Discussion: View Thread

  • 1.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-17-2010 08:54
    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong preference for a particular decision. While I'm aware of the more commonly prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in power. If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own career? Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567


  • 2.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-17-2010 12:48
    Dear Violet,
    This is a skill that is developed over time, but a must (in my opinion) for anyone whether or not they are serving in positions of official leadership or as individual contributors.

    In my experience (22 yrs in the corporate world), one highly-effective tactic is asking questions.

    For example, the leader believes the best decision is to partner with  Company X. However, you (or other members of the team in the room), have experience or knowledge to suggest this may not be the best decision.
    An approach to get the dialogue started (without openly objecting with your boss), follows:

    1. Ask a question – any one of the following could help get the information out  on the table or the discussion started.

    Why do you believe this company will make the best partner?
    Has anyone in the room worked with this company before?
    Does anyone know about how this company may serve as a partner?
    What is the most important thing we want from a partner?, etc.

    The nature of these types of open-ended questions can help create dialogue around a topic that everyone may be afraid to introduce.

    2. Know your boss. (Watch/listen)

    A. Is your boss the type of individual to make a decision and then change his/her mind later?
    B. Do they "pounce" when openly questioned?

    All of these are indicators of the best way to approach the discussion.

    If the boss is one to reflect, think, and then change a decision, you might ask a follow-up question later – in the next meeting. (eg: Do you still think Company X is the right partner?)

    If the boss "pounces" when questioned, as a young person, new to the organization, it is usually effective to simply ask for 10 minutes in private to understand the decision (approach from a mentor/mentee perspective) - with the desire to learn and understand. While I have worked for some very difficult bosses, I was never turned down when I approached him/her with respect and the desire to learn.

    3. Use the phrase, "help me understand".....

    Often a question posed with the lead in, "Help me understand, why we believe Company X is best" is another way to getting a question out there in an unthreatening way. This approach is effective because it is not directed at the decision-maker.

    Finally,

    be ready, sometimes you cannot change the outcome. After all, the boss is paid to make decisions.  

    I applaud your student for asking this question. It is a vital topic for young professionals to understand.
    Best,
    Stacy McCracken


    _________________________________

    Stacy L. McCracken
    Chief Development Officer
    Continuing & Innovative Education
    The University of Texas at Austin
    512-232-5148
    stacy.mccracken@austin.utexas.edu

    http://www.utexas.edu/cie






    On 9/17/10 7:53 AM, "Ho, Violet" <vho@RICHMOND.EDU> wrote:

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong preference for a particular decision.  While I'm aware of the more commonly prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in power.  If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own career?  Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet    

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567



  • 3.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-17-2010 12:53
    Violet,

    Have you read:

    The Art of Followership: How Great Followers Create Great Leaders and Organizations, edited by Ron Riggio, Ira Chaleff, and Jean Lipman-Blumen.

    Part three (about the pitfalls and challenges of followership) talks about toxic leaders, kinds of leaders and followers, even whistle blowing. This might be very relevant to what you are looking for.



    Rodger Adair, Project Director
    Continuous Quality Improvement
    University of Phoenix / Central Administration
    Office of Institutional Assessment / 4605 E. Elwood St. / MS AA-T710 / Phoenix, AZ 85040
    Phone: (602) 557-7035 / fax: 602-383-9368 / email: rodger.adair@apollogrp.edu

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Ho, Violet
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 5:54 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong preference for a particular decision. While I'm aware of the more commonly prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in power. If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own career? Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567


    This message is private and confidential. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and remove it from your system.


  • 4.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-17-2010 13:25
    One option would be to get them to watch "12 Angry Men" if possible (unlikely) and discuss. Another would be to have them read "Dialogue" from Organizational Dynamics issue on the same about how to get group ideas out from the silence and use the techniques described in there. But if the leader is determined to get his/her solution, these won't help. Can you identify the consequences of the proposed actions and present them clearly? If not, maybe it's just a matter of opinion?

