Whether working on a case with a client or as part of volunteer service, I spend a lot of time in meetings. I love when meetings go smoothly. There is consensus regarding what priorities should be and the solutions we should employ to achieve our objectives. No feelings are hurt; the organization moves in the direction that everybody wants. The discussion goes quickly. And I get home sooner to see my wife and kids.
But I hate when meetings go too smoothly. The curse of groupthink is one that can impair an organization’s ability to innovate or improve. The participants reach quick decisions, which enable the organization to act, but there is no healthy skepticism to challenge whether the selected course is the best path for the group to travel down.
A good friend recently shared some suggestions to avoid such an outcome. If the people you are working with might not feel brave enough to offer alternatives, indicate that the first answer can be a placeholder, but doesn’t have to be a final answer. That may encourage some more imaginative ideas being introduced, with the assurance that there is a solid alternative to fall back on.
Another idea is to designate one or two people to play the role of the contrarian and attack the idea. It is a good way of at least testing a theory and trying to expose potential weaknesses with it. The general idea is to avoid rushing the decision-making process and engaging in a groupthink situation, where people agree simply because that feels like the right thing to do.
Yours,
David Majchrzak
2022 SDCBA President