[SOLVED] Groupthink Analysis and Decision-Making

This assignment provides a comprehensive analysis of groupthink, a phenomenon where a group of individuals make irrational or poor decisions due to a lack of critical thinking and diversity of perspectives. The essay discusses the symptoms of groupthink, including invulnerability, morality, and self-censorship, and how they can lead to flawed decision-making. The assignment also explores the importance of considering multiple opinions and perspectives in decision-making processes, using Adam's investment decision as a case study. By examining the consequences of groupthink and the benefits of diverse perspectives, this essay aims to provide insights into effective decision-making and teamwork.

WORKING IN A BUSINESS
TEAM

Table of Contents
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1(a) Definitions.......................................................................................................................1
1(b) Differences......................................................................................................................1
1(c) Stages of group/team development.................................................................................1
1(d) Contract self-managed and cross-functional teams........................................................2
1(e) Minimize social loafing..................................................................................................2
1(f) Reduce group think..........................................................................................................2
Discuss(a)...............................................................................................................................3
Discuss(b)...............................................................................................................................3
Discuss(c)...............................................................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
2(a) Define Communication and its process..........................................................................3
2(b) ways to reduce communication barriers in the workplace..............................................4
2(c) Strategies to create effective communication atmosphere in the organization...............4
Discuss(a) Flow of message and information in the faculty..................................................4
Discuss(b) Advice to Siti........................................................................................................4
Discuss(c) Opinion.................................................................................................................4
Discuss(d) Improve communication skills.............................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................5
3(a) Define..............................................................................................................................5
3(b) source and element of conflict........................................................................................5
3(c) Effect of conflict.............................................................................................................5
3(d) Conflict process..............................................................................................................5
3(e) Conflict management ways.............................................................................................5
3(f) Define..............................................................................................................................6
3(g) Negotiation strategies.....................................................................................................6
3(h) Negotiation process.........................................................................................................6
Discuss(b) Possible ways to rectify the situation...................................................................6
Discuss(c) Outcomes of this situations...................................................................................6

TASK 4............................................................................................................................................7
4(a) Decision making nature and types..................................................................................7
4(b) Factors influencing decision making..............................................................................7
It is important to have complete information about the situation as it influence the decision
making and quality of decision suffers...................................................................................7
4(c) decision making steps.....................................................................................................7
4(d)Group decision making advantages and disadvantages...................................................8
4(e) define group think and its occurrence in a group............................................................8
4(f) Group think Symptoms....................................................................................................8
Discuss(a) Did Adam made a good decision..........................................................................9
Discuss(b) Will Adam stick to the opinion the has given......................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

TASK 1
1(a) Definitions
Group - A group is defined as two or more than two interdependent and interacting individuals
who are brought together to achieve a specific objective. It can also be defined as collection of
people who coordinate with other individual. Characteristics of group members might differ in
interest values, background etc. Groups can either be formal or informal.
Team – It is a group of people who are brought together to share a common purpose or number
of challenges. All the members of a team are committed to each other and towards the goal.
1(b) Differences
Group Team
 It has only one leader
 All the members are independent
 They focus on accomplishment of
individual goals
 It has more than one leader
 All the members are interdependent
 They focus on accomplishment of team
goals.
1(c) Stages of group/team development
Five stages that team need to go through for development are:
 Forming: In this team members meet each other and introduce themselves. They share
information about themselves and form first impression of each other. They learn about
the project they will be working on and their goals (Peralta and et.al, 2018).
 Storming: This is one of the most important stage for new group/team who are working
with each other for the first time. All the members compete with each other for status,
establishment and acceptance of their ideas. As a result team leader face many challenges
from all the group members but many uncertainties that occur becomes clear in this stage.
All the team members need to focus on the final objective without getting distracted.
 Norming: In this stage all the members start working together more efficiently as a
group/team. They focus on ways of working together and respect each others opinions
and differences. All the team members work together and take responsibility of their
areas.
1