    Jim
    James G. S. Clawson
    Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration
    Tel: 434 924-7488
    Fax: 434 243-7680
    Mail: Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906
    Packages: 100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903
    Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/Clawsonj


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Ho, Violet
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 8:54 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong preference for a particular decision. While I'm aware of the more commonly prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in power. If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own career? Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567


  • 5.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-17-2010 13:41
    What about suggesting that some external stakeholders be engaged as a part
    of the decision making process (e.g., customers, suppliers, other business
    units, other functional areas, other relevant experts from outside the
    group, etc... -- individuals from any groups that increase the diversity of
    perspectives being considered)?


    Robert C. McNamee
    Rutgers Business School
    Department of Management and Global Business
    Phone: 201-792-2695
    Mobile: 201-674-6137
    Webpage: http://mcnameephd.pbworks.com/


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Clawson, Jim
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 1:25 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    One option would be to get them to watch "12 Angry Men" if possible
    (unlikely) and discuss. Another would be to have them read "Dialogue" from
    Organizational Dynamics issue on the same about how to get group ideas out
    from the silence and use the techniques described in there. But if the
    leader is determined to get his/her solution, these won't help. Can you
    identify the consequences of the proposed actions and present them clearly?
    If not, maybe it's just a matter of opinion?

    Jim
    James G. S. Clawson
    Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration
    Tel: 434 924-7488
    Fax: 434 243-7680
    Mail: Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906
    Packages: 100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903
    Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/Clawsonj


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Ho, Violet
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 8:54 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team
    member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink
    in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong
    preference for a particular decision. While I'm aware of the more commonly
    prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's
    advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in
    power. If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can
    a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own
    career? Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567


  • 6.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-17-2010 13:47
    Violet,

    If this MBA student is fcaing this type of situation, it might time for him to find a different job because it is generally more difficult to get rid of the hard headed "leader." But other than taking this drastic step, it might be necessary for your student to approach someone higher than his leader and see if that can work, and hope that the leader never finds out. It could be that your student is really in a no-win situation, and his future with that company might be very short. In this case, see might first recommendation.

    Thanks,

    Ivan


    Dr. R. Ivan Blanco
    Department of Management
    McCoy College of Business Administration
    Texas State Univeristy - San Marcos
    San Marcos, TX 78666
    Voice (512) 245-1842 - Fax (512) 245-2850
    E-mail rb39@txstate.edu

    "Las naciones marchan hacia el término de su grandeza, con el mismo paso que camina su educación."
    "Nations march toward their greatness at the same pace as their educational systems evolve." -- Simon Bolivar
    ________________________________________
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Ho, Violet [vho@RICHMOND.EDU]
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 7:53 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong preference for a particular decision. While I'm aware of the more commonly prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in power. If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own career? Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567


  • 7.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-18-2010 17:03
    Why not have team members from the other teams come in to be critical observers and give feedback. This would be a full circle lesson!
    Dr. Bonnie Garson

    --- On Fri, 9/17/10, Robert McNamee <rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:

    From: Robert McNamee <rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU>
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Date: Friday, September 17, 2010, 5:40 PM

    What about suggesting that some external stakeholders be engaged as a part
    of the decision making process (e.g., customers, suppliers, other business
    units, other functional areas, other relevant experts from outside the
    group, etc... -- individuals from any groups that increase the diversity of
    perspectives being considered)?


    Robert C. McNamee
    Rutgers Business School
    Department of Management and Global Business
    Phone: 201-792-2695
    Mobile: 201-674-6137
    Webpage: http://mcnameephd.pbworks.com/


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Clawson, Jim
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 1:25 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    One option would be to get them to watch "12 Angry Men" if possible
    (unlikely) and discuss.  Another would be to have them read "Dialogue" from
    Organizational Dynamics issue on the same about how to get group ideas out
    from the silence and use the techniques described in there.  But if the
    leader is determined to get his/her solution, these won't help.  Can you
    identify the consequences of the proposed actions and present them clearly?
    If not, maybe it's just a matter of opinion? 

