The boxes on the left lay out the preconditions for a concurrenceseeking tendency to. A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascos 1972. These cases included 1 the decision in 1941 by admiral kimmel and his. After the publication of janis book victims of groupthink in 1972, and a revised edition with the title groupthink. According to irving janis 1972, 1982, groupthink occurs. Groupthink learn about the negative impact of groupthink. In short, groupthink is more likely to occur in times of high stress. The theory of groupthink was first developed by the social psychologist irving janis in his classic 1972 study, victims of groupthink. Groupthink theory and its implications for group decision making methods. Access to society journal content varies across our titles. Groupthink principles and fundamentals in organizations journal. Groupthink was made famous by irving janis in his book victims of groupthink. Janis 1972 groupthink formulation was tested in the laboratory by manipulating group cohesiveness and adequacy of decision procedures in a factorial design.
In 1967 janis was awarded the sociopsychological prize by the. Since the president himself had also taken a presumptive position it was perhaps difficult for them to unequivocally express their reservation to the idea of invasion which had already gained momentum lest they be seen to contradicting the president. In many cases, people will set aside their own personal beliefs or adopt the opinion of the rest of the group. Specifically, we examined evidence of antecedent conditions, groupthink symptoms, and decisionmaking defects.
He has clearly stated in his journals that the effects of such utilization in organizational matters caused rather a huge impact on the organizations sense of coherence and unanimity rather than focusing on certain specified objectives and developmental goals, resulting into a web of complicated ideas which only adheres to ideas of the imperialists and are. Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist irving janis 1972, occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration. Groupthink is a term first used in 1972 by social psychologist irving l. Irving l janis janis identifies the causes and fateful consequences of groupthink, the process that takes over when decisionmaking bodies agree for the sake of agreeing to abandon their critical judgment. Janis gave the following definition of groupthink gt. A psychological study of foreign policy decisio and fiascoes by irving l. Effects of groupthink on tactical decisionmaking by major phillip m. Groupthink principles and fundamentals in organizations. Janis believes that groups mostly make decisions with profound consequences, and although he focused his efforts on foreign policy groups, the application of groupthink terminology resonates in many other decisionmaking groups. Irving janis developed a study on group decision making based on human social behavior in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is felt as more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner. This article summarizes the groupthink concept and provides an overview of the diversity of views regarding groupthinks validity.
Groupthink in the iraq invasion counter the groupthink that had built up. Avoiding groupthink will help many professionals reach sounder business decisions. In his book victims of groupthink, janis 1972, 1982 argued that extreme. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the. In a groupthink situation, each member of the group attempts to conform his or her opinions to what they believe to be the consensus of the group. Agents with anticipatory preferences, linked through an interaction. These events included nazi germanys decision to invade the soviet union in 1941, the watergate scandal and countless others. Groupthink according to irving janis 1982 is a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment, that results from ingroup pressure all academic inc. Kennedy asked after he and a close group of advisors had blundered into the bay of pigs invasion.
A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes janis, irving lester on. Groupthink by irving janis early draft how could we have been so stupid. Jan 16, 2020 groupthink is a term first used in 1972 by social psychologist irving l. A psychological study of foreign policy decisions and fiascoes by irving l.
Janis several times set out lists of the symptoms of groupthink, and his lengthy study included much analysis of its other attributes. Evaluating janis groupthink model of faulty decision making. Esser lamar university this article provides a summary of empirical research on groupthink theory. A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes. A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes, which focused on the psychological mechanism behind foreign policy decisions such as the pearl harbor bombing, the vietnam war, and the bay of pigs. A psychological study of foreign policy decisions and fiascoes. For janis 1972 the answer was to be found in the characteristics of the context within which the decision was made. This article summarizes the groupthink concept and provides an overview of the diversity of views regarding groupthink s validity.
How to avoid groupthink nine suggestions for avoiding groupthink are the following janis, 1982. He theorised that groupthink only emerged when group members were faced with a decision task in a. A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes, which focused on the psychological mechanism behind foreign policy decisions such as the pearl harbor bombing, the vietnam war, and the bay of pigs invasion. Janis published an influential book in 1972, which was revised in 1982. Pdf on jun 1, 1991, pault hart and others published irving l. In an unprecedented way, janis applied ideas from smallgroup analysis to the explanation of policy fiascoes. Developedbyjanis 1972,thenotionofgroupthinkhas bridged the gap from the realm of academics into popular culture. Janis in 1972, and elaborates it into a revised model, using a broad range. Janis s groupthink concept 1982 1972 is based on such factors as high group morale and selfesteem, which lead to conformity, rejection of dissent, failure to appreciate other points of view, lower likelihood of seeking information or advice from outside the group, and so on. And, finally, different group decisionmaking techniques can be used to limit the effects of groupthink and other problems inherent in shared decision making. Groupthink is a phenomenon in which the ways of approaching problems or matters are dealt by the consensus of a group rather than by individuals acting independently.
