More Related Content Similar to Getting Beyond Groupthink and Ineffective Brainstorming (20) More from Steven Martin (7) Getting Beyond Groupthink and Ineffective Brainstorming1. Steven Martin, PMI-ACP, PMP
Principal Consultant – Cottage Street Consulting
www.cottagestreetconsulting.com/resources
Wicked Smaht: Getting Beyond Groupthink
and Ineffective Brainstorming
2. Workshop Objectives
1. Be able to recognize factors for when you might
have groupthink
2. Learn from trends and research in groupthink and
brainstorming, and see how they are linked
3. Understand proven ways to combat groupthink and
have more impactful brainstorming
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
3. Couple housekeeping tips
There is a (somewhat) interactive workshop
Please feel free to ask questions
But, want to respect our time box together
May use a Parking Lot for questions
To get electronic copy of the deck, see
conference website, connect via LinkedIn or
leave your card
LinkedIn: Steven Martin or stevemartinpmp
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
4. Agenda
Briefly introduce groupthink, brainstorming, and our
case study
Review some research in groupthink and brainstorming
Discuss techniques from the field to lesson groupthink
and generate greater idea generation outcomes
Apply it: what would you do for the case study?
Parting thoughts
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
6. Does this look familiar?
40 second video from The Simpsons
Will ask what you saw…
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK-1fYhpq2Y
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
7. What is groupthink?
From social psychologist Irving Janis (1972):
“…occurs when a group makes faulty decisions
because group pressures lead to a deterioration of
‘mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral
judgement.’”
Groups tending to ignore alternatives
“Decisions shaped by groupthink have low probability
of achieving successful outcomes.”
Source: http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
8. Conditions that foster groupthink
When groups have…
Members of similar background
Are insulated or siloed from outside opinions
Have no clear rules to make decisions
Under high pressure, causing low motivation/incentive
to realistically evaluate alternatives
Source: http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
9. To what degree do you feel groupthink at
your organization?
Things are great!
We’re Number 1!
Not bad, but could
use improvement.
I could literally
slap everyone
around me.
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
10. Case Study Intro: Background
Publicly traded financial firm. Before “the incident”:1
Net worth ~$1.5B and 1450 employees
Accounted for ~17% trades on NYSE and NASDAQ.
One group dealt with high frequency trading (HFT)
“…computer driven formulas to capture profits from tiny
price movements.”2
HFT accounts for 40-50% of all daily volume of trading 2
CEO had 11years as CEO before “the incident”
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Sources: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_Capital_Group
2. http://money.cnn.com/2012/09/10/investing/treasuries-flash-crash/index.html
11. Case Study Intro: The Incident
Software update to system that automatically routed
equity orders1,2
Put in “testing” on limited number of servers for several
successive days
For full rollout, replaced code on 7 of 8 servers
Left 8th server exposed to trade using repurposed
algorithm switch for automatic trades
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Sources: 1. Sharwood, S. (2013, Octtober 23). The Register. Retrieved from
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10/23/lone_sysadmin_caused_462_meeellion_wall_street_crash/
2. (2013). SEC Incident Report. Retrieved from https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2013/34-70694.pdf
12. Case Study Intro: The Incident
In just 45 minutes:
Lost over $460 million in trades they were liable to
fulfill1
~ 1/3rd of net worth of entire company
Caused “wild swings” in share prices of almost 150
companies2
Their trading executions constituted more than 50% of
trading volume on the markets that day1
More than 2.5x’s normal volume
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Sources: 1. (2013). SEC Incident Report. Retrieved from https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2013/34-70694.pdf
2. (2012, August 6). The Telegraph. London, UK. Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic database.
13. Case Study Intro: The Incident
Some quotes from the CEO:
“It was a very big mistake. We screwed up. We paid the
price.”1
“You can’t keep people from doing stupid things.”2
Stock price dropped from $13.53 at start of year to $2.70
in pre-market trading ~5 days after the incident 1
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Sources: 1. Robertson, D. (2012, August 6). The Times. London, UK. Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic database.
2. Robertson, D. (2012, August 3). The Times. London, UK. Retrieved from LexisNexis Academic database.
15. What is brainstorming?
Technique from ad exec Alex Osborn
(1950s)
Intended for groups to develop ideas by
Toss out as many ideas as possible
Don’t worry about feasibility / craziness
Build on ideas
Don’t criticize
Source: Markman, A. (2017, May 18). Your team is brainstorming all wrong. Harvard Business Review Online.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-team-is-brainstorming-all-wrong.
