ESSAY: Groupthink Symptoms

Groupthink is sometimes synonymous with poor decision making due to the effort to maintain harmony within the group itself. Your readings described groupthink and the eight symptoms of groupthink.

After completing the groupthink readings and watching the video:

Describe a time when you observed groupthink in the healthcare workplace.
Did you observe any of the eight symptoms of groupthink? Identify and explain.
How did groupthink impact decision-making? What was the outcome?
How can a nurse leader prevent groupthink?

ANSWER

Groupthink Symptoms

Decision making is critical in ensuring an organization achieves its mandate in a given time and budget. It also involves searching for the best alternative, the utility of resources as well as ensuring employees are satisfied. Even though in most cases, decisions are a preserve of the management, there are times decisions are made as a group in a psychological phenomenon called groupthink (Kaba, Wishart, Fraser, Coderre & McLaughlin, 2016). Such decisions are made with the desire to ensure harmony and conformity. The healthcare setting is an example of an organization that has witnessed groupthink as will be shown in this task.

A time I Observed Groupthink at a Healthcare Place

My healthcare workplace has experienced groupthink on several occasions. I work in a small community hospital where most of the healthcare workers come from around the community and a bigger percentage of them attended the same nursing school. In the work setting, the interaction is so free as they know each other and chances are that the patient seeking medical attention is also from their vicinity and is known by a majority of healthcare providers. These association has influenced almost all decisions made at the facility. At one time, a lady in labor came to seek help. In unison, they all decided she be subjected to the caesarian section. Although I felt she could still deliver normally, I had no control.

Whether I observed any of the symptoms of groupthink

Yes, I did observe an illusion of unanimity where members falsely perceive that everyone agrees with the decision that has been made. In the example given above, even though some had descending views (as I later interrogated), they kept silent and let the decision of the majority pass.

How Groupthink impacted decision-making

The unanimous decision meant that the lady be subjected to a caesarian section other than normal delivery. Even though she delivered well, she did not have any health insurance cover which meant that she pays on her own. Since the operation is expensive, coupled to the many days she had to spend in hospital, the medical bill was too high for her to handle. This is as opposed to if she could have been allowed normal delivery.

How a Nurse leader can present groupthink There are many ways through which a nurse leader can prevent groupthink. Firstly, the leader needs to know the consequences of the decision being made. It is also important that nurse leaders seek for alternative viewpoints so that there is an open-minded discussion (Mannion & Davies, 2019). They can also use evidence-based approaches to be sure of the decisions they make. If such strategies are used, groupthink…