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“Group Think” is no Laughing Matter

9 January, 2013 by James Lawther 4 Comments

In the 1970’s the psychologist Irving Janis coined the term “group think” to explain why group pressure results in poor decisions, or, as he explained it, why groups show: A deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgement That is a little more erudite than the way I would put it, but the phrase […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: assumptions, colleagues, Dilbert, effective meetings, group think, human nature, sacred cows, stereotype, teamwork, what don't you see

The Birth of the Sacred Cow

24 November, 2012 by James Lawther 3 Comments

Legend has it that the tie that I wore to work this morning started life hundreds of years ago as a neck cloth that was “easily changed to minimise the soiling of a doublet.” Or, to put it in rather less grand terms, a bib. From function to fashion 400 years ago, Croatian mercenaries fighting […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: anonymity, beliefs, compliance, conformity, sacred cows

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