It was interesting to read about groupthink. Normally, I would think that the more people you have, the better the decision will be, because there are more opinions and expertise available. However, that does not work when there is a cohesive group, because the decision making process can easily fall into groupthink and have disastrous consequences.
One of the interesting points in the reading was the comparison of the Bay of Pigs and how it led to groupthink, because it was dominated by consensus and there was no real challenge to the intelligence of the CIA. However, Janis pointed out that the Cuban Missile Crisis was handled extremely well by the same administration. It was interesting to look for parallels between the reading and Thirteen Days to see how the situation did not fall into groupthink. The major reason that I saw was Kennedy’s resilience against the single-minded view of the chiefs to go to war. Kennedy forced many people to come up with alternative opinions that would not drive the US to war.
Overall, I think it is important not to fall into the belief that good decisions will be made simply because there is a consensus on an issue or ‘experts’ agree on it. It’s necessary for any democracy constantly challenge its ideas and policies to make sure they are the best possible decision rather than one made through groupthink.
I think that there are both positive and negative aspects to groupthink. I don’t think decisions that affect a large number of people, such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, should be made by one or two people, but then as you said when there is too many people in the group it is very difficult to come to a consensus. The challenge is finding the balance between the two extremes.
I love your comment about the importance of a democracy such as our to constantly challenge our ideals. I think that is one of the things that makes our country great. Constant discussion and compromise I believe make the best solution, not necessarily just picking and choosing a decision or idea.
I think that it is important to look at the negative impacts of having a group all think the same way. I remember that in 102 we also talked about how groupthink can result in a group becoming more extreme in whatever direction the group consensus is. This makes me really agree that a consensus does not mean that it is the best decision or a well thought out decision.
I agree with your point on the importance of not believing everything that comes out of a cohesive, maybe expert group, solely due to their prestige, because factors such as groupthink can override their consciences and lead them to poor decisions. I think that this is a vital aspect of groups that they don’t fall into the trap of groupthink so that they are believed and trusted as reliable.