Avoiding Groupthink with the Rail Project
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Your tight-knit engineering team has been working on the community's maglev rail project for three years. The completion deadline is in two weeks. While the project has been plagued with challenges such as inferior equipment, bad weather and cost overruns, it looks as if it may make the projected target date (planned to coincide with the new mayor's inaugural address) for the unveiling. Your team has just overcome a major hurdle of the project and has gone out for a well-deserved celebration.
Before leaving to join your team, you discover that one of the magnetic devices is not working properly - a problem that will delay the project another 6 -12 months.
How would you approach the situation and avoid the problem of Groupthink?
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Solution Summary
The solution outlines ways to prevent groupthink when a rail project goes sour.
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First of all, I would let my team celebrate without discussing the new problem. If they've recently overcome a hurdle, there is no need in ruining their fun tonight. Additionally, I plan to have them work in a special manner later that, if they are all together discussing solutions tonight, it might impede their critical thinking skills tomorrow (they will begin to reach conclusions without studying the problem and groupthink will already begin).
Since the ...
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