As leadership teams works together and become cohesive, there is a chance that they may fall victim to groupthink. Groupthink can create issues due to a lack of criticism and questioning. There are many example within history of well know groups falling victim to groupthink such as the Vietnam War and the Bay of Pigs. These disasters could have been avoided if the groupthink mentality was avoided
Another issues leadership members may have are narcissistic tendencies. Within an organization leadership has power to change the dynamics and culture of the organization. This power and change can become more likely the higher the position that is held within the organization. These narcissistic tendencies can be learned or psychodynamically based. Narcissism can be good to a point, but if it crosses a line and become destructive, something must be done about it. This journal will be about my involvement of groupthink and my narcissistic tendencies and how I deal with them.
Narcissism and Groupthink
Narcissism and Overcoming the Shortfalls
I believe that to a point people have some narcissistic traits, especially as they rise to power within an organization. Personally, I have narcissistic traits that are learned and not psychodynamically based. Psychodynamically based narcissism is based on childhood development to parents that may be cold, indifferent, and callous (Vecchio, 2007). These psychodynamic narcissistic tendencies are more engrained within a person and are harder to deal with and change (Vecchio, 2007). Learned narcissism is based on learning from others, such as observation, reinforcement, and self-imposed standards (Vecchio, 2007). For my learned narcissistic tendencies they are healthy, and not destructive. I know, h...
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...ve narcissists such as moving departments and organizations. The best way, however, to deal with them is to understand the type of narcissism they have. If it is psychodynamically based there is not much that can be done and the leader should be relieved of their position to bring in a new leader.
Groupthink is an issues, especially for those that work together consistently. They may fall into a trap where they no longer question the issues or fully understand the consequences. That is why proactive steps should be taken to avoid groupthink. These steps help to create an environment that questions and understands the issues and help to come up with the best solution.
Partner Analysis
Works Cited
Vecchio, R. (2007). Leadership: Understanding the dynamics of power and influence in
organizations (2nd ed.). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
Are you a self-reliant individual, or do you generate more ideas while working in a group? Groupthink has always been the dysfunctional idea that results from within a group that seeks harmony and conformity. Groupthink has been seen in Salem, MA, specifically in The Crucible, where townsfolk would go around accusing women, often innocent, of witchcraft. It has also been seen during the Red Scare, where Senator McCarthy would create a list of celebrities and other well-known people that he would accuse of being communists in the United States. At the time, Americans were against the idea of the communists and communism due to the fact that the Soviet Union, which had a communist government, was threatening to bomb the US. Thus, anyone who was
From the Velasquez excerpt he explains Janis definition of Group think which refers to the susceptibility of groups of people to get increasingly out of touch with reality (Janis 84). Velasquez believes the main cause of groupthink is socials pressures within the group due to the group wanting to get along and keep harmony (Janis 84). When a group really wants to have a good standing relationship with each other they could possibly just agree on something to not upset the others, or to make them not like them for their beliefs and not agreeing resulting in them not evaluating the situation. This negatively affects ones decision making outcome. Groupthink as any other problem has symptoms and we will go over each of these.
Classified as part of the Dramatic Personality Disorder, a Narcissistic Personality Disorder is based on the extremity of self-admiration. The origin of the specific personality disorder comes from the Greek root word “narcissism,” which is based on Greek mythology of Narcissus who was a man that fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. The cause of the illness is unknown, however professional mental health doctors believe the condition may be due to how a child was raised. When still in the adolescent years, excessive unconditional or an insufficient amount of love from the parents may be the cause of the disorder. Early signs of the mental illness can be spotted by adulthood. The majority of the people who are diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder show symptoms such as being conceited and garrulous by exaggerating achievements and goals that are unrealistic while ...
Groupthink was coined by Janis and is defined as “a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group”(Cherry). So people will essentially forgo their beliefs to conform to the group to obtain harmony or if they don’t agree with a group idea they will simply keep quiet about it rather than challenge ideas. Janis classified eight different “symptoms” of groupthink. They are Illusions of invulnerability, which leads the members of the group to take part in risk-taking and become overly optimistic. Unquestioned beliefs, leads the members to ignore the possible aftermath that their decisions can make. Rationalizing, hinders members from recognizing warning signs and from reexamining their own beliefs. Stereotyping, leads the members of the group to criticize or write off any other group who may have differing opinions. Self-censorship, makes group members who may have differing opinions not disclose them to the group. "Mindguards",certain members of the group who are self-appointed censors that withhold information they find may disrupt group consensus. Illusions of unanimity, leads the members of the group to think that everyone believes the same things. Direct pressure, this is put on members to conform when they do end up expressing their own opinions or the rest of the group feels as if they are having differing opinions. Janis’s work was influential because it helped us examine the
In 1972, Irving Janis presented a set of hypothesis that he extracted from observing small groups performing problem solving tasks; he collectively referred to these hypotheses as groupthink¹. He defined groupthink as “a quick and easy way to refer to 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 action²” A successful group brings varied ideas, collective knowledge, and focus on the task at hand. The importance of groups is to accomplish tasks that individuals can not do on their own. The Bay of Pigs, Watergate, and the Challenger disaster are all forms of failure within a group. Specifically, you can see the effect of groupthink of Americans before September 11, 2001. The thought of harm to the United States was unfathomable, but only after the attacks did they realize they were not invincible. When a solid, highly cohesive group is only concerned with maintaining agreement, they fail to see their alternatives and any other available options. When a group experiences groupthink, they may feel uninterested about a task, don't feel like they will be successful, and the group members do not challenge ideas. Stress is also a factor in the failure of groupthink. An effective group needs to have clear goals, trust, accountability, support, and training. Some indicators that groupthink may be happening are; making unethical decisions, they think they are never wrong, close-minded about situations, and ignore important information. Many things can be done to prevent groupthink from happening. One way is to make each person in the group a “critical evaluator”. The leader must ...