Janis victims of groupthink paul t hart1 introduction victims of groupthink. Janis s groupthink quick reference groupthink was made famous by irving janis in his book victims of groupthink. We performed a lexisnexis search of the term and found literally hundreds of hits. Irving lester janis may 26, 1918 november 15, 1990 was a research psychologist at yale university and a professor emeritus at the university of california, berkeley most famous for his theory of groupthink which described the systematic errors made by groups when making collective decisions. Psychological studies of policy decisions and fiascoes in 1982, the concept of groupthink was used by whom. Diverse perspectives on the groupthink theory a literary. A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascos 1972 and his revised edition in 1982. Guarding against groupthink in the professional work. Groupthink occurs when a homogenous highly cohesive group is so concerned with maintaining unanimity that they fail to evaluate all their alternatives and options. Evaluating janis groupthink model of faulty decision. Groupthink decisions, then, like authoritarian decisions, tend. In groupthink developed by the social psychologist irving janis in his classic 1972 study, victims of groupthink.
If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. To distinguish groupthink from standard mechanisms, there are no complementarities. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. This article is adapted from the authors recent book, victims of groupthink. Groupthink groupthink is a style of thinking that people can engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive group. Janis 1972, studying policy decisions such as the bay of pigs invasion, the cuban missile.
Groupthink a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in group, when the members strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action irving, 1972, p. When groupthink occurs, the desire for group unanimity overrides the motivation to realistically discuss and appraise different alternatives janis, 1972. Oct 10, 2010 groupthink is a theory dedicated to understanding the decision making process in small groups. Janiss groupthink concept 1982 1972 is based on such factors as high group morale and selfesteem, which lead to conformity, rejection of dissent, failure to appreciate other points of view, lower likelihood of seeking information or advice from outside the group, and so on.
Groupthink is a term coined by psychologist irving janis in 1972 to describe a process by which a group can make bad or irrational decisions. Irving janis introduced the theory of groupthink in his classic study victims of groupthink in 1972. But what janis more generally showed through each of his carefully researched case studies was how this form of collective human psychology operates according to certain clearly identifiable rules. Following is an overview of the characteristics of groupthink developed by janis and utilized in this study. For the last two years i have been studying that question, as it applies not only to the bay of pigs decisionmakers but also to those. Groupthink members see themselves as part of an ingroup working against an outgroup opposed to their goals. Groupthink is a term developed by social psychologist irving janis in 1972 to describe faulty decisions made by a group due to group pressures. In an unprecedented way, janis applied ideas from smallgroup analysis to the explana tion of policy fiascoes. He made plausible the hypothesis that each of these events can, to a considerable extent, be attributed to the occurrence of a very. You can tell if a group suffers from groupthink if it.
After the publication of janis book victims of groupthink, in 1972, the concept of groupthink was used to explain many other faulty decisions in history. Irving lester janis developed a study on decision making based on human social behavior in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is felt more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner. Groupthink is the name given to a theory or model that was extensively developed by irving janis 1972 to describe faulty decision making that can occur in groups as a result of forces that bring a group together group cohesion. Janis wrote or cowrote more than a dozen books, including psychological stress 1958, victims of groupthink 1972, decision making 1977, groupthink 1982, and crucial decisions 1989. Janis originally defined groupthink as a mode of thinking that people engage. Effects of cohesiveness and problemsolving procedures on group decision making. Groupthink is a theory dedicated to understanding the decision making process in small groups. He attempted to determine why groups, often consisting of individuals with exceptional intellect and talent, made irrational decisions. Janis that refers to a psychological phenomenon in which people strive for consensus within a group. Janis uses several case studies of what he considers to be groupthink the bay of pigs invasion, the escalation of the korean war in 1950, the attack on pearl harbor while the fortress slept, and escalation of the viet nam war. Janis, 1972 bay of pigs, north narrative descriptions used argued that five korea, pearl to develop and.
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