In many management and organizational behavioral books, groupthink & # 39; is a key concept that is being studied, and yet this is something that we all sometimes become victims without even realizing.
A cited classic example of a group mentality approach that led to a catastrophic result - the invasion of pig bay by American forces in the 1960s. This incident occurred during the Kennedy administration in the United States. The essence of this was that President Kennedy was informed by all his administrative and military leaders of various agencies about the planned American strike in Cuba to overthrow the Castro government. The culmination of this was that Kennedy decided to continue the strike on many erroneous assumptions that were perpetuated on the grounds that, since the advice was given by the country's top leadership, the advice would be strong and flawless and confident to succeed.
The consequence of the decision made by Kennedy on the basis of these prescriptions was a complete failure, which led to a humiliating defeat for the United States.
This case has been used repeatedly as a classic case study of the consequences and consequences of adopting a group idea. mentality. However, the story is dotted with countless examples of destructive campaigns, events, and ideas that were born out of the group, a mindset.
Today, many organizations still have to fear becoming a victim of a group. an attitude. But this can be avoided by considering the following recommendations:
Play Devil's Advocate
When making decisions based on past experience, assumptions, theories and evidence that were not fully substantiated, it is always good that several people in a group play the devil's advocate. This is when several members of a group or groups get a free run to analyze everything that is being discussed to see how the plan may fail. However, it is important to note that the person playing the devil's advocate should not be too carried away, so every item that is brought up is reduced.
Engage in thinking thinking
This is the process of going through the steps or steps of the decision-making process one by one to determine how the decision to be made can be further refined and improved, or think about possible solutions. In the process, there may be opportunities for more efficient and successful decision making.
Implementation of contingency plan
There is no such thing as a “best plan.” Every plan that may ever be conceived will somehow be fraught with loopholes and flaws that may not appear until they are put into action. That is why many organizations are trying to develop a contingency plan. A contingency plan should be able to give a different perspective on the situation. There should be an alternative and effective idea. Even if you cannot immediately understand at the decision-making stage, it is important that the team leader thinks about and, possibly, comes up with one of them when the process or actions taken are continued.
Be careful
Another reason for the grouping mentality to raise its ugly head is a subtle thing called an ego. Everybody has it. & # 39; & # Ego 39; this is what happens through a person’s life experience, knowledge in the field of knowledge, skills and social status in society. When you have a room full of successful people, you will inevitably have a room. There is nothing wrong. After all, each individual in the group showed his own goal in achieving success. But it is important to understand that the ego can sometimes interfere with your rationality and your ability to see things from a different paradigm.
To avoid falling prey into a group, you must test your ego and learn to remember others and their points of view. Often, people at the bottom of the corporate ladder can give a better view on a topic than people at the top. Therefore, you need to be open to the proposal and learn to take different points of view before criticizing them immediately.
Reframe capabilities
In the corporate world, enterprises are constantly looking for opportunities. Opportunities either knock on the door, or you create them yourself. Whatever the situation, the opportunity is as effective as your ability to maximize your potential in using it. To do this, you need to reconsider the possibility that you have something workable and measurable. You have to look at how you will succeed, and the circumstances when you can simply fail. Every time you decide to take action, you know that you considered all the relevant factors and should have reduced the likelihood of poisoning by the grouping process.
Remember, Groupthink & # 39; is due to structured thinking, which does not allow differences in error and reinforcement.
