Avionics News July 2014 - 58

BUSINESS BASICS

Continued from page 57

insubordination would create, the
discomfort it causes, or the unintended slights or disrespect it might
imply. There's even a biological
affect here; dissent actually causes a
stress response in the part of the brain
associated with the fear of rejection,
according to researchers at Emory
University.
The result is discouraging: Teams
under the influence of groupthink
won't adequately consider alternatives, won't adequately assess risk
that results from their decision, won't
seek expert input, will use only the
information that supports their decision and conclusion, and won't make
contingency plans just in case their
first decision is the wrong one.
The problem is that all groups
- even good ones - eventually fall
victim to this natural impulse unless
they're conscious of the predilection, according to Shlomo Ben-Hur
of the International Institute for
Management Development. At the
heart of this is an awareness of the
value of candid discussion. In brainstorming studies at the University of
California-Berkeley, groups assigned
the task to debate ideas they developed actually created nearly 20
percent more creative solutions than
those who brainstormed without discussion. Members of this group were
more creative in follow-ups even after
the group disbanded. The take-away
is that debate stimulates critical thinking. While this may be unpleasant,
it's more productive, according to
researchers.
There also is evidence that suggests
work groups shouldn't be static in
membership, according to researchers at Northwestern University. While
employees who have worked closely
together know each other well, which
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avionics news

july

2014

aids collaboration, this also creates
an organism that thinks too similarly,
which hurts innovation. By mixing
up groups so there's regularly new
blood, they retain their functional
structure but also infuse new thinking,
alternative perspectives and a hint of
unfamiliarity. In other words, successful groups include members who are
comfortable working together - but
not too comfortable.
RIGHTING WRONGS
The most important tool in avoiding groupthink in your avionics repair
shop is your culture. Employees need
to feel comfortable respectfully challenging co-workers, expressing their
concerns, and taking other psychological risks without fear of backlash,
according to Ben-Hur. As a manager,
you can encourage this by giving
them processes to avoid its pitfalls.
At least one person in every group
needs to be the critical one, according to Dean. This person is not to
be difficult or argumentative, but
thoughtful in how he plays the devil's
advocate. In fact, it shouldn't be the
boss. Instead, it should be someone
who searches for holes in the group's
thinking, then asking, what haven't
we considered?
It's important this not be the chief
leader or a supervisor. A leader is ultimately responsible for making decisions from all available options. Also,
the boss shouldn't have an official
opinion or preference about a decision
until he or she has heard all input.
Of course, if your employees feel
comfortable expressing opinions or
objections, you'll get authentic dissent
when it's due. This is better, according to Dean. A delegated devil's advocate may be discounted because he's
supposed to find ways to be contrary,
while real dissent carries an honest
belief that a particular plan isn't a
good one. Furthermore, those who

express it are actually more likely to
come up with better alternatives.
But you must nurture this dissent.
If you don't, you're creating an environment that crushes it. Show dissenters that presenting tactful, analytical
opinions has greater reward than the
pain incurred expressing them, and
show the complacent majority they
can't afford to squash this input.
Indeed, the decision itself is the
critical factor, so the group should
consider several things to make the
process work as smooth as possible.
Where the weight of a decision warrants it, consider splitting the work
group into subgroups; each should
be tasked with separately generating plans, alternatives, what-ifs and
contingency plans for those scenarios.
Ask them to consult experts, and once
each subgroup has had time to assemble its tactics, bring everyone together
again to present their results.
This stops the group from forming
an immediate consensus, and it forces
them to evaluate and choose among
several options, according to Buller.
Inspire them by asking every group
to review other plans, and then present their final analysis. Once the
decision is made, encourage each to
describe its greatest advantages, what
roles he or she will fulfill to accomplish it, and how he or she will sell it
to colleagues; this ensures that each
member contributes support to the
final plan.
It's a lot of steps, but this is a
teaching moment. The risks of groupthink will follow your employees
throughout their careers. Allowing
them to outsmart the tendency gives
them valuable skills. Tomorrow, they
may be the ones inspired to stand up
and say, whoa.
When they do, you have a smarter
team. After all, when it comes to
working together, different opinions
can make all the difference. q

Avionics News July 2014

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