Organizational
Work Group Problem
There are many work group problems that can be
seen throughout the multitude of different public safety organizations. The public
safety organization that will be discussed is the fire department, and the work group problem that will be focused on is the
groupthink problem.
“Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing,
analyzing, and evaluating ideas. During Groupthink, members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone
of consensus thinking. A variety of motives for this may exist such as a desire to avoid being seen as foolish, or a desire
to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the group. Groupthink may cause groups to make hasty, irrational decisions,
where individual doubts are set aside, for fear of upsetting the group’s balance. The term is usually used as a derogatory
term after the results of a bad decision.” (Wikipedia, 2007) According
to Fred Luthans (2006), the author of Organizational Behavior 11th Edition,
“groupthink results from the pressures on individual members to conform and reach consensus.” (p. 317) “One of the most common norms appears to be that of remaining loyal to the group by sticking with
the policies to which the group has already committed itself, even when those policies are obviously working out badly and
have unintended consequences that disturb the conscience of each member.” (Natemeyer, McMahon, 2006, p. 198)
One example of when groupthink can be very noticeable
in the fire department is when a new recruit or transfer enters into the work group.
Sometimes recruits or transferee’s will offer up advice or even a new, possibly better way of performing a function,
only to be chastised or ridiculed as having a bad idea and going against the grain.
Some of the statements that have been used are “this is how we’ve always done it”, or “that
may work …, but not here.” If the new recruit or transferee doesn’t
go along with the workgroup norm, the individual will start to be singled out and possibly alienated. This eventually will lead to self-censorship. “Victims
of groupthink avoid deviating from what appears to be group consensus; they keep silent about their misgivings and even minimize
to themselves the importance of their doubts.” (Natemeyer, McMahon, 2006, p. 203)
Another
example of a groupthink problem that can be seen in the firehouse is when an individual tries to change an operating procedure. The change may be advancement in tactics or a simplification of a procedure, but far
too often will
not even be looked at due to the change in what the group is used to. Groupthink
promotes cohesiveness, but when the group is wrong, then all may suffer. Groupthink
does not accept individuality in the work group. Individuality can be good to
help adapt to a changing environment and to point out discrepancies that may have been overlooked. Unfortunately groupthink is a common practice in many different fire departments. Eventually individuals such as new recruits and transferee’s will
stop trying to advance and bring on different and more innovative changes due to the constant ridicule and influence of the
work group. The individuals will begin to conform and start utilizing the groupthink
characteristics which in turn will prevent them from seeing upcoming mistakes as well as possible immoral actions. (Natemeyer,
McMahon, 2006, p. 201)
Organizational Work Group Plan
Those
were just a few examples of how groupthink can affect the fire department. One
way to combat the groupthink problem is to set up a management plan that would motivate the workgroup to combat groupthink,
become a team fighting groupthink while promoting critical thinking, and would also promote team consensus on new ideas and
individuality. This plan would need to be implemented and effectively monitor
throughout a one year period so that one could recognize and document the progress of the plan.
The first part of the plan begins with the motivation
of employees to combat groupthink in its everyday form. “Motivation is
the set of attitudes that predisposes a person to act in a specific goal directed way.” (Ivancevich, 2005, p. 56) Before one can motivate someone to combat groupthink, one must need to identify what
they are fighting. This requires the employees to be able to identify how groupthink
can have a negative effect on the organization and when it is occurring. To start
with, the leader of the work group should execute 8 main functions. “First
the leader should appoint a devils advocate. Second, the leader should encourage
everyone to be a critical evaluator. Third, the leader should not state a preference
initially. Fourth, the leader needs to set up independent groups. Fifth, the leader should divide the employees into subgroups. Sixth,
the leader should discuss what is happening with others outside the group. Seventh,
the leader should invite others into the group to bring fresh ideas. Eighth,
the leader should collect anonymous reactions through a suggestion box or via online forum.” (12Manage, 2007) These are all steps in combating groupthink.
