Start Individually to Avoid Groupthink

It’s easy when working in a team to experience groupthink. Groupthink occurs when a group of individuals underperform due to the dynamics of the group. There are a number of reasons for this. When working in a group, it’s common for some members to put in more effort than others; some group members may hesitate or even refrain from speaking up, and groups tend to perform at the level of the least-capable member.¹⁹ In order to leverage the knowledge and expertise in our trios, we need to actively work to counter groupthink.

To prevent groupthink, it’s critical that each member of the trio start by developing their own perspective before the trio works together to develop a shared perspective. This is counterintuitive. It’s going to feel inefficient. We are used to dividing and conquering, not duplicating work. But in instances where it’s important that we explore multiple perspectives, the easiest way to get there is for each product-trio member to do the work individually.