Page 49 - engage workbook

6 bias

Groupthink We need to
hear some
I agree opposing views
Humans are social animals, and broadly- And me! Me too!
speaking we like to fit in. This desire to
assimilate can cloud our judgement and
affect our conversations with others.

When we are in a group, we sometimes
defer to others, especially those who are
“expert” or more senior, without questioning 100%!
underlying assumptions or views (theirs and ours). This
Groupthink can lead to poor decisions.

For an example of how this can affect a business, look no further than Kodak. Despite
inventing the digital camera, and investigating the market potential on multiple occasions,
senior management continually convinced themselves that film was superior to digital
and that they should focus on film. After 128 years, Kodak filed for bankruptcy in January
2012, a victim of Groupthink.

What you can do

• Be sensitive to decisions that are the result of a homogenous group with no dissenting
voices.

• Respectfully challenge the views of others, and consider getting someone outside of
your team to give their honest opinions.

• Ask buyers about broader opportunities and challenges, and seek ways to discover
hidden value through asking better questions (see section 8 – SHAPE Questioning
and section 12 – Spicy Questions).

• Avoid prematurely narrowing conversations to familiar topics.

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