Chapter 14 The Group

Question 1

Author

Answer 1

Janis

Question 2

Tradition(2)

Answer 2

Socio-psychological and socio-cultural

Question 3

Context(2)

Answer 3

Small group, organizational

Question 4

approach to knowing

Answer 4

Positivist/emperical

Question 5

Overall theory

Answer 5

High cohesive groups(group over individual opinion) fail to consider alternatives. When group members think alike, they tend to avoid sharing unpopular or dissimilar ideas even though it may be a better option to maintain a group identity

1. Conditions in groups promote high (group) cohesiveness
2. Group problem solving is primarily a unified process
   Often affiliative constraints: when members withhold their input or opinion rather than rejected from the group
3. Groups and group decision making are frequently complex. Different ages, competitive nature, size of group, leaderships style, cultural background.
   But two heads are better than one. Homogeneity (group similarity) makes it easier.

Question 6

affiliative constraints

Answer 6

when members withhold their input rather than face rejection from the group

Question 7

why groups, because group work is complex

Answer 7

two heads are better than one - groups are better problem solvers.

Question 8

Group think in a work place

mission, vision, values

Answer 8

• Mission (Who we are, what we do)
• Vision (Who we want to be, where we want to be)
• Values (What we believe in )
  –> worker represent a firm. Group think in work define and help a person who is new; How to dress, behave for costumers. Follow the firms mission vision
  +follow organisation structure

Question 9

problem-solving groupwhose

Answer 9

main task is to make decisions and provide policy recommendations.

Question 10

task-oriented groups

Answer 10

main goal is to work towards completing jobs assigned to them.

Question 11

goup desicision are complex because?

Answer 11

Different ages, competitive nature, size of group, leaderships style, cultural background and who to have which roles

Question 12

first conditions promoting groupthink - Cohesiveness

Answer 12

lead to positive feelings. A cultural value that places emphasis on the group over the individual. “Cohesiveness is the degree of mutual interest among [group] members

Question 13

second conditions promoting groupthink - Specific structural characteristics of the environment in which the group functions (4)

Answer 13

1) Group insulation: group unaffected by outside world, even if it would b relevant or not, help or not.
2) A lack of impartial leadership: led by people who put their personal agendas first.
3) Lack of decision making procedures. Failure to provide norms for solving group issues.
4) Homogeneity of member’s background: Without diversity of background and experience, it may be difficult to debate critical issues.

Question 14

last conditions promoting groupthink - Stressful internal and external characteristics of the situation

internat/external

Answer 14

internal: just do what the first the best said (leader maybe) -do as the group does, or we don’t like you.
external: stick together against something…

Question 15

symptoms of groupthink

Answer 15

• when people believe a group is and can be more than it is
• The member are good and then the decision can only be good
• people ignore differences and poor group desicions
• go along to get along
• silence =agree
• pressure member who think something else than the majority

Question 16

prevent group talk

Answer 16

whistle-blowing: report unethical or illegal behavior to others
conscientious objectors: group member who refuse to participate because it would violate personal conscious.

Question 17

Critic - scope

Answer 17

defined only to decision maker groups, so could be defined as narrow, even though it has been used in different group types

Question 18

Critic - testability

Answer 18

hard to test because some concept are not well-defined and the symptoms are not all with groupthink

Question 19

critic - heurism

Answer 19

used in various fields e.g about studentkilling abuse cover up …

Question 20

Critic - test of time

Answer 20

still get a great deal of attention, and still a relevant subject to investigate.

Question 21

other personal

Answer 21

Relevant because i think group think can easily happen in stressed environments were the goal is to fit in or to survive(have a good time as possible) Like the movie the wave, an experiment about how people get convents that this cult is the place to be, and there is punishment for the people who dont join and support it. Its to replicate what happen in nazi times with hitler. Show that it can somehow easily happen again.

Research methodology - too individual.

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