    Jim
    James G. S. Clawson
    Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration
    Tel: 434 924-7488
    Fax: 434 243-7680
    Mail: Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906
    Packages: 100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903
    Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/Clawsonj


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Ho, Violet
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 8:54 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team
    member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink
    in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong
    preference for a particular decision.  While I'm aware of the more commonly
    prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's
    advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in
    power.  If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can
    a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own
    career?  Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567



  • 8.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-19-2010 00:29
    The problem with the devil's advocate method is that it tends to scarifies team satisfaction because it can cause stress for team members (especially for those who are selected as the devil's advocate) and create unnatural friction among team members (Van Dyne & Saavedra, 1996).
     
    In my recent paper, we talked about having a high level of team learning goal orientation as an alternative to the devil's advocate method. When teams have a high learning goal orientation, minority opinion holders were more likely to speak up their different opinions and teams had a better team discussion, which in turn, led to higher team decision quality and team satisfaction (J Appl Psychol. 2010 Sep;95(5):824-33).

    You can increase team's learning goal orientation by giving teams some instructions on values of learning from each others, and values of learning from making mistakes.

    Guihyun Park

    On Sun, Sep 19, 2010 at 4:02 AM, Bonnie Garson <bonniegarson@yahoo.com> wrote:
    Why not have team members from the other teams come in to be critical observers and give feedback. This would be a full circle lesson!
    Dr. Bonnie Garson

    --- On Fri, 9/17/10, Robert McNamee <rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU> wrote:

    From: Robert McNamee <rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU>

    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Date: Friday, September 17, 2010, 5:40 PM


    What about suggesting that some external stakeholders be engaged as a part
    of the decision making process (e.g., customers, suppliers, other business
    units, other functional areas, other relevant experts from outside the
    group, etc... -- individuals from any groups that increase the diversity of
    perspectives being considered)?


    Robert C. McNamee
    Rutgers Business School
    Department of Management and Global Business
    Phone: 201-792-2695
    Mobile: 201-674-6137
    Webpage: http://mcnameephd.pbworks.com/


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU" target="_blank">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Clawson, Jim
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 1:25 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU" target="_blank">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    One option would be to get them to watch "12 Angry Men" if possible
    (unlikely) and discuss.  Another would be to have them read "Dialogue" from
    Organizational Dynamics issue on the same about how to get group ideas out
    from the silence and use the techniques described in there.  But if the
    leader is determined to get his/her solution, these won't help.  Can you
    identify the consequences of the proposed actions and present them clearly?
    If not, maybe it's just a matter of opinion? 

    Jim
    James G. S. Clawson
    Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration
    Tel: 434 924-7488
    Fax: 434 243-7680
    Mail: Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906
    Packages: 100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903
    Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/Clawsonj


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU" target="_blank">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Ho, Violet
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 8:54 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU" target="_blank">OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team
    member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink
    in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong
    preference for a particular decision.  While I'm aware of the more commonly
    prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's
    advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in
    power.  If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can
    a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own
    career?  Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567




    --
    Guihyun Park
     
    Assistant Professor of Psychology
    School of Social Sciences
    Singapore Management University



  • 9.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-19-2010 14:01
    Dear All, Ray Aldag and Sally Fuller (Psy Bul, 1993?) assessed the validity of Janis GT model, and found it less than convincing. They suggested some alternatives. It might be helpful to go back and look at their article for ideas. Also, tangentially, in the back of my memory, I think that maybe Barry Staw and ? looked at how to overcome Commitment to a Course of Action and as I remember the only thing that worked was forcing the people involved to go back over their decision and justify each step in the DM process. As I recall, most CCA errors were the result of skipping a step.

    Kim Boal
    ________________________________________
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv [OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU] On Behalf Of Guihyun Park [parkguih@GMAIL.COM]
    Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 11:28 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    The problem with the devil's advocate method is that it tends to scarifies team satisfaction because it can cause stress for team members (especially for those who are selected as the devil's advocate) and create unnatural friction among team members (Van Dyne & Saavedra, 1996).

