There is a delicate balance there between natural leadership abilities and office politics, and the employee who crosses it often finds himself or herself ostracized from the group because of the idea that he or she tried to 'take over' the group. In truth, though, that take over had to come from somewhere if the project was to be completed on time and correctly. A project can be completed without strong leadership, but with what kind of quality as the result? Projects without strong leaders are not as good. They do not have as much thought put into them, and people do not make enough of an effort to ensure that they are done correctly. They can make a break a department or a company if they are big projects that are undertaken or presented to others. They need good leaders who will stay around and see them through.

What is meant by the term groupthink and identify four symptoms?

Groupthink is a term for a collective mindset. It happens when people work together for too long, and it happens when people who are very similar get together. Symptoms include: excessive stereotyping, illusions of morality, self-censorship, and pressure for conformity. Groupthink can be dangerous because it leads to serious problems within a department or organization and can make completing projects almost impossible.

There is no real creativity when it comes to groupthink because everyone is trying to follow the same path. Even when this path veers off into dangerous...

They do not move forward toward what should be taking place, and they only look at what they see as being correct as a group. It is like putting them in a box, and they cannot see anything outside of it. They are not even aware of anything else, or they think that everything and everyone else is wrong.
Avoiding groupthink is very important in organizations. Once a tentative decision is made, it should be discussed with others outside the group to get feedback on what is being done. Dividing the group into two groups and sharing ideas can also be helpful because it breaks up the original group, but there are still dangers there, and most people feel that groups should be generally avoided because of the dangers that they present.

If a company decides to use groups, everyone in the groups should be made aware of groupthink and the seriousness of it. If they do not know the warning signs they have no chance of noticing them when they do appear. However, with the right training and with careful thought and preparation, groups can be effective and efficient ways of getting things done in organizations. Improper preparation, however, can be disastrous and should be avoided.

Bibliography

Gray, Clifford F. & Larson, Erik W. (2006). Project Management: The Managerial Process 3rd Edition, Mc-Graw Hill, Inc. ISBN: 0-07-297863-5