I think Group Think LO29220

From: Jan Lelie (janlelie@wxs.nl)
Date: 09/23/02


Replying to LO29213 --

Hello Barry, LO-ers,

I'm not against Group Think. I love GT. I use GT. I suppose 80% or more of
our problems can be and are being solved very effective with Group Think.
However, the other, the remaining problems, also generated as a by-product
of solving problems with Group Think, cannot be solved by Group Thinking.
Unfortunately - or logically - these GT-unsolvable problems have to do
with in/out group problems, acceptance, critical thinking, feeling
(un)comfortable with a specific group. I'm remember a quote from a movie
by Woody Allen:

"I feel like the man who said: "I do not want to belong to a club that
accepts me as a member"".

I do not want to fight the problem of GT - it is no use, you might as well
fight GleTschers. I do suppose however that we should be aware of GT .
Every member of a group has the right to signal Group Think and this
shouldn't be brushed aside by any leader.

Kind regards,

Jan Lelie

Barry Mallis wrote:

>Group Think is more the norm in large groups than out of the ordinary.
>It's an evanescent cloud which develops and hovers over our heads; it
>comes from out of thin air.
>
>In reality, it probably comes from the deepest recesses of our brains
>where the vestiges of animal group behavior propel us to react under the
>right circumstances.
[...snip by your host...]

-- 

Jan Lelie <janlelie@wxs.nl>

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