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
16. Shout it out!
Where does
brainstorming
happen at your
organization?
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17. Roman Vote
How well do you do brainstorming
at your organization?
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
18. Brainstorming yields poor results
Decades of studies show groups come up with less ideas
and of lower quality rather than if individuals do alone.
Source: Markman, A. (2017, May 18). Your team is brainstorming all wrong. Harvard Business Review.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-team-is-brainstorming-all-wrong.
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
20. 6 Individual Behavioral Challenges that
lead into how people think in groups
1. Planning Fallacy – tasks take longer than you think
2. Availability Bias – over-emphasizing recent events or a
specific sequence of events (the first one may actually be
incorrect)
3. Optimism Bias – 80% of drivers think they are better than
average
4. Self-serving Bias – my side/opinion is right
5. Loss Aversion – Not wanting to suffer a loss; dislike losses
more than they like gains
6. Anchoring – I’m asking for X (i.e., salary negotiations)
Source: Sunstein, C. (2015, March 11). Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter. Harvard Business Review Webinar.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/webinar/2015/03/getting-beyond-groupthink-to-make-groups-smarter
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
21. 4 Findings: Individuals vs. Groups
1. Individual biases are amplified by groups
2. Individuals take on more polarized views than what they held
before working in groups
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Source: Sunstein, C. (2015, March 11). Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter. Harvard Business Review Webinar.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/webinar/2015/03/getting-beyond-groupthink-to-make-groups-smarter
22. Polarization and group decision making study
The Colorado Experiment
Anonymous poll - started off with overlap
Split into like-minded groups for discussion
Anonymous poll again – shifted in more polarized thinking
Thinking as a group shifts individuals to move in the direction
of the pre-dispositioned tendency of that group
If pre-dispositioned to be risky, after group, more risky
If pre-dispositioned to be risk adverse, after group, more
risk adverse
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Source: Sunstein, C. (2015, March 11). Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter. Harvard Business Review Webinar.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/webinar/2015/03/getting-beyond-groupthink-to-make-groups-smarter
23. 4 Findings: Individuals vs. Groups
1. Individual biases are amplified by groups
2. Individuals take on more polarized views than what they held
before working in groups
3. Groups follow statements and actions of those who spoke or
acted first
4. Groups emphasize prevailing concepts
Emphasize what is already known
We’re missing the new innovative stuff!
Those in minority remain hidden in their concepts
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Source: Sunstein, C. (2015, March 11). Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter. Harvard Business Review Webinar.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/webinar/2015/03/getting-beyond-groupthink-to-make-groups-smarter
24. So how does this impact group decision making?
Groups tend to get
confident, unified, and
often wrong.
Won’t make decisions
necessarily more accurate
before they got together
in the first place.
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Source: Sunstein, C. (2015, March 11). Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter. Harvard Business Review Webinar.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/webinar/2015/03/getting-beyond-groupthink-to-make-groups-smarter
25. Janis’ 8 Symptoms of Groupthink
1. Illusion of invulnerability – too much optimism
2. Collective rationalization – discount warnings
3. Belief in inherent morality – I’m right. You’re wrong.
4. Stereotyped views of “out” groups – often negative
5. Direct pressure on dissenters
6. Self-censorship
7. Illusion of unanimity
8. Self-appointed “mindguards” – protect against dissenting or
contradicting views to maintain cohesiveness, view and/or
decisions
Source: http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
26. The worst brainstorming meeting ever
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWT-A0w0AKY
28. Combating Groupthink: Devil’s Advocate
Short video:
Adam Grant:
Avoid Groupthink (in a real way)
What key messages resonate with
you from the video?
Source: Grant, A. (2016, August 5). Avoid groupthink (in a real way). McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p-uY_i-wvc
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
29. Combating Groupthink: Devil’s Advocate
Devil’s Advocate Views:
Assigning a devil’s advocate role won’t
generate behaviors expected
Group knows it’s an assigned role
Won’t listen, even if someone argues
passionately with dissenting viewpoint
Need to unearth genuine devil’s
advocates who can argue their case.
