Question

10. Bill Zimmer was recently appointed manager of a new project team consisting of professionals from different functional areas of the company. Some of the members have worked with each other before, but several others have not. Help Bill become an effective manager and build a cohesive team. Enlighten him about the self-oriented member concerns and behaviors that might get in the way of team development. Tell him what specific task- and relationship-oriented leadership roles he is likely to need if this team is to become effective, and why. Talk to Bill about the potential positive and negative consequences of team heterogeneity (assuming team members have diverse characteristics and backgrounds). Tell him what informal group norms are, how their emergence could affect the behavior and performance of team members both positively and negatively, and how to avoid the danger of "groupthink." What insights are provided by Jerry Harvey's ill-fated trip to Abilene?

Answer 1

Informal groups formulate an implicit code of ethics or an unspoken set of standards establishing acceptable behavior In Jeff's department, the informal group may have established a norm below that set by the organization, subtly exercising control over its members regarding the amount of output.

Decision making is an integrated sequence of activities that includes gathering, interpreting, and exchanging information; creating and identifying alternative courses of action; choosing among alternatives by integrating differing perspectives and opinions of team members; and implementing a choice and monitoring its consequences.

From an ethics perspective, conforming to group norms can be good but it can also be very, very bad.

Groupthink is defined as the practice of approaching issues as matters to be dealt with by consensus of a group rather than by individuals acting independently. Groupthink can lead collective rationalization, lack of personal accountability and pressure to acquiesce. Groupthink is a common factor in bad decision-making and serious ethical breaches.

Groupthink often sets up an “us vs them” mentality that results in marginalizing individuals who disagree with the group – or at least the dominant interests of the group. This "professional shunning" is a major reason why many professionals do not report unethical behavior.

Standing up for what you believe is often difficult.

It is even more difficult when you are subjected to shunning or personal attacks. Yet these are common means employed by those justifying their positions and behavior when groupthink is in play. It is also not unusual for those engaging in unethical behavior to claim that it is the dissenters who are acting unethically – not them.

Smart leaders understand the importance of dissension. They take precautions to prevent groupthink from taking hold. They seek out dissenters and actively work to address their concerns. They establish safeguards to prevent groupthink from occurring, such as setting up formal processes to actively encourage the voicing of dissenting opinions.