Are You a Victim of Group Think?

In a day and age where creativity and uniqueness are stressed upon us to such a large degree, it’s almost astonishing to admit that group think is as well and alive as it is. I mean, we’re constantly being told to “form our own opinions” and “think for ourselves,” yet try and find a social setting that doesn’t have some element of group think attached to it and you could be quite a while. While it’s admittedly easy to write off group think as being something that we should never allow or encourage, the reality is that it largely surrounds us without even bringing attention to itself. It thrives in our current society, and an individual with even the smallest dip in confidence can become the perfect host for such an infectious parasite.

But what is group think and how does it work? How does it infiltrate our social structures and squash creative thinking despite so many people being “against” it?

Group think, often spelled “groupthink,” is the mindset that members of a group often taken on in order to minimize conflict and difference of opinion. In other words, it’s where people continually agree with one another more than they normally would as not to upset the group’s balance. Usually nobody wants to seem foolish or embarrass themselves, so they continually go with the agreed consensus on how things should work out. Although this can SEEM like a good idea at first, as it minimizes conflict and potential disagreements, it often means ideas are left unchecked and potential insight into a problem may never be brought to light.

That being said, if you’ve ever taken a psychology course you’ll know that it’s possible to spend hours and hours discussing group think and how it affects people. While there are a myriad of reasons behind group think and a number of psychologists have coined different symptoms for spotting group think, the basic principle still remains the same: people will try and minimize conflict or embarrassment by continually agreeing with “the group.”

Although it’s a rather rudimentary example, we did a team workshop on group think in my psychology 201 class years back. In the particular scenario, a group of restaurant workers were meeting their new manager for the first time. The manager cared very little about anyone’s feelings and made it well known that those who didn’t perform up to par would soon be fired. In this particular workshop, team members were monitored to see how they would react to such a change, as their previous “nice” manager had left and the newer, less friendly manager had replaced him. Their conversation went something like this:

Waiter 1: “I say we all quit, screw this ***hole.”

Waitress 2: “Yeah, but I just don’t think it’s fair that WE should have to quit or adjust our schedule to fit this guys needs… we’ve been here for years and he’s just now starting with the company!”

Waitress 3: “If he’s here to stay though he’s here to stay, all we can do is make the most of the situation.”

Waiter 1: “Forget that, I’m not changing how I work just because he has an issue with the current setup.”

Waitress 3: “But he’s not going anywhere, and unless you want to lose your job you’d better at least pretend you care about his new policies.”

Waiter 4: “Why should we? All he’s done is criticize everyone and completely try and change a structure that’s been working fine for years. He’s the one that needs to go, not any of us.”

Waitress 2: “That’s what I’ve been saying all along, get rid of him, not us!”

Waiter 5: “Personally, he can kiss my ***. The entire staff hates this guy, no way in hell we should have to bend over backwards for what he wants.”

Waiter 4: “Let’s get rid of him… before he has a chance to do the same to us.”

Waiter 1: “Looks like we’ll have a little talk with him then. We’ll let him know who really calls the shots here, and if ONE of us goes, we ALL go. If he has an issue with it, too bad.”

Waitress 3: “I’m not sure about this… but whatever…”

While that’s only a short summary of what happened, it still goes to show how easy it is for group think mentality to take hold over a situation. Another group in the workshop got so far along that they weren’t only contemplating threatening the manager, but even killing him and throwing the body in the dumpster if he didn’t agree to their demands! I think it’s safe to say that most rational people would rather quit before killing their manager, yet put into a group think environment, those opinions quickly take a turn for the worst.

The entire point of this isn’t to provide some textbook lesson, but rather to educate people so they don’t fall into similar traps themselves. Once you KNOW what group think is, it becomes significantly easier to prevent yourself from falling into it, and you become much keener on screening out those who do. Because it happens so often and generally goes unnoticed, we’re rarely conscious of what we’re doing while it’s happening. It’s easy to think of yourself as just “going with the flow” and it’s human nature to avoid unneeded conflict. In reality, letting group think take control of your decision making process is only going to rob you of your creative thoughts and opinions. When you become more focused on preventing conflict than you are on delivering true insight, then you, the group, and the final product are all going to suffer.

For me, the biggest reason behind understanding group think is because it allows me to better recognize those who have the confidence to back up their beliefs and those who don’t. I always find it interesting when I see a group think mindset taking hold over people and watching as they bend their original thoughts to fit the mold of the group. Usually this is done out of embarrassment that somebody might think they’re idea is bad, but who really cares? I’d much rather somebody come up with an idea off the beaten path and see what it brings to the table instead of rehashing what I already know. Not only that, but in a group think environment, new ideas and creative minds are usually quite refreshing. There’s no easier way to make a project get stale and boring than to have everybody continually repeat the same thing over and over.

It should also be noted the closer and more cohesive people are, the more likely they are to engage in group think. Although this can seem a bit backwards at first, the more people think alike, the less inclined they feel to question one another. The best results are often achieved when a wide variety of people are working together, as the less understanding they have of one another, the more likely they are to bring their own voice to the table. If you’ve ever wondered why company’s and school systems constantly mention “diversity in the workplace,” this is why. Although most people never pick up on this, diversity is one of the easiest and most effective ways to squashing group think in any environment.

For most people though, it’s simply their own fear and lack of confidence that’s holding them back and preventing them from voicing their opinion. Just like many people are afraid of public speaking because subconsciously they’re afraid of being judged by others, group think takes control over people in a very similar manner. Most people don’t know WHY they’re keeping so silent; they just know they have no desire to upset the balance that’s residing over the group.

Which means that although group think can paralyze the creative process for many individuals, the root of the problem isn’t group think itself, it’s actually buried deep within confidence issues and in understanding others. Once you can consciously be aware of what group think is and know that it’s potentially slowing down either your personal input or the personal input of another group member, it becomes much easier to avoid such an obstacle.

For those reading this, at the very least I hope you can come away with a better understanding of not only what group think is and how it works, but also in knowing if it’s something you fall victim to. Simply knowing how it works is one thing, but if you can see it coming and stop it in its tracks then you’re on your way to really making your voice heard. Besides, what creative mind wants to blend into the background when it could be shining in the forefront?