Lord, R. (2000). Leadership. In A. E. Kazdin (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychology, vol. 4. (pp. 499-505). Doi:10.1037/10519-216
In several cases, folks will set aside their personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the group. Group-think influences police officer’s rationalizations for some behaviors by preventing members of the group from reconsidering their beliefs while causing them to ignore warning signs. Group-think tends to occur more in situations where group members are very similar to one another and is more likely to take place when a powerful and charismatic leader commands the group. Situations in which the group is placed under extreme stress or where moral dilemmas exist also increase the occurrence of groupthink (Haberfeld et al.2014,
Firstly, what is exactly narcissism? The word ‘narcissism’ was derived from an ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. Narcissus was depicted as a handsome young man who adored his looks very much. Many young maidens fell in love with him but he criticizes them for being too ugly for him. One day, he fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. However, he accidentally drowned himself as he tried to touch his reflection. Hence, the word ‘narcissism’ is usually depicted as a personality that reflects excessive of self-love on oneself. Individuals who are narcissistic are usually described as somebody who is selfish, snobbish or proud. This is because narcissistic individual processes information obtained differently than others. They believe that they deserve more than others since they think they are more superior in every aspect. Due to their sense of grandiosity, they will do anything in order t...
Narcissism is a problem according to many psychologists. This self-absorption has become a problem in society. According to the research of Sarah Konrath,
According to Webber, narcissists are normal people victimized by “an overused label”; in fact, narcissists have healthy egos who “happen to indulge in the occasional selfie, and talk about their accomplishments” (Webber 54). She strategically organizes the quotes of many experts to give a more favourable sense of the word, clarifying that narcissism not only makes people feel good about themselves, but it also boosts confidence and helps individuals “take risks, like seeking a promotion or asking out an attractive stranger” (Webber 55). She also makes the persuasive point that individuals are more narcissistic in their earlier years of adulthood, making an ethical observation that “young adulthood is a time when people are largely free of responsibilities, either to their family of origin or the family they will eventually establish” (Webber 60, 61). These are the times when people are free to pursue an independent life and make independent decisions without the restraints of family to hold them back. Although narcissism is a natural part of an individual’s personality, Webber does point out that, too much of it can become a
Normally in a group, the work will be divided into the number of members in the group and may be arranged to each of the members to receive the part where they are more confident and have more knowledge of it. In addition, if a member is confused with their work, he can receive assistance from his teammates rather than just being alone and figure it himself independently. However, I believe sometimes been in a group can have its cons. A common pitfall associated with working as a group is disagreement about the way something is being done, a particular issue, or an opinion. Sometimes one member might have his own beliefs and want to perform a task in their way and conflict can arise from this. Once conflict arises, the members can discuss their own opinions and might arrive to a solution, but this can cause a member to not show their full potential because something was not done the way they wanted. I believe this is very common but if you are open minded, it can be overcome for the sake of the team to be
What is groupthink? There is a simple definition for it, but is it truly that simple? The term groupthink refers to the inclination of group members to have the same opinions and beliefs; it frequently leads to mistakes. It often occurs without an individual being aware of it. Conflict is considered to be a harmful element when related to groups, but conflict is good when considering groupthink because it helps to eliminate the existence of a groupthink. The explanation sounds simple enough, but it is more complex than the description given.
We learned about the phenomenon of Groupthink, which is a group usually makes decisions that are proven disastrous and in hindsight people agree that it is flawed from the onset. Groupthink as we have learned can happen anywhere from being with friends which we call peer pressure, to companies, corporations and especially government institutions. For our learning journal assignment, we have to find and read or own examples of groupthink disasters and the one that came to mind to me was Coca-Cola’s changing of the Coca-Cola’s recipe in the 80’s. The question that popped in my mind is, is that an example of groupthink decision making?
A definition of the ‘groupthink’ concept is “a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action”. The group’s thoughts are linked to a narrow set of options. The initial objects are never reviewed or challenged. External experts are not sought after. Which in turn leads to a poorer solution or
There are plenty problems within team decision-making. According to McShane and Von Glinow the four most common problems in team decision-making are: time constraints, evaluation apprehension, pressure to conform, and groupthink (256). Time Constraints refers to the fact that a team requires more time to come to a conclusion than an individual. That is because team members have to communicate with each other about their ideas, and also have to debate about these i...