Groupthink describes a mode of thinking in which members of a cohesive group put agreement ahead of a realistic look at the alternatives.
Where it comes from
William H. Whyte used the word in Fortune in 1952. Yale psychologist Irving Janis turned it into a theory in 1972, analyzing U.S. foreign-policy fiascoes such as the Bay of Pigs invasion and contrasting them with better-handled decisions like the Cuban missile crisis.¹ Janis listed warning signs, among them an illusion of invulnerability, self-censorship, pressure on dissenters and "mindguards" who shield the leader from unwelcome information.
Where it goes wrong
The label gets attached to almost any decision a group agrees on. Janis described specific conditions: high cohesion, insulation from outside views and a leader who signals a preferred answer early. Tests of the full model have produced mixed results,² while his practical remedies remain widely used.
Talent Takeaway
- In your next decision meeting, speak last.
- Ask one person to make the case against the favored option, and rotate that role so it carries no stigma. Janis recommended both.
- For those of us who develop others, a team in which every voice is heard keeps learning, and our invitations to speak up help quieter people find their place.
¹ Janis, I. L. (1972). Victims of groupthink: A psychological study of foreign-policy decisions and fiascoes. Houghton Mifflin.
² Esser, J. K. (1998). Alive and well after 25 years: A review of groupthink research. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 73(2–3), 116–141.
Further reading: Sunstein, C. R., & Hastie, R. (2015). Wiser: Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter. Harvard Business Review Press.