Groupthink is the enemy of creativity

Companies and organizations have come to love brainstorming as a popular method of generating ideas and solving problems, where participants are encouraged to share their opinions and ideas as part of a group discussion. Seemingly, this method is both effective and creative, supporting ingenuity, and sharing knowledge and insights on a given topic. It turns out, however, that the popular and widely used brainstorming hides many traps that threaten creativity. One of them is undoubtedly the so-called groupthink syndrome.

Why does groupthink inhibit creativity?

When brainstorming, we tend to have unanimity, seek consensus, and avoid conflict. In order to minimize the negative reactions of the group, we choose silence and self-censorship, which result in the weakening of critical thinking skills and lowering the level of our creativity.

Some participants in group discussions are afraid of the consequences of expressing their honest opinions, especially if the meeting is attended by more experienced people or leaders. There is social pressure associated with a sense of loyalty to the group and unconditional consent to the suggestions of older participants, superiors, and decision-makers. Taking on the role of "devil's advocate" and undermining the correctness of thinking or decisions of your superior or colleagues is very uncomfortable for many. This sense of group identity, the lack of differentiation of perspectives, and the filtering of information can lead to making bad decisions and "sleeping" natural creativity.

Irving Janis, an American psychologist, and researcher at Yale University, proved in his scientific research that the intelligence and creativity of a group, contrary to popular belief, does not exceed the intelligence of its individual members, and the groupthink syndrome makes it difficult, among others, to make the right, rational decisions and limits the diversity of points of view.

How to prevent groupthink syndrome?

In order to stimulate creativity and innovation in the team, during joint discussions and meetings in the form of brainstorming, everyone should have the opportunity to share their opinion in the way most consistent with their personality and in the preferred form - orally or in writing, so as to make a creative contribution to the work of the whole group.

Janis identified several factors that can prevent groupthink syndrome from occurring. It is worth applying these tips to allow the whole group to freely flow opinions, knowledge, and creative energy. Here are some of them:

1. The leader should encourage group members to express their opinions and concerns, clearly communicating that the group can effectively influence his or her own opinions and beliefs.

2. The group leader should have mediation skills to be able to steer the discussion and find a way out when the conversation stalls.

3. Leaders in the hierarchy of an organization, team, or group should be impartial. This requires the leader to limit his or her summaries to subjective or biased statements and to avoid suggestions that he himself would like to apply. This gives group members the opportunity to gather information and consider many alternatives.

4. At each group meeting, at least one of the participants should act as the "devil's advocate", whose task is to "find the hole", i.e. raise doubts and question the status quo. The role of the devil's advocate should be transitive.

5. Each group member should have the opportunity to express their doubts and thoughts clearly.

In conclusion, brainstorming and group discussions can be a space for creativity if properly planned, managed, and carried out in such a way as to avoid the limiting groupthink syndrome described above. Unfortunately, brainstorming is an often abused form of group discussion, conducted in an inappropriate way, which blocks and limits group creativity. It is worth remembering about the groupthink syndrome every time we plan a team brainstorming.

Źródło: Irving Janis, Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign-Policy Decisions and Fiascoes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972.