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Decision Making within groups

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The CEO has been extremely frustrated with what has been occurring within the organization lately. In a recent manager meeting he exclaimed, "Everyone around this place just follows the status quo. No one ever has any unique ideas on how we can make this organization better. You just sit here and wait for me to give you directions on what to do. Then you follow those directions word for word without asking any questions or making any improvements. We need to change this attitude and change it quickly." He then pointed out each of your group members and said, "You are in charge of fixing this and I want a strategy to fix this on my desk in one week!"

Your group knows that this happens often in organizations:

Can this type of behavior best be explained using group think, social comparison theory, conformity, group polarization, or a combination of explanations? you need to attempt to arrive at a consensus decision regarding which theory best frames or explains why this is occurring in the organization. Following the group deliberation, your group needs to develop the strategic plan for the CEO. This strategic plan should address the following:

What social psychological theory or theories best explains what is occurring within the organization and why?
What can people do to avoid a group or mob mentality (such as deindividuation or groupthink)?
An explanation of at least three changes that can be made within the organization to improve the current conditions that the CEO is concerned about.

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What social psychological theory or theories best explains what is occurring within the organization and why?

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What social psychological theory or theories best explains what is occurring within the organization and why?

Groupthink appears to be occurring in the above mentioned scenario. Groupthink is a concept that was identified by Irving Janis that refers to faulty decision-making in a group. Groups experiencing groupthink do not consider all alternatives and they desire unanimity at the expense of quality decisions. In other words, the group does not critically analyze or test various alternatives, primarily to avoid conflict and thus, fail to chose the best possible decision. The correct decision is being sacrificed to achieve consensus. The primary consequence of groupthink is obviously faulty decision making. In other words, groupthink often ...

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Sandeep Bardia, MBA
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  • BCom, SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi
  • MBA, Rochester Institute of Technology
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