Groupthink

How it is used

Use critically for suppressed doubts or untested assumptions; agreement alone does not demonstrate groupthink.

Example sentences

1. The adviser warned of groupthink when nobody challenged the chairman's optimistic forecast.

   Silence may reflect pressure to agree rather than independent evaluation.

2. Inviting written objections before the meeting helped the team guard against groupthink.

   A route for dissent makes hidden concerns available for discussion.

Common collocations

• avoid groupthink
• challenge groupthink

Related terms

• consensusGeneral agreement among all or most members of a group, reached through discussion, so that people can support a decision even if it was not their first choice.
• psychological safetyA shared belief within a team that people can speak up, ask questions, admit mistakes or disagree without being punished or embarrassed.

More terms: Decision Making

• decision-making
• prioritize
• trade-off
• escalate
• sign off
• risk assessment
• data-driven
• top-down
• gut feeling
• bounded rationality
• satisficing
• escalation of commitment