A phenomenon in which the norm for consensus overrides that realistic appraisal of alternative course of action is:
Groupthink
Groupthink — option 2. The phrase “the norm for consensus overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action” is the standard definition.
The concept. Irving Janis coined the term after studying foreign-policy fiascos — Pearl Harbor, the Bay of Pigs, the escalation in Vietnam. In a cohesive group under pressure, the wish to preserve agreement becomes stronger than the wish to reach the right answer, so doubts are suppressed and alternatives are never seriously examined.
| Symptom | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Illusion of invulnerability | Excessive optimism; the group believes it cannot fail |
| Pressure on dissenters | Members who question the direction are leaned on to conform |
| Self-censorship | Members with doubts keep quiet and minimise their own misgivings |
| Illusion of unanimity | Silence is read as consent, so everyone believes agreement is complete |
| Mindguards | Members shield the group from information that would disturb the consensus |
| Collective rationalisation | Warnings are explained away rather than reconsidered |
Groupshift, the sharpest distractor. A different phenomenon — group discussion exaggerates the members’ initial leaning, so the group decision is more extreme than the average individual position. It is usually a shift toward greater risk, and is also called group polarisation. Groupthink is about suppressed disagreement; groupshift is about amplified inclination.
The other two are remedies, not diseases. Brainstorming generates ideas with criticism deliberately withheld; the nominal group technique has members write independently and rank in silence before discussing, so no one can dominate. The Delphi technique goes further, keeping experts anonymous and physically apart.
How groupthink is prevented in practice: keep the leader’s own view out of the discussion until others have spoken, appoint a devil’s advocate, use dialectical inquiry with two rival plans, invite outside experts, split into independent sub-groups, and hold a “second-chance” meeting before committing. Each measure reintroduces the disagreement that cohesion suppressed.
Hence, the answer is Groupthink.
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Important Questions from Decision Making
Which of the following are necessary conditions for applying Simeon Denis Poisson distribution in the field of managerial decision making?
A. Each occurrence of an event is independent of the occurrence of the other event
B. The probability of an occurrence is the same for any two intervals of equal length
C. Poisson distribution describes continuous occurrences over a specific time interval
D. In each interval, occurrences can range from zero to infinity
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(A) Non-actionable information
(B) Unsupporting environment
(C) Easy acceptance by subordinates
(D) Ineffective communication
(E) Incorrect timing
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The major components of Nicosia Model of consumer decision-making are:
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Match List - I with List - II.
List - I
Decision Rule
List - II
Rationale for applying the decision Rule to Down App.
(A)
Conjunctive
I)
"I bought the Smartphone App with the highest over all railing".
(B)
Disjunctive
(II)
"I down loaded the Smartphone App that had the most downloads".
(C)
Affect Referred
(III)
"I selected the Smart Phone App that had no bad features".
(D)
Majority vote
(IV)
"I picked the Smart Phone App that excelled in at least one attribute ".
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
- What are the characteristics of programmed decisions ?
A. Problems are unique and novel
B. Solutions are based on rules and established procedures
C. Made by top management only
D. Problems are routine and repetitive
E. Conditions in which they occur are highly certain
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :
