Combating Detrimental Social Influences

Abstract Groupthink can be the leading cause of malfunctions within any company. Conformity, group polarization and social loafing are all signals within an organization that will create an atmosphere of failure within a company. Business leaders should be aware of the warning signs of groupthink so that change can be implemented before it is too late. Several warning signs to look for are: a false impression of imperviousness, group efforts to downsize warnings, unquestioned believe …

…and decisions are subject to social influences" (Plous, 1993). Again by keeping ideas confidential at first, the employees will not be hindered by social influences. Members of the group are not able to conform his or her opinion to that which is not known, allowing for individualism. By keeping the manager's ideas and thoughts unknown at the outset, the employees will not have the opportunity to mold his or her opinion to that of the manager's.