 Performing: In this stage team/group functions at high level. They focus on reaching the
goal as a team/group. They are highly motivated to get their jobs done by relying on each
other. Leader is not involved in decision making, solving problem at this stage.
 Adjourning: This is the final stage where team members move in different directions.
This stage perspective of well-being of a team is seen instead of perspective of managing
team. Leader captures all the best practices for future use or lessons learned by the team.
1(d) Contract self-managed and cross-functional teams
Self-managed teams : This is made up of group of employees working together, who are
accountable for almost all the aspects of their tasks. These team share work and support each
other in the tasks. This group work towards goals that are set for them by outside leader. All the
tasks and responsibilities are determined by the members itself.
Cross-functional team : This team consists of members from various separate departments like
finance, human resource or marketing etc. with special area of expertise working together to
achieve a common goal. This team creates a larger perspective which can create new ideas and
improved solutions. This can also prevent risk and poor outcomes.
1(e) Minimize social loafing
 If some engagement ground rules are set for team members at the starting then the team
gets less push back (Stouten and Liden, 2018).
 Every team member should be given separate assignment so that their contribution is
distinct from each other.
1(f) Reduce group think
Group think is a psychological phenomenon which occurs within group members in which
conformity in group results is irrational.
 Risk plan should be made which include a way to monitor and reduce group think i.e. to
tackle the problem head rather than ignoring it.
 Debate should be encouraged by team leader for challenging of ideas and opinion is
important.
 Different personalities of team members must be present within the group like
unorthodox, problem solver, member who flourish on pressure etc.
2

Discuss(a)
Executive team norms at Guest – Tek were providing mentoring and coaching to the
director of sales and marketing. Choosing great people for work and appointing more employees
for various positions. They also received RM from venture capital from Launcworks Inc.
Discuss(b)
Arnon – His primary role was inside the organization's building . He focused on creating vision
to achieve the output.
Kris – Her role was managing sales of company's business by taking strategic decisions.
Advisers – Individual plays role of advisor, Their role was to advice different changes required
for company growth.
Discuss(c)
 In the formation phase changes in the new executive team is done i.e. inclusion of Vice
precedent of sales officer is done.
 In storming stage relationship is build
 In norming stage optimize team work is done and training is provided to the person who
requires it.
 In performing stage performance of team and strategies is focused with a little oversight.
TASK 2
2(a) Define Communication and its process
Sending or receiving information within the organization is called communication.
Process of communication will be explained according to the university Siti is working with a
scenario like if Siti wants to send time table of any subject teacher then she will update that
timetable on portal so that that subject teacher can download it. :
 Sender: This process starts with the sender who transmits the message. In this scenario
Siti is the sender.
 Message: It is a signal that trigger receiver's response. It can be verbal or non verbal. In
this timetable is the message
 Encoding: A certain method is chosen by the sender to send message which is called
encoding (Rittmaster and Piccionelli,2018). In this portal is the encoding method.
 Channel: It is a medium through which message is sent. It can be electronic, printed or
written medium.
3

 Receiver: A receiver is a person who receives the message or who receives the message.
In this scenario subject teacher is the reciever.
 Decode: As the message is received by the receiver then it should be encoded for the
receiver to read and understand it.
2(b) ways to reduce communication barriers in the workplace
 Brushing up listening skills within the workplace makes it more easy to understand others
point of view like less shouting or not speaking in the loudest manner possible. True
listening leads to understanding of a particular topic. In this task if Siti listens to each and
every feedbacks and views she gets from teachers and students and considers it then
communication barrier between them can be solved.
 If the process channels in an organization is not perfect then also communication barriers
can be created. It can be improved by conducting regular meeting, creating live chat
groups or sending emails regarding a particular topic can also remove this barrier.
2(c) Strategies to create effective communication atmosphere in the organization
 Conducting open meeting can help in effective interactions within team mates. Like
meeting between Siti and teachers for any improvement needed in their department.
 Communicating through emails has a great potential in conveying messages to the
receiver without pulling them out of the workplace.
 To communicate certain information to the employees training should be provided to
them so that miscommunication, uncertainty is removed (Thompson, 2018).
 To convey common messages presentations should be given to the workers which gives
the team members an opportunity to refer back if anything is uncertain or unclear. All
these strategies are needed to be followed in the university Siti is working.
Discuss(a) Flow of message and information in the faculty
Head of the department will update the schedule and messages of the faculty members on
the portal for faculty members to receive them and work accordingly. If any additional
information is to be passed to the faculty members then head of the department will call a
meeting or pass the information through emails.
Discuss(b) Advice to Siti
Siti instead of being a rude and horrible person, she should become the same
approachable person to whom students and faculty members can approach, give and take
4