Source: Grant, A. (2016, August 5). Avoid groupthink (in a real way). McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p-uY_i-wvc
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
30. Combating Groupthink: Devil’s Advocate
Skunk at a garden party
Start with what you agree with;
disarm
But state then what you don’t agree
with and why
If we didn’t work here today, would we
still do X?
Would we still release this product?
Do this project?
Source: Sunstein, C. (2015, March 11). Getting beyond groupthink to make groups smarter. Harvard Business
Review Webinar. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/webinar/2015/03/getting-beyond-groupthink-to-make-
groups-smarter
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
31. Combating Groupthink: Red Teams
The Red Team approach
Assign a team of folks (not
just a devil’s advocate) to
“redline” a proposal or
outputs from another group
Regular end-to-end risk
reviews with cross functional
team representation
Source: Sunstein, C., and Hastie, R. (2014, December). Making dumb groups smarter. Harvard Business Review.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2014/12/making-dumb-groups-smarter.
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
32. Combating Groupthink: Diversity of Thought
Ensure diversity of teams
Study of 230 board members - to alleviate
groupthink, introduce diversity of thought1
Foster diversity in thinking
Creating the “environment where all feel comfortable
in sharing their views and their authentic selves”2
As leaders and members of teams, we have an
obligation to do this
Sources: 1. Johansson, A. (2017, July 20). Why workplace diversity diminishes groupthing and how millennials are helping.
Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/annajohansson/2017/07/20/how-workplace-diversity-
diminishes-groupthink-and-how-millennials-are-helping
2. Dias-Uda, A., Medina, C., & Schill, B. (2013). Diversity’s new frontier. Deloitte Insights. Retrieved from
https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/topics/talent/diversitys-new-frontier.html
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
33. Combating Groupthink: Diversity of Thought
Creating safer environments
As a facilitator:
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Here are some
ground rules in
this session…
Please stop
talking over…
Please tell us
more about…
I noticed not all
of us haven’t
contributed…
who’s next?
Hang on.
Please stop
talking over…
Can we follow
our own ground
rules please…
That’s an
interesting take on
that. Please tell us
more about…
As a team member:
Pat and I were
taking about…Pat,
you want me to talk
about it, or would
you like to?
34. In Summary…
Some groupthink minimization strategies
Authentic devil’s advocates or “skunk at dinner party”
Red teams
Proposals
Risk reviews
Ensuring environment to enable diversity of thought
Obligations as leaders and team members
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
35. Combatting Brainstorming:
Brainswarming not Brainstorming
Start with writing goal, outcome, or problem you are trying to
solve at the top
Put the available resources at the bottom
As needed:
Break down goals, etc., into smaller goals
Add resources as needed
Create solutions in middle, matching (sub)goals with resources
Source: McCaffrey, T. (2014, March 24). Brainswarming: Because brainstorming doesn’t work. [Video] Harvard Business Review.
Retrieved from https://hbr.org/video/3373616535001/brainswarming-because-brainstorming-doesnt-work
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
36. Image is screen shot from: https://hbr.org/video/3373616535001/brainswarming-because-brainstorming-doesnt-work
Combatting Brainstorming:
Brainswarming not Brainstorming
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
37. Image is screen shot from: https://hbr.org/video/3373616535001/brainswarming-because-brainstorming-doesnt-work
Combatting Brainstorming:
Brainswarming not Brainstorming
Results: 115 ideas in 15 mins brainswarming vs 100 ideas in 60 mins brainstorming
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
38. What do you think?
Why do you think
brainswarming could
work better than
brainstorming?
