Groupthink

An Impediment to Success

Everyone makes decisions in their lives which result in consequences. For individuals, decisions may be made implicitly and without consultation. For groups, making a decision is more complex. Invariably, some group members may want to pursue one course of action, while others may not. Reaching a group decision becomes much more complicated than reaching an individual decision. This is due in part to the nature of groups. Group decision-making is explicit and consultative and conducted primarily by members expressing their opinions based on their knowledge of the topic. The information held by an individual may be viewed differently than that of another group member. The study of group decision-making is two-fold. The first part involves individual action. The individuals who form the group have unique personalities and individual differences that contribute to the group process. The second part is the group dynamic that is created. Just as every individual is unique, so are groups. Every group forms a unique dynamic in which the group forces influence the individuals. How an individual reacts to those forces contributes to the group decision-making process and shapes the ultimate decision.