Case 18 Anaylysis

8/8/2019 Case 18 Anaylysis

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CASE 18 ANAYLYSIS:

GROUPTHINK


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INTRODUCTION

Case describes four independent situations:

1. Improvement of mail processing system at a large

Air Force base.

2. Virginia Turezyns relationship with I-drive (dot-com company) and its eventual bankruptcy.

3. Steve Blanks loss of money invested in a start updue to group think.

4. Michael Useems emphasis on the lack of conflictand the effect of Devils Advocate on groupthink.


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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Groupthink

Factors that lead to groupthink Rationalizing resistance to assumptions

Direct pressure on members who express doubts.

False aspiration for group consensus

Illusion of Unanimity

Lack of conflict

Group Structures: Group norms Size

Status

Cohesiveness


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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Factors that reduce groupthink

Reduce group size.

Group leaders should play impartial role.

Leaders should seek the input of members first and thenexpress their own view.

Appoint a Devils Advocate.

Exercise that stimulate active discussion of alternatives.

First focus on the negatives of a decision.


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THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

INDEPENDENT

VARIABLESINTERVENING

VARIABLE

MODERATING

VARIABLESDEPENDENT

VARIABLE

Factors that

lead togroupthink

GroupStructures:

Norms Size

Status Cohesive

ness

Hawthorne Studies:

AffectsIndividual

behaviortowards false

groupconsensus /

cohesiveness

Factors that

reducegroupthink

Norms

Conformity

GroupInteraction

Groupthink


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FACTORS THAT LEAD TO GROUPTHINK

& WAYS TO REDUCE GROUPTHINK

Factors that lead togroupthink

RationalizingAssumptions

Direct pressure

on members who

express doubts.

False aspiration

for group

consensus Illusion of

Unanimity

Lack of conflict

GROUPTHINK

Factors that reduce groupthink

Reduce group size. Impartial role of group leaders.

Leaders should seek the input of

members first and then express their ownview.

Devils Advocate. Stimulate active discussion of alternatives

Focus on the negatives of a decision.

IndependentVariable

DependentVariable

Moderating Variable


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FACTORS THAT LEAD TO GROUPTHINK

Factors that

lead togroupthink

Groupthink

Factors that

reducegroupthink

Absence of process &

task conflictFalse sense of group

cohesiveness

BPRGP


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STATUS AND GROUPTHINK

Status of group

members GROUPTHINK

NormsConformity

Group Interaction

IndependentVariable

DependentVariable

Moderating Variable


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Degree of

Assertiveness ofHigherstatus

members

Absence ofDiversity of views

expressed by

High status

members

Degree of

assertiveness oflower status

members

Decrease in

diversity ofviews expressedby lower status

members

Diversity of views of

High statusmembers relativeto diversity of views

of low status

members

RDP

RDP


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STATUS AND GROUPTHINK

Lower status members are less likely to bedissenters.

Higher status members are more effective

dissenters.


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GROUP NORMS & GROUP THINK

Group Norms

(Influences)

Hawthorne Studies:

Affects Individualbehavior towards

false group consensus

Groupthink

Independent

Variable

InterveningVariable

DependentVariable


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GROUP NORMS & GROUP THINK

Performance Norms and Social Arrangement Normscan reduce groupthink.

Managers should incorporate factors that reducegroupthink as norms in order to prevent groupthink: Reduce group size.

Group leaders should play impartial role.

Leaders should seek the input of members first and then

express their own view. Appoint a Devils Advocate.

Exercise that stimulate active discussion of alternatives.

First focus on the negatives of a decision.


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GROUP SIZE AND GROUPTHINK

Size and groupthink share a positive linearrelationship.

SIZE GROUPTHINK

SIZE GROUPTHINK

Cohesiveness and groupthink also share a positivelinear relationship.

COHESIVENESS GROUPTHINK

COHESIVENESS GROUPTHINK

Moderate levels of cohesiveness with process and taskconflicts is desirable for groups.


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SIZE, COHESIVENESS & GROUPTHINK

Size and

Cohesiveness

Groupthink

Absence of process &

task conflictFalse sense of group

cohesiveness

BPRGP

Size and

Cohesiveness


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CONCLUSION

Factors that lead to groupthink can be moderatedby the adopting proven strategies that reducegroup think.

Status differences inhibit diversity of ideas andcreativity of groups reducing the groups overallperformance.

Performance and Social Arrangement Norms canreduce groupthink. These norms should be adoptedby managers.


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CONCLUSION

Size and Cohesiveness share a positive linearrelationship with groupthink.

Moderate levels of cohesiveness and group sizealong with the presence of process and taskconflict qualities among group members will

considerably reduce groupthink.

Case 18 Anaylysis

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