Definition
A pattern of flawed decision-making in which members of a cohesive group reach agreement by suppressing dissent, ignoring alternatives, and prioritizing harmony over critical evaluation of the situation. In a flight crew, groupthink occurs when crewmembers go along with a developing plan or decision rather than voicing concerns or challenging assumptions, often leading to errors that any individual member might have caught alone.
Plain English
When everyone in a group agrees with a plan because no one wants to be the one who speaks up — even when something feels wrong. The group ends up making a worse decision than any single person would have made on their own.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation human factors, crew decision-making, safety discussions, and accident reviews.
Derivation
Coined by social psychologist Irving Janis in 1972, combining 'group' with 'think.' The word was deliberately built to echo the unsettling tone of Orwell's terms like 'doublethink' — a warning that collective agreement can be a failure of thinking, not a sign of good thinking.
Why Pilots Care
In the cockpit or on the ramp, it can cause crews to ignore safety concerns, leading to preventable incidents or accidents.
Intuition Check
Groupthink does not mean good teamwork. Good teamwork welcomes honest questions; groupthink pressures people to agree.
Example Sentence 1
The accident report concluded that groupthink in the cockpit prevented the first officer from challenging the captain's decision to continue the approach.
Example Sentence 2
Effective briefings include explicit steps to prevent groupthink by inviting open questions from every crew member.