COMM 89 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Groupthink, Majority Rule, Lifeboats Of The Rms Titanic
Document Summary
We have a conflicted relationship with groups. We need strong groups to get things done. We need people to conform to group expectations. Groupthink: a way of deliberating that group members use when their desire for consensus overrides their motivation to assess all available plans of action. We seek to avoid conflict because that would interfere with a goal. In particular: groups charged with problem-solving and task completion. Of time participants got it wrong . 75% of people conformed at least once. But when the experiment included one other person who got it right , conformity dropped a great deal (5%) 5 conditions that produce groupthink: highly-cohesive groups, insulation from outside influence, lack of impartiality, lack of decision-making procedures, homogeneity of members" backgrounds. Preventing groupthink: require oversight from outside people, embrace whistleblowing , allow objections on moral grounds (ie. conscientious objectors , be flexible regarding the requirement of consensus.