For
one to be able to motivate to combat these steps, one must understand the secondary needs that the employees in the work group
respond to and learn. Some of these needs consist of the need for achievement,
power, affiliation, security, and status. The leader of the work group should
provide some incentives that fulfill these needs therefore reinforcing the behaviors of combating groupthink. Some employees are motivated through achievement, affiliation, security and status. Some of the incentives that may fulfill the employee’s needs and drives differ among each of the
motives. “[For example, the leader of the work group may give feedback
to an employee that is a high achiever since] they prefer activities that provide immediate and precise feedback information
on how they are progressing toward their goals.” (Luthans, 2006, p. 163) The incentive that the group leader is reinforcing with a high achiever employee would
be in the form of positive feedback when groupthink is recognized, critical thinking is utilized and individuality is performed.
(Luthans, 2006, p. 158-167)
The
next step in the plan of combating groupthink is forging the employees into an effective team or work group that promotes
individuality, critical thinking and new ideas. “Effective groups are characterized
as being dependable, making reliable connections between the parts, and targeting the direction and goals of the organization.”
(Luthans, 2006, p. 313) For groupthink to be effectively stopped in the work
group, the leader will need to build a culture of teamwork by providing a few actions. “Executive leaders communicate the clear expectation that teamwork and collaboration
are expected. Executives model teamwork in their interaction with each other
and the rest of the organization. The organization members talk about and identify
the value of a teamwork culture. Teamwork is rewarded and recognized.”
(About, 2007)
Some
of the other things that a leader can do to build teamwork and increase group cohesiveness are agree on group goals such as
combating groupthink, communicate constantly throughout the group, positive feedback, and competition between the workgroup.
(Luthans, 2006, p. 313)
Once
the workgroup is starting to think on a basis of a team for positive open minded thinking, incentives and rewards can be given
to the team as a whole when critical thinking and individuality are performed. This
again will reinforce teamwork as well as reinforcing the combating of groupthink. Some of the areas that should be
looked at while evaluating if your workgroup is effectively becoming a team are: “the team’s mission, goal achievements,
feelings of empowerment, communications, and roles and norms that are positive.” (Luthans, 2006, p. 325)
Once
the workgroup has transitioned into the team oriented group where the employee’s goals aren’t focused on themselves,
but on the team’s goals, they can then continue to recognize and hold accountable the groupthink red flags such as chastisement
to new ideas, and individuality. The leader and team can then positively reinforce
the other team members when independent thought and new ideas are introduced. This
in turn will give team consensus on the idea that groupthink is not tolerated and
not beneficial to the team.
One
way to effectively monitor whether the workgroup plan is working to combat groupthink is to provide a survey at the beginning
of implementing the workgroup plan, and providing a survey at the end of the one year cycle that the plan was implemented. The survey will need to be anonymous and
will need to measure the influence that the workgroup plan played on groupthink. The first thing in the survey that should be asked is the definition of groupthink
and has the team member seen it occur in the past year? Some of the areas that
will need to be measured are the effectiveness in building a team that reinforces
innovative ideas, individuality, critical thinking, and the questioning of old practices.
Some other areas to look at are to see if any groupthink practices were committed in the year, were they recognized
by the team, and how did the team react to these occurrences. Another area that
should be measured is if the team leader rewarded and gave incentives and positive feedback when nonconformity was practiced
by members of the team. The team could perform the same surveys quarterly showing
the importance of the team member’s ideas as well as the importance of combating groupthink. A grading system could be set up on a scale from 1-10 rating the different areas that combat groupthink,
and reward innovative ideas, critical thinking as well as the areas that put a positive reinforcement on updated practices. The motivation practices of the leader can also be measured to see whether the leader
is effectively motivating the team to combat groupthink as a whole. These are
all different ways to monitor the implementation of the workgroup plan that combats groupthink in the fire department. If for some reason the survey doesn’t show an effective outcome for the plan,
then the leader can start over asking the team for a new and innovative way to combat and measure groupthink in the organization.
