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Groupthink (Communication)
A thinking process in which the members of an in-group (organization) hold a set of beliefs to maintain cohesiveness against appraising opposing, rational information and bad outcomes. As a result, the group may make a very quick decision that is irrational. Individual decisions are not recognized. The goal is to minimize conflict. William H. Whyte coined the term groupthink in 1952 in Fortune:
Groupthink being a coinage, and, admittedly, a loaded one, a working definition is in order. We are not talking about mere instinctive conformity. It is, after all, a perennial failing of mankind. What we are talking about is a rationalized conformity, an open, articulate philosophy which holds that group values are not only expedient by right and good as well. (p. 89)
Irving Janis (1972) originated the scholarly study of groupthink with his case studies of flawed decision making by the government, including the Bay of Pigs Invasion under the John F. Kennedy administration and the Watergate Scandal under President Richard M. Nixon. Groupthink is particularly prevalent in organizations with strong in-group cohesive decision makers who place importance on conformity and unanimity.
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