Avoiding Groupthink Essay Example for Free

Avoiding Group intend EssayThe case study we be addressing this week involves how a team and attend director avoid Group look and its pitfalls. In order to understand what congregation return is you have to refer to Irving Janus who coined the phrase backside in 1972. He related that Group Think is when a group makes a finale found on group pressure it can lead to faulty decisions. Janus, 1972) Some of the symptoms that Irving Janus documented of group gestate are Illusion of invulnerability, Collective rationalization, Belief in inherent morality, Stereotyped views of bulge out-groups, Direct pressure on dissenters, Self-censorship, Illusion of unanimity, and Self-appointed mind guards. (Janus, 1972) In our book, Making the Team A Guide for managing directors states that there are three (3) key symptoms that take root and they are Over Estimation of the Group, Closed Mindedness and Pressure towards Uniformity. These provide be the 3 areas I am going to focus on.Over Estimation of the Group presently that we know what group think is we can move on to how a team and Project Manager might avoid the mistakes and downfalls of Group Think situations. (Thompson, 2008) When a team is falling into a group think methodology a Project Manager must be able to recognize the signs before either decisions are made and set in motion. If the group is making statements that start with we feel, we think, or we suspect it is a good indicator that they just dont know or are just chase along with the consensus of the group.Group think can cause problems when everyone goes with the flow especially on a awry(p) decision. In using group think methodology management has to weigh the pros and cons of the groups decision from all sides. Sometimes a little more research prior to implementing a group think decisions should be done or a annoys advocate should be assigned into the group think matrix in order to prevent team members from be led down a garden path.The on e thing I have noticed when in a group think situation, the group always looks for someone to be the mouthpiece for the group, this person usually has strong leadership skills merely can be short sited and very opinionated which rubs off on the group as a whole. Some team members tend to have difficulty explaining or relating what is on their mind in a group setting, they rather tell their ideas one on one because they are an introvert by character They would rather have the extrovert take charge and be the one who voices the opinions or decisions of the group. They tend to preventative out of the lime light.Project Managers should encourage team members to express out concerns or objections to issues that are being discussed and/or considered, he/she should not influence the team with his or her own preferences to the issue, he/she should play the devils advocate and guide conflict in a positive manner, the group should be allowed to be mensurated by other groups and critiqued in an unbiased manner, splitting the group into different sub groups to bring out and investigate different alternative solutions or methods that could be used, call meetings with the group to discuss and evaluate whatever decisions prior to instituting them and develop alternatives for each methodology prior to giving final approvals. (Thompson, 2008)A good Project Manager should keep his group focused on the project at hand, have weekly meetings to drive out progress of his team to ensure that discussions are being conducted that is giving the group the necessary conflict for them to evaluate potential risks and dangers involved with the decisions they are recommending. The Project Manager should make the team aware that they can bring up ideas or doubts about any issue without the fear of being ridiculed or rejected by other team members. The ultimate goal is for the Project Manager to make his team work as a team through having all members contributing their knowledge and skil ls in making the project a success.