feedback and approach them in case they face any difficulty or they have any suggestions for
improvement.
Discuss(c) Opinion
In my opinion, a leader should be appointed by his overall performance and behaviour towards
their co-workers. If he/she excels in their work, are emotionally stable, self-confident, welcome
any feedback or any suggestion, have diplomacy and is created only then they should be
appointed as a leader.
Discuss(d) Improve communication skills
 They can start reading novels to improve their way of communication
 One can attend different seminars of communication skills.
 Individual should focus non verbal communication skills also like facial expressions,
hand gestures etc.
TASK 3
3(a) Define
Organizational Conflict is a state of disagreement between people caused by perceived
or actual opposition of values, needs and interest between co-workers(Mikkelsen and
Clegg,2018). Like in this situation conflict is that Adliana need to do both the task assigned to
her by Suzanna and Johari as a priority task which is not possible.
3(b) source and element of conflict
Source: Change in new technology, different personalities working together, External changes
like recession or new competition can also create conflict between employees, poor
communication, harassment and many more (Conflicts in Organizations,2018).
Elements: Interference, interdependence, perceived incompatible goals, perceived scarce
resources etc.
3(c) Effect of conflict
Effect of conflict can either be positive or negative. Result of negative effects is decrease
in productivity, increase in employee turnover, violence, increase in frustration. Result of
positive effects are inspire creativity, improve future communication, identify new members.
3(d) Conflict process
There are five stages of conflict
 Incompatibility between employees or potential opposition
5

 Cognition or personalization i.e. either felt conflict or perceived conflict
 Conflict handling intention like competing, avoiding, compromising etc.
 Overt conflict like parties behaviour, others reactions
 Outcome can either be increased group performance or decreased group performance
3(e) Conflict management ways
 Should focus on events or behaviours instead of personalities.
 Points of agreement and disagreement should be identified (Nordby, 2018).
 discuss which area of conflict is important to each other and resolve it
 Develop a plan to work on each other conflict and focus on future
3(f) Define
Negotiation is a formal discussion between two persons with different intentions or aim,
during which they try to reach to the final agreement. Like in this task negotiation is needed to be
done between Suzanna and Johari so that the conflict raised can be solved.
3(g) Negotiation strategies
 Think positive while negotiating to reach to an agreement
 Good negotiation outcome can only be achieved by good relationship as it is a continuous
process not an individual event
 Preparation should be done before negotiation i.e. history research, past problems
everything.
3(h) Negotiation process
 Planning and preparation should be done for negotiation.
 Some ground rules should be set before negotiation is done.
 If any doubt occurs then clarification and justification should be given.
 All the problems should be discussed so that bargaining can be done between parties.
 At last final closure should be given to the result and should be implemented.
Discuss(a) Conflict
Conflict in this situation is that Adliana need to do both the task assigned to her by Suzanna and
Johari as a priority task which is not possible. Adliana might face some problems if it is made
compulsory for her to do both the task as a priority.
6

Discuss(b) Possible ways to rectify the situation
By analysing the situation, like in the press conference companies product and brand
image will be the main thing as many reporters will be present over there, so Adliana's first
preference will be to complete Suzanna's given task with priority and after that completion of
tasks Johari tasks can be completed.
Discuss(c) Outcomes of this situations
Positive:
 Problem is identified at an early stage only because of which further risk is reduced.
 Relationship between Suzanna, Johari and Adliana not ruined and commitment, morals
and healthy relationship is maintained.
Negative:
 If the conflict was not resolved at initial stage it could have resulted in failure of press
conference and luncheon.
 Frustration and stress can be increased which can affect the health of an individual as
well as relationship between two.
TASK 4
4(a) Decision making nature and types
Making effective decision by rectifying good or bad and respond quickly is the key
element of organizational effectiveness. It is an intelligent process which involves reasoning,
imagination etc. It is a goal oriented process to attain certain goals. Like in this task Adam needs
to make a decision that what ways he should consider to make investments.
Types
 Strategic decisions
 Non-programmed or programmed decision
 Basic decisions
 personal or organizational decisions
 planned decisions
 executive decisions
 Group decisions
In this task Adam has chosen group decision to make a decision.
7