    In my recent paper, we talked about having a high level of team learning goal orientation as an alternative to the devil's advocate method. When teams have a high learning goal orientation, minority opinion holders were more likely to speak up their different opinions and teams had a better team discussion, which in turn, led to higher team decision quality and team satisfaction (J Appl Psychol. 2010 Sep;95(5):824-33).

    You can increase team's learning goal orientation by giving teams some instructions on values of learning from each others, and values of learning from making mistakes.

    Guihyun Park

    On Sun, Sep 19, 2010 at 4:02 AM, Bonnie Garson <bonniegarson@yahoo.com<mailto:bonniegarson@yahoo.com>> wrote:
    Why not have team members from the other teams come in to be critical observers and give feedback. This would be a full circle lesson!
    Dr. Bonnie Garson

    --- On Fri, 9/17/10, Robert McNamee <rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU<mailto:rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU>> wrote:

    From: Robert McNamee <rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU<mailto:rmcnamee@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU>>

    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU<mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    Date: Friday, September 17, 2010, 5:40 PM


    What about suggesting that some external stakeholders be engaged as a part
    of the decision making process (e.g., customers, suppliers, other business
    units, other functional areas, other relevant experts from outside the
    group, etc... -- individuals from any groups that increase the diversity of
    perspectives being considered)?


    Robert C. McNamee
    Rutgers Business School
    Department of Management and Global Business
    Phone: 201-792-2695
    Mobile: 201-674-6137
    Webpage: http://mcnameephd.pbworks.com/


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU<http://us.mc319.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>] On Behalf Of Clawson, Jim
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 1:25 PM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU<http://us.mc319.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    Subject: Re: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    One option would be to get them to watch "12 Angry Men" if possible
    (unlikely) and discuss. Another would be to have them read "Dialogue" from
    Organizational Dynamics issue on the same about how to get group ideas out
    from the silence and use the techniques described in there. But if the
    leader is determined to get his/her solution, these won't help. Can you
    identify the consequences of the proposed actions and present them clearly?
    If not, maybe it's just a matter of opinion?

    Jim
    James G. S. Clawson
    Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration
    Tel: 434 924-7488
    Fax: 434 243-7680
    Mail: Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906
    Packages: 100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903
    Web: http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/Clawsonj


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Organizational Behavior Division Listserv
    [mailto:OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU<http://us.mc319.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>] On Behalf Of Ho, Violet
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 8:54 AM
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU<http://us.mc319.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU>
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team
    member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink
    in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong
    preference for a particular decision. While I'm aware of the more commonly
    prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's
    advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in
    power. If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can
    a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own
    career? Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567





    --
    Guihyun Park

    Assistant Professor of Psychology
    School of Social Sciences
    Singapore Management University
    gracepark@smu.edu.sg<mailto:gracepark@smu.edu.sg>


  • 10.  Team member solutions to groupthink

    Posted 09-20-2010 18:05

    Violet,

     

    One major problem that occurs in this situation is the play of positional power. The team member should express his or her concerns and base those concerns on data. When situations can be measured, it is difficult for even the most hardnosed leader to argue. If the individual possesses the characteristics of a good leader, he or she will listen.  



    Tony Daniel, Ph.D.
    Ashford University
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Violet Ho" <vho@RICHMOND.EDU>
    To: OB@AOMLISTS.PACE.EDU
    Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 8:53:50 AM
    Subject: [OB-LIST] Team member solutions to groupthink

    Dear members,

    One of my MBA students recently asked me about what he as an individual team member (not in a leadership position) can do to curb or prevent groupthink in his work team, particularly when the boss/leader has expressed a strong preference for a particular decision.  While I'm aware of the more commonly prescribed solutions that deal with the leader's role and the use of devil's advocate, these typically require action or intervention by someone in power.  If that leader himself/herself is perpetuating groupthink, what can a regular team member do without offending the boss or jeopardizing his own career?  Any advice or insights would be much appreciated.

    Many thanks,

    Violet    

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Violet Ho
    Associate Professor
    Robins School of Business
    University of Richmond
    28 Westhampton Way
    Richmond, VA 23173
    Tel: (804) 289-8567