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| Irving Janis - Primary Philosopher of GroupThink | ||
| Irving L. Janis was a professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale, and author the Groupthink Theory, described in his book, Groupthink. Janis analyzed the tragic explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle of 1986, and concluded that incompetency and inexperience was the cause of the explosion. Instead, he attributed the explosion to Groupthink, a phenomenonal theory he concieved in the wake of the explosion. Janis was appalled at how something as hugely important as the Challenger Space Shuttle could explode, moments after being certified as flight-ready, systems optimal, and ready to go. Janis originally defined Groupthink as ‘‘a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action." Janis states that Groupthink occurs most often when a group of qualified experts and leaders convey together to make a decision. Group-cohesiveness must be high, and a feeling of mutual-cooperation should be present. When these qualities are present, the conditions for Groupthink are optimal. Janis used many pieces of pragmatic evidence to support his theory of GroupThink. |
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Irving Janis, principal scholar of the GroupThink Theory. | |