4(b) Factors influencing decision making
It is important to have complete information about the situation as it influence the decision
making and quality of decision suffers.
 Prejudice in an individuals decisions is one of the main factor that can influence a
decision making
 Consideration of all the work done and progress is also one of the factor that influence
decision making
4(c) decision making steps
 Identify and define the nature of decision
 Gather required and relevant information
 Identify all the possible alternatives
 Draw information based on valid evidence
 Choose the best alternative to take any decision
 After taking decision take action
 Review the decision taken
4(d)Group decision making advantages and disadvantages
In this task group decision has been asked by Adam so that he can make a decision.
Advantages:
 More information is gathered for making any decision. Like Adam considered to ask
advice from his family members so that he can decide options for investment.
 Variety of views are given and based on which prediction of any problem can also be
done (Li and et.al, 2018).
 All the members involve in the task to take any decision as the decision taken will affect
them also
Disadvantages:
 It is a time consuming process
 Compromising is needed to be done as the offered solution will not be the best for
everyone
4(e) define group think and its occurrence in a group
Group think is a psychological phenomenon which occurs within group members in
which conformity in group results is irrational.
8

When a group does not survey or understand the objective which is to be fulfilled and take
decision, group think occurs. Second if all the drawbacks identified are not considered in making
decision it occurs (Groupthink,2019).
4(f) Group think Symptoms
 Invulnerability: Many group members share an illusion of invulnerability that provide
them some degree of obvious dangers and as a result they become over-optimistic and
take extraordinary risks.
 Morality: Members with morals think in a different way and conflict with the thoughts of
members who ignores ethics and morals (Leung and Law,2019).
 Self-censorship: Many group members keep silent and minimize their importance of their
doubts and ideas which as a result create group think.
Discuss(a) Did Adam made a good decision
Adam made a good decision about the way he is going to make the decision as he will get
opinion of his family members also which will help him to take better decision.
Discuss(b) Will Adam stick to the opinion the has given
 According to me Adam will stick to fixed deposit opinion only as in unit trust funds he
can face loss as well as profit. As we know that unit trust funds involves huge amount of
risk, So Adam shouldn't stick to investment in unit trust funds.
 Adam might also invest in properties in which less risk is involved.
9

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Leung, L. and Law, N., 2019. Design Principles for Online Role Play Simulations to Address
Groupthink Tendency in Professional Training: An Exploration. In Exploring the
Cognitive, Social, Cultural, and Psychological Aspects of Gaming and Simulations (pp.
35-61). IGI Global.
Li, C.C., and et.al., 2018. Consensus building with individual consistency control in group
decision making. IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems.
Mikkelsen, E.N. and Clegg, S., 2018. Unpacking the Meaning of Conflict in Organizational
Conflict Research. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research.
Nordby, H., 2018. Management and Conflict Resolution: Conceptual Tools for Securing
Cooperation and Organizational Performance. In Organizational Conflict. IntechOpen.
Peralta, C.F., and et.al., 2018. Team development: Definition, measurement and relationships
with team effectiveness. Human Performance.31(2). pp.97-124.
Rittmaster, T.R. and Piccionelli, G.A., GEOCOM LLC, 2018. System and process for
distribution of information on a communication network. U.S. Patent 9,924,216.
Stouten, J. and Liden, R.C., 2018. Social Loafing in Organizational Work Groups: The
Mitigating Effect of Servant Leadership.
Thompson, N., 2018. Effective communication: a guide for the people professions. Macmillan
International Higher Education.
Online
Conflicts in Organizations.2018. [online]. Available Through : <
https://www.mbaknol.com/human-resource-management/conflict-in-organizations/>
Groupthink.2019.[online].Available
Through:<https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/groupthink>
10