What is groupthink, what implications can it have on group outcomes, and how does it occur? What ...

Groupthink is a strong tendency for decision-making groups to close ranks around a decision, to assume that the group can't be wrong, with pressure for all members to support the decision strongly and to reject any information contrary to the decision. Research indicates that once groupthink develops, groups become unwilling to change their decisions, even when initial outcomes suggest that those decisions were very poor ones. Groupthink occurs due to two factors. One of these is a very high level of cohesiveness among group members and the fact that supportive group members in the leader's inner circle exert a disproportional impact on the ultimate decision making. The second is emergent group normsnorms suggesting that the group is infallible and morally superior, and because of these factors, there should be no further discussion of the issues at hand: the decision has been made, and the only valid response is to support it as strongly as possible.