WHAT IS HERD MENTALITY - GROUPTHINK
What our nation is experiencing is a phenomenon called groupthink or Herd Mentality. Remember Hitler... Same premise.
Here are some highlights from a paper I wrote about groupthink tailored to the business environment, but is also applicable to our political environment.
According to Griffin (1997),
Janis originally defined groupthink as “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.”
According to his definition, groupthink occurs only when cohesiveness is high. When colleagues operate in a groupthink mode, they automatically apply the “preserve group harmony” test to every decision they face. (¶ 8)
Two symptoms of groupthink that Sullivan (2004) identified include “stereotyped views
of the perceived enemies or competing leaders as weak or incompetent and an unquestioned
belief in the groups’ inherent morality” (¶ 2).
Sullivan (2004) proclaimed (as cited in Manz, 1995), “Notable evidence indicates that cohesive groups (such as self-managing teams) tend to create internal pressures
towards conformity that interfere with constructive critical analysis and ultimately lead to dysfunctional decisions” (¶ 8).
Griffin (1997) declared, “When a group confronts a great threat or a grand opportunity, concurrence-seeking almost always produces an inferior solution” (p. 4).
When a leader makes decisions, determines issues, identifies goals, and implements
corrective measures for a team, groupthink is the result. Groupthink leads to conflict and distrust among the staff and deteriorates the communication and team process. Awareness of groupthink in the team design leads to individual creativity and involvement. Increased ingenuity and participation leads to teamthink.
Teamthink encourages collaboration, debate, and common goals, which positively supports team members and the organization. Teams that have clear objectives and collaborate. under participative rather than directive leadership produce innovative solutions and satisfied workers.
What we are experiencing with Trumpism is groupthink or herd mentality.
Trump Supporters = Herd Mentality or Groupthink
Biden/Harris = Teamthink
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