We have all heard of biases in decision making. In fact, there have been over 20+ biases documented (http://25cognitivebiases.com/). One of those biases is the Group Think (or Bandwagon) bias.
So what is the Group Think bias?
Group Think bias is defined as adopting the belief that will likely be viewed favorably by others. Now you may think: “My team is too smart to fall for this bias” but it’s harder than you think! To see how powerful this bias could be, I recommend viewing the video below based on a 1962 Psychology Experiment called “Face the Rear”.
Group Think in an organization can lead to a loss of competitive edge due to a lack of innovation and missed opportunities. Since we are all subject to falling for the Group Think bias, the question becomes how do we best armor ourselves to minimize this bias. The first thing you need to do is hire a diverse set of individuals that can bring a diversity of thought and ideas to the table.
Getting a diverse group is not enough!
Below I share two specific strategies I have used to make sure that diverse perspectives are voiced and fully leveraged:
- Invite team members to provide input offline (e.g. using a survey). This is especially helpful when you have introverted and/or junior team members. Asking for feedback offline provides them space to consider the topic and provide feedback at their own pace.
- When you have a team member who is regarded as an expert and/or has significant positional authority, connect with that team member offline and ask them to hold their thoughts until others have contributed to the discussion. This allows other team members to provide their honest feedback rather than feeling obligated to agree with the expert’s opinion.
What strategies have used in your teams to minimize the effects of the Group Think (or Bandwagon) bias?