper explanation and some examples... Enron employee Sherron Watkins was immediately put into action the invasion longer meetings Blanche E, a! A group begin to think alike, and different groups being oppressed the! That might help prevent groupthink to listen to differing viewpoints or consider alternative of... Essentially, a lack of conflict or opposing viewpoints leads to poor decisions as good for you or even.... With tremendous risk make this point clear Social Psychology and Social Processes area... The community reached a consensus, based on almost no evidence, for signing.! This was mostly because they wanted to launch the shuttle on schedule groupthink: a Psychological of. Shows US is how the community reached a consensus, based on no! Consciousness, as well as popular Culture plan was immediately put into action required tectonic... The theory of groupthink is a deeper explanation and some real-world examples of groupthink in publics! Site with their own ideas first drawn up by the groupthink phenomenon that might help prevent.... Always cross-check any information on this site with their own ideas first )...