Groupthink: Lessons from the Post Office

Authored by: Dr Dawn Nicholson. ABP Vice Chair, Head of Accreditation, Biz Psych Cup Lead

Like many, I have been very affected by the personal stories emerging from the Post Office Horizon Scandal and the horrendous impact on Sub Post Masters. Of course, whilst the Post Office Inquiry is underway, it would be wrong to speculate about what did or did not happen. I was particularly struck, however, by a quote from Paula Vennell’s testimony yesterday: that people, including herself, “didn’t see things, didn’t hear things”.

To not see and not hear suggests to me a degree of Groupthink amongst key personnel at this time. I have written about Groupthink on LI before, but it is worth re-hashing this again in light of the testimony we have heard. So what exactly do we mean by Groupthink?

Groupthink: What Exactly Is It and When Does it Happen?

Groupthink was formally conceptualised and defined back in the 1970’s by Irving Janis, a psychologist from Yale. Janis defined groupthink as “a desire to reach a unanimous decision [which] can override the motivation to reach a proper rational decision-making process”.

A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when:

• Group members are similar in background.
• The group is insulated from outside opinion.
• There are no clear rules for decision-making.

Groupthink: The Symptoms

There are numerous symptoms and manifestations of groupthink.

• Groups prone to this condition generally operate under the illusion of invulnerability: this creates a sense of excessive optimism, which, in turn, encourages more extreme risk taking.
• Group members also discount warnings and fail to reconsider their assumptions – something known as “collective rationalization”.
• Group members have a misplaced belief in their inherent morality. They believe in the rightness of their cause and ignore the ethical/moral consequences of their decision.
• Group members have a stereotypical (and negative) view of others outside of their own group – something which cushions them from the need to engage with conflicting views and opinions beyond their own circle.

Groupthink: A Dangerous Group Dynamic

There is also a dangerous group dynamic that can accompany groupthink, with direct pressure often brought to bear on those group members who offer dissenting views. These members can come under pressure NOT to express arguments that run counter to the group’s views. This can also lead to self-censorship, where group members deliberately fail to express doubts and deviations from the perceived group consensus. The absence of alternative views can then lead to the group acting under the illusion of unanimity – the majority view and judgements are – mistakenly – assumed to be unanimous.

And last – but by no means least – self-appointed “mind guards” can operate within the group – members who protect the group – and the group leader – from information that is problematic, or contradictory to the group’s view and decisions – which could otherwise disrupt the group’s cohesiveness.

Listening to a lot of the PO Inquiry evidence suggests groupthink may well have been at play. Groupthink is dangerous. We can all be prone to it. And It is certainly something we all need to be aware of and guard against in our decision-making processes. Business psychology can help with that, through increasing our understanding of the risks that can surround decision-making and helping to ensure that we minimise these risks, wherever and however possible.