What is the difference (in your words) between groupthink and the Abilene Paradox? Which do you think it is easier to fall into and why? If you were leading a group and saw signs of Groupthink how would you handle it?

Discussion post

Part 1

1. What is the difference (in your words) between groupthink and the Abilene Paradox?

2. Which do you think it is easier to fall into and why?

3. If you were leading a group and saw signs of Groupthink how would you handle it?

4. Are there any personal examples of any of these (Groupthink, Abilene Paradox, etc) decision blunders that you have been a part of and realize now?

Part 2

A large portion of our working lives is spent working in Teams. How we communicate with our team members is crucial to the success (or failure) of the team. In this week’s lesson, we looked at the Ego states (parent, adult, and child). We all know that effective teams operate in the Adult-Adult realm of conversation and feedback, however, sometimes a rift can occur and cause us to operate from a higher or lower level with each other. Then there are other ways to look at team dynamics.

Think back to some teams that you have been on that were especially dysfunctional or effective. Did they follow the team dynamics favored by Google or were they more directive in nature? What made them work (or not work)?