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
39. Combatting Brainstorming:
Delphi Technique
Originally used to get estimates for work from a group of
experts
Expand this concept so that we can generate alternatives and
solutions
Harness power of individual and group input
Some techniques include
1. Sticky Notes – in person
2. Google Docs, Box.com, or other interactive tool - virtual
3. Pair share – virtual or in person
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
40. Combatting Brainstorming:
Delphi Technique #1 – Sticky Notes
Tend to use with in person teams
Facilitator displays goal or question
As individuals, silently generate ideas, one idea per sticky note
Timebox is typically 5-8 mins
Individuals post stickies on wall
Where stickies placed is unimportant at this point
Group self-organizes ideas in to sub-categories
Move sticky notes around, create a title for sub-category
Discuss/debrief as group
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
43. Combatting Brainstorming:
Delphi Technique #2 – Google Docs
Tend to use with virtual teams
Option 1 (preferred):
Facilitator displays goal or question
As individuals, generate ideas
Facilitator then gives link to online tool
Individuals cut and paste into online tool
Create subgroups as they cut and paste into tool
Discuss as group
Subgroup 1 Subgroup 2 Subgroup 3
Idea 1-1 Idea 2-1 Idea 3-1
Idea 1-2 Idea 2-2 Idea 3-2
Idea 1-3 Idea 2-3 Idea 3-3
Idea 1-4 Idea 3-4
Idea 1-5 Idea 3-5
Idea 3-6
Idea 3-7
Idea 3-8
Idea 3-9
Idea 3-10
Idea 3-11
Idea 3-12
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
44. Combatting Brainstorming:
Delphi Technique #2 – Google Docs
Tend to use with virtual teams
Option 2 – Everyone gets a line on
a spreadsheet:
Facilitator displays goal or
question
Facilitator gives link to online tool
As individuals, generate directly
into online tool
NO NAMES ON SPREADSHEET
Pick whatever row no one is typing
into – self-organize…
Discuss as group
Sometimes get bias if people
look at others’ response first
Question: How are we going to do X?
Person 1 blah blah blah
Person 2 blah
Person 3 blah blah
Person 4 how about we…
Person 5 I think we should…
Person 6 we should just give up…
Person 7 blah blah blah blah
Person 8 here's what I think
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
45. Combatting Brainstorming:
Delphi Technique #3 – Pair Shares
Tend to use with virtual and
in-person teams
Put goal or question up first
Pairs of twos form
They discuss between themselves
and document using selected tool
Hold together larger discussion
afterwards
Question: How are we going to do X?
Pair 1 blah blah blah
Pair 2 blah
Pair 3 blah blah
Pair 4 how about we…
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
46. Combatting Brainstorming:
6-3-5 Technique…
Six experts each think of three ideas to solve a problem
When done, pass ideas to person on the right
The next person considers ideas and ADDS up to 3 more
ideas
Keep passing until all 5 others get to add to the solutions
from the first person
Do this silently
Group gets together to discuss results, do any sub-grouping
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
Source: Markman, A. (2017, May 18). Your team is branstorming all wrong. Harvard Business Review Online.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-team-is-brainstorming-all-wrong
47. In Summary…
Some brainstorming idea generation strategies
Brainswarming
Delphi technique
Sticky notes
Google docs (or other electronic tool)
Pair share
6 – 5 – 3 technique
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
49. Case Study – What would you do?
Let’s go back to our financial firm
Get into small groups (3-4ish)
Ponder two questions:
1. To what degree did groupthink
play in this situation?
2. What can be done to reduce
chances of this happening again?
Timebox: 3 mins
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
50. Remember…the conditions that foster groupthink
When groups have…
Members of similar background
Are insulated or siloed from outside opinions
Have no clear rules to make decisions
Under high pressure, causing low motivation/incentive
to realistically evaluate alternatives
Source: http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
52. Some final thoughts
There are many, many approaches and techniques to generate
ideas; these are only a few
Regardless of technique:
Be sure to take appropriate time
This is not something to “get through” or “check a box”
Openness, Respect, Courage, Transparency
In person preferred over virtual
Communications effectiveness
Ability to draw
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
53. Workshop Objectives
1. Be able to recognize factors for when you might
have groupthink
2. Learn from trends and research in groupthink and
brainstorming, and see how they are linked
3. Understand proven ways to combat groupthink and
have more impactful brainstorming
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting
54. Q & A
Steven Martin
www.linkedin.com/in/stevemartinpmp
www.cottagestreetconsulting.com
55. Additional References and Materials
Janis, Irving L. (1972). Victims of Groupthink. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Janis, Irving L. (1982). Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and
Fiascoes. Second Edition. New York: Houghton Mifflin
Markman, Art. (2015). The problem-solving process that prevents groupthink. Harvard
Business Review Online. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/11/the-problem-solving-
process-that-prevents-groupthink
Price, K. H. (1993). Working hard to get people to loaf. Basic & Applied Social
Psychology, 14(3), 329-344
© 2017 Cottage Street Consulting