What phenomenon occurs when a team's desire to agree overrides proper assessment?

What phenomenon occurs when a team's desire to agree overrides proper assessment?

• A. Group cohesion
• B. Confirmation bias
• C. Groupthink
• D. Consensus trap

Answer: (C)

The situation describes how a team’s drive for harmony can override critical evaluation. When the goal is to reach agreement quickly or to avoid conflict, members may withhold objections, discount dissenting information, and go along with a preferred option without properly examining risks or alternatives. This is groupthink—the tendency for the desire for consensus to suppress rigorous analysis, leading to flawed decisions. You might also notice signs like everyone acting confident while privately disagreeing, pressure on dissenters to conform, or justifications based on supposed unanimity. While strong team cohesion can exist alongside other dynamics, the behavior described most accurately reflects groupthink. The term consensus trap is sometimes used in similar contexts, but groupthink is the standard, more precise concept here.

The situation describes how a team’s drive for harmony can override critical evaluation. When the goal is to reach agreement quickly or to avoid conflict, members may withhold objections, discount dissenting information, and go along with a preferred option without properly examining risks or alternatives. This is groupthink—the tendency for the desire for consensus to suppress rigorous analysis, leading to flawed decisions. You might also notice signs like everyone acting confident while privately disagreeing, pressure on dissenters to conform, or justifications based on supposed unanimity. While strong team cohesion can exist alongside other dynamics, the behavior described most accurately reflects groupthink. The term consensus trap is sometimes used in similar contexts, but groupthink is the standard, more precise concept here.