Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Group Think

[Robin Alexander (alexande.robi]

This post said something I agree with:

"When conditions of fear or threat exist or are suspected, then group
conformity pressures become
 multiplied and punishment for dissent usually becomes harsher."

and was the reason for my earlier statement of surprise that group think
occurs just from amiability and esprit de corps. (And that's still my
reading of the original quote of this thread.) I think that fear of some
sort is a major if perhaps not necessary component.

Robin A.
(no flames please)

-----Original Message-----
From: Joanie Connors [mailto:jvcphd [at] gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2011 12:22 AM
To: Cohousing-L
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Group Think


Groupthink includes all of these examples. It is a very powerful phenomena
that causes even presidents and scholars to contribute to their own
downfall.

The classic definition of groupthink is when group members are drawn to
minimize differences (not express them) in order to avoid conflict, so
they conform to an easy, nondiscerning way of thinking.

Groups that fall into this are generally not very productive, and their
decisions are more prone to errors  (the classic example is the Kennedy
cabinet's decision to stage the Bay of Pigs invasion), because they don't
examine alternatives or consequences. The group mind also becomes less
creative, thinking less outside the box.

When groupthink has taken hold of a group, then those who express minority
opinions (dissent, offer alternatives) are pressured to conform,
scapegoated and/or ejected from the group. It is very painful and leads to
the end of many groups and communities.

When conditions of fear or threat exist or are suspected, then group
conformity pressures become multiplied and punishment for dissent usually
becomes harsher.

Janis is right that a super-nice leadership/core group will often draw
people into groupthink more quickly, but it's not always what happens.
Good leadership can be nice and still encourage people to examine
alternatives. Good leaders can respond positively to dissent, and help
other members to accept and work with those who disagree.

I think the best group leadership balances kindness and encouraging
divergent thinking, including conflict. Conflict is not the problem and
needs to be allowed as long as it's in balance with positive forces (group
spirit, support, resolution...).

Good discussion!
Joanie Connors
Silver City EcoCommunity

On Sat, Jul 2, 2011 at 10:09 PM, Norman Gauss <normangauss [at] charter.net>
wrote:
>
> I have seen group think in action when I have introduced cautions on
> proposals being deliberated in community meetings. I have been branded
> an obstructionist by group leaders if my arguments seem to detract
> from the proposal.
>
>  If the group is enthusiastic, the non-committed people are likely to
> go along with them.   Then the next step is consensus by the end of
> the meeting.  If that does not happen, the proposer may experience
> disappointment, which may weigh on the feelings of the group, thus
> discouraging such an outcome.  Also, if consensus is not reached, the
> community has to re-examine the issue in another meeting, thus risking
> a decline of group interest and patience to re-examine the proposal.
> Therefore, the sooner the community accepts the proposal the better,
> even if there are serious defects that need to be corrected.
>
> Sometimes a special committee may be selected to work on a proposal.
> When the committee finally presents its proposal, there sometimes is
> pressure to accept it because, "They have worked long and hard on it
> and they deserve to have the proposal accepted".
>
> There is usually ovation when a proposal is consensed, as if the
> achievement is passage of the proposal rather taking time to be
> satisfied once passage has occurred.  Sometimes after passage, people
> ask questions on what they have just approved.
>
> Because of group think we have sometimes consensed on proposals on
> which later improvement was needed.  Of course, rehashing an issue can
> be boring to the membership.  If the facilitator does not feel that
> such an item should be put on the agenda because of little interest
> from the group, the item has been known to be omitted.
>
> Norm Gauss
> Oak Creek Commons
> Paso Robles, CA
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robin Alexander [mailto:alexande.robi [at] uwlax.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 8:59 AM
> To: Cohousing-L
> Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Group Think
>
>
> Very interesting and counter-intuitive to me. Where I have seen
> group-think in action, the key characteristics of the group that led
> to it are 1) there is a sense of perceived danger from outside, 2) any
> hint of questioning the emerging policy is seen as disloyalty to the
> group itself (not just the
> policy) and is not to be tolerated. Members who even bring up points
> for consideration are so branded and their ideas are not considered
> and if they persist they may be excluded from the group. This does not
> sound like amiability and esprit de corps to me. It seems to usually
> require a degree of paranoia in the group. It would be very
> interesting (and disturbing) if group-think would tend to arise
> *merely* from the existence of amiability and esprit de corps in the
group.
>
>
>
> Robin A Alexander
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sharon Villines [mailto:sharon [at] sharonvillines.com]
> Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 9:08 AM
> To: Cohousing-L Cohousing-L
> Subject: [C-L]_ Group Think
>
>
>
>
>
> In working on another project I came across the original source of
> "group think".
>
>
>
> "The more amiability and esprit de corps among the members of the of a
> policy-making in-group, the greater is the danger that independent
> critical thinking will be replaced by group-think, which is likely to
> result in irrational and dehumanizing actions directed against and
> out-group." Irving Janis, 1972.
>
>
>
> Sharon
>
> ----
>
> Sharon Villines
>
> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
>
> http://www.takomavillage.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
>
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
>
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
> http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at:
http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/