Business Leadership - Q1

Groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

illusion of invulnerability

a symptom of groupthink that creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks

unquestioned belief in inherent morality

a symptom of groupthink where members believe in the rightness of their cause and therefore ignore ethical/moral consequences

collective rationalization

a symptom of groupthink where members discount warnings and do not reconsider their assumption

direct pressure on dissenters

a symptom of groupthink where members are under pressure not to express arguments against the group’s views

self-censorship

a symptom of groupthink where doubts and deviations from the perceived group consensus are not expressed

high group cohesiveness

a cause of groupthink that relates to the degree or strength of bonds linking members of a social group to one another

structural faults

a cause of groupthink due to lack of impartial leadership, lack of norms requiring methodological procedures, or insulation of the group

situational context

a cause of groupthink that relates to highly stressful external threats, recent failures, excessive difficulties on the decision-making task, or moral dilemmas

Blake and Mouton Models

a diagram detailing different leadership dimensions including, authoritarian, team leader, country club, and impoverished leader

Authoritarian leader

high concern for production, low concern for people

• produce or perish

• when the leader tells the followers what and how they want something done w/o input from the team

Used when: the leader has all the info to solve the problem, team is short on time, followers are well motivated

Team leader

high concern for people, high concern for production

• leads by a positive example

• want followers to reach their highest potential

Impoverished leader

low concern for people, low concern for production

• give instructions and leave it up to their followers to deliver

• allows the team to do whatever they want

Country club leader

high concern for people, low concern for production

• uses rewards to maintain discipline and achieve goals

• have difficulty being tough on followers in fear of jeopardizing relationships

corporate social responsibility

the obligation of an organization to act in ways that serve both its own interests and the interests of its many external stakeholders

organizational stakeholder

Those persons, groups, and other organizations directly affected by the behaviour of the organization and holding a stake in its performance, such as employees, customers, owners, etc