Teamwork or Groupthink

Have you ever heard the term Groupthink? It is a concept described by sociology that shows that people working together have a tendency to stick with what has been done previously, and not consider possible problems, or superior alternatives. The reason that it happens is because people don't want to express a dissenting opinion, or any opinion that goes against the group as a whole. Of course, sometimes the dissenting opinion may be the opinion of the majority of the group, but nobody wants to be the one to point it out, so it goes unnoticed.

Teamwork, on the other hand, is necessary to get many projects done. It is not the opposite of Groupthink, of course, it is a solution to a different problem, and it creates the circumstances under which Groupthink occurs. However, if Groupthink does not occur, then teamwork is a valuable method of improving productivity by having multiple individuals contribute to a particular project. They are able to do more than what any one person could accomplish alone.

The ideal objective of teamwork, then, is improved productivity, while the danger is Groupthink. This challenge needs to addressed if teamwork is to fulfill its objectives. And how does one counteract Groupthink? Well, in order to properly address it, one must work to achieve the opposite of Groupthink, which is free and unrestricted communication. One must encourage all ideas without restriction, and then seek all challenges that exist so that they can be properly solved, without resistance or ridicule.