Define Groupthink Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Define Groupthink - Essay Example In groupthink consensus overrides common sense and inhibits the urge to present critique, unpopular opinion or alternatives to whatever is viewed as the commonly agreed ground (Wikipedia, 2013). In groupthink the urge to remain loyal to the team and maintain cohesion makes the team members to desist from raising alternative solutions or controversial issues. As a result, independent thinking, uniqueness in thought and individual creativity are lost at the expense of cohesion and loyalty to the group. The eventual outcome is poor problem solving and decision-making. The failed team dynamics of the â€Å"in-group† presents illusions that the appropriate decisions have been attained. Therefore the ‘in-group’ greatly overrates their decision-making abilities, and excessively downplays the decision-making ability of the ‘out-group’ or opponents. As such, team members tend to think or feel that they are more inclined to making the right decisions and offer better ideas and solutions than people from without the group. This happening often hinders the reception of contribution of ideas from non-group members or other groups (Wikipedia, 2013). This source uses the Swissair collapse and the Bay of Pigs Invasion as examples of events in which groupthink was at play when they took place. In the corporate sector suboptimal and ineffective decision-making may negatively impact on the good performance of any company and cause significant losses. Swissair had been a successful airline to the extent that at times it was referred to as the ‘Flying Bank (Hermann & Rammal, 2010).’ However, during this period of success the airline had two symptoms of groupthink (Wikipedia, 2013). These symptoms included the belief in group morality and invulnerability. Additionally, before the collapse fiasco the airline’s board was significantly reduced and people with expertise were eliminated. The board reduction action contributed to groupthink by leaving behind only

Management portfolio Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management portfolio - Research Paper Example Microsoft is a leader in their field, and the role of Sr. QBE Program Manager would provide me the opportunity to see the rewards of my hard work. A section of Microsoft’s value statement is: â€Å"We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.† (Values, 2010). This focus on constant improvement is one reason why I would enjoy the Program Manager role. Linkedin.com (2010) mentions that the individual in that role will drive continuous improvement through Microsoft processes worldwide (LinkedIn, 2010). In addition, the Program manager will use best practices techniques in leading and mentoring others on the team in their projects (LinkedIn, 2010). Being able to lead and teach others techniques that I mastered through time and effort would be a rewarding experience. The type of positive environment at Microsoft can be seen from their formal global diversity and inclusion strategy for the future (A Vision and Strategy for the Future, 2010). Three hubs of the strategy are: (1) representation; (2) inclusion; and (3) innovation. The part that I found in particular appealing was the inclusion strategy. In this, the company wants to engage their employees in meaningful careers and encourage employees to focus on social networking, cultural awareness, community service, heritage celebrations, and career development (A Vision and Strategy for the Future, 2010). The company appears to realize the importance of each of these items for employee development and wishes to assist the community and their employees. Cynthia Solomon was a previous Microsoft employee and mentioned that the Sr. Program Manager is responsible for project oversight from the start until it is implemented (Jimenez, 2002). In