Image credit: Jason Goodman, https://unsplash.com/photos/vbxyFxlgpjM
Great business leaders drive a culture where “groupthink” is unacceptable, whereas “group execution” is mandatory. While these attributes may seem conflicting, they are the core of a successful business culture.
“Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome… This causes the group to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation.” (Source)
When groupthink is spelled out as the definition above, most would say they do not want their organization to run that way. But how many companies truly have a culture that is specifically built to operate to oppose groupthink?
Terms like diversity and inclusion get much attention these days. Most often, these terms are used to address variations of people as it relates to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, religion, age, etc. Make no mistake. Giving ALL people an equal chance, independent of their characteristics, is the foundation of integrity. But diversity and inclusion get much more lip service than execution. It is also important to think about diversity with regards to how one processes challenges and dives into critical thinking. This is ingredient for increasing the probability of business success.
When people hire for their organization, how often does “affinity bias” guide decisions? “Affinity bias — having a more favorable opinion of someone like us — is one of the most common” biases that impacts your professional decisions, especially hiring. My point here is that it is far too often that hiring managers define “good fit” as deciding on individuals that are common to them. And if you believe that companies’ business success is directly related to molding a culture where groupthink is discouraged, then diversity and inclusion are imperative from both a physical and mental being perspective. (If you want more information on “How to Reduce Personal Bias When Hiring,” see the cited Harvard Business Review article).
On the flip side, group execution is imperative. If you want to win the race, everyone on the team needs to be rowing in meticulous synchronicity. Once business decisions are made, everyone on the team needs to buy into the execution plan, no matter whose suggestions or strategies have been determined to implement. Without a cohesive group execution business success is near impossible.
Successful business demands a culture where groupthink is avoided like the plague and group execution is rallied with passion and motivation.
Make it happen!
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