Is Herd Mentality Helping Or Hindering Your Organisation?
Author: James Conlon
How we react and behave varies greatly depending on who we are with. Studies show that individuals will modify their opinions and compromise their values to conform to group norms. These modifications can be quite pronounced depending on the size of the group and the personalities within it.
Social psychologists believe this desire to conform is due to the essential benefits we gain from being part of a group. Throughout history, we have relied on groups or tribes for protection against predators and rivals, to acquire and protect resources and to support each other through hardship. To be without a tribe was likely to have dire, if not fatal, consequences.
Although the landscape may have changed, social and group interactions are still important today. Our communities give us purpose. They protect us from loneliness and provide us with support and encouragement. By conforming we demonstrate our willingness to be a part of the group, increasing the likelihood the group will be there for us in return.
Group conformity can be a positive force if the group supports positive behaviours. Working as teams, we can achieve more, leverage collective skills and experiences and we can learn from each other. But group mentality or group thinking can also silence criticism and dissent, it can prevent individuals from exploring ideas outside of those preferred by the group and it can elevate dominant group members' opinions above the rest.
Our subconscious, conformity impulse is so strong it can overwhelm our better judgment. At its most extreme, behaviours can be amplified, and individuals can behave out of character and in ways they later regret. This is evidenced in examples of social unrest, riots, and looting, where protests may begin peacefully but quickly turn ugly. Many who subsequently break the law are caught up in the group and can act quite out of character.
A series of experiments undertaken by psychologist Solomon Asch in the 1950s illustrated the degree to which an individual’s beliefs and opinions could be altered by group thinking. One famous experiment placed eight participants in a group and asked each member to decide which of three, different sized lines was the same length as a fourth line. The answer was obvious, but the experiment wasn’t what it seemed. Seven group members were actors who had been instructed to give incorrect answers, unbeknownst to the eighth member of the group. Faced with either going against the group or conforming, approximately 75% of test subjects agreed with the wrong answer at least once during the experiment.
Group Conformity Can Have The Following Detrimental Impact On Organisations:
1. Silent Criticism And Dissent
Teams can stop looking at ways to improve. They may ignore or gloss over flaws and failures.
2. Kill Innovation Or The Exploration Of New Ideas
Ideas that differ from those held by the group may be rejected without true considered or ridiculed. They may not even be raised through fear of group criticism.
3. Lead To Poor Decision Making
The dominant members of the group have a disproportionate influence. Their ideas and direction are more likely to be followed, even when logically individuals disagree.
4. Create Unhelpul Conflict Between Other Groups
Interactions between groups can trigger defensive or hostile behaviour, with those outside the group being perceived as hostile or even the enemy.
5. Discourage Organisational Co-operation And Collaboration
As individuals prioritise the good of the group and its success above the greater good of the organisation.
6. Cause Challenges When Onboarding New People
The group’s culture and ways of working aren’t written down and may vary greatly from elsewhere in the organisation making it for new employees to acclimatise.
7. Increase Resistance To Organisational Change
Most of us struggle with change. Organisational change, such as re-structures or changes to working practices, becomes harder to agree on and roll out when multiple group cultures and practices have evolved.
How Do We Recognise It And What Can We Do
Sometimes the negative effects of herd mentality are obvious to everyone. However, most of the time it goes under the radar. The conformity impulse occurs at a subconscious level. Individuals are usually unaware that their actions and behaviours are altered by the group. There are simple things we can do to limit the impact of herd mentality.
1. Start With Ourselves
How open are we to feedback and criticism? Do we welcome and actively seek the thoughts of others or close them down when they are not what we want to hear? When we don’t take on board all the views of the group, some may become disenfranchised and stop sharing their views.
2. Support Others When They Challenge The Status Quo
Encouraging and supporting constructive dissent from others helps build psychological safety and an environment where people are comfortable expressing their views.
3. Encourage Alternative Views
If we chastise or punish those who disagree or challenge, we cement the group norms. By encouraging alternative views, we promote free thinking and potentially the creation of better solutions.
4. Develop Our Active Listening Skills
When we truly listen to other people we are more likely to recognise and accept any concerns or differences they may have.