Unit 4 Prompt

Unit 4 Prompt

Author’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Unit 4 Prompt

Prompt 2 – Consider a time that you’ve been part of a small group either in school, at work, or within a friend/family group. Did you notice any elements of “groupthink” in your small group (page 351)? If yes, detail what it felt like, and what if no, write why you think groupthink did not occur in your small group. How did groupthink affect teamwork, group communication, and any other element important in the communication process?

Response

Based on what the class textbook suggests, I conceptualize groupthink as a thought processing phenomenon in the problem-solving process where members of a cohesive group make flawed decisions because of group pressures emanating from the aspiration to conform to that group’s outcomes while maintaining group harmony. Some unique characteristics of this phenomenon are a decline in moral judgment, psychological efficacy deterioration, and reality testing deficiencies, all encouraged by members’ zeal to sustain team accord. The effects of groupthink include dysfunctional or irrational decision-making with defective outcomes.

The occasion where I have been part of a small group and witnessed groupthink elements was at my previous workplace. I worked in a five-member team tasked with providing recommendations for functional and technical components of new equipment that my workplace was to acquire. Here, high cohesiveness among group members was evident, which enhanced strong feelings of commonality, the desire to preserve group harmony, and the passion for maintaining group relationships, culminating in groupthink. Groupthink affected our group communication negatively because we were pressured to conform to views expressed by our group leader and members, even the flawed ones. Groupthink influenced problem-solving negatively by making some of our decisions irrational. Groupthink stifled teamwork amongst us because the conformity bias hindered independent and creative thinking.