The Effect of Groupthink on the Motivation - Research Proposal Example

The Effect of Groupthink on the Motivation of Military Personnel in xxxx Camp Introduction Motivation in the workforce can be said to be the energy that ignites, guides and sustains discipline in the course of work until the objectives are realized. It is therefore synonymous with work psyche, morale, focus and determination that create a sense of satisfaction and identity in a worker. Without motivation, the logic for input in a particular job reward would disintegrate causing poor performance and withdrawal from a certain job. In the military, motivation entails a higher level of commitment to the country over personal achievement. Motivation in the military is pegged on the collective success of the group (and country), which causes some conditioning that decision making must be for the overall good of the group (Weightman, 2008) When cohesion undermines the logic of independent decision making in a group, the group is said to engage in group think. The well being of the group as a unit overcomes individual initiatives that would make better decisions concerning the group. This phenomenon was developed by Irving Janis, wondering at the inability of intelligent officers to determine the best attacking strategy for a good military organization (Irving, 1972). There is a tendency of making irrational decisions when members of certain groups sit down to make a decision. The military is therefore the best model of organizations suffering from irrational decision making. Problem Statement Military decision making is biased in most of the instances, due to the irrational decisions inherently made by coherence-tied groups. Decision making in any organization must bear two task elements of organizational dynamics; human resource maintenance as well as performance. In cohesive decision making such as the one in the military, the element of human resource takes precedence over performance, which destabilizes success rating on decision made. Studies done in the past have not linked the group thinking phenomena to personnel motivation in the military (coherence). Objective: 1. To establish the extent to which groupthink impacts the morale and motivation of military personnel. Significance of the study This study may help military administrators to help boost motivation without compromising military discipline. Theoretical Framework and Background/Literature Nature of Groupthink Groupthink theory was formulated by Yale Psychologist Irvin Janis. According to Amidon (2005, p 120), groupthink can be defined as the “deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing and moral judgment that results from in-group pressure”, or “congruence seeking tendency in decision making.” Groupthink is manifested when a group of intelligent decision makers fail to make the expected decision, usually causing serious failures. It is particularly evident if the organization has three feature namely, group cohesiveness, structural blunders and high stress duties (Amidon, 2005). The group pressure amid discipline or compliance requirement causes the entire group to stick to poor decisions by the leader even without questioning. The results of the groupthink tendencies include overestimation of the group’s potential, collective closed mindedness and pressure of conformity and unanimity according to Schafer and Crichlow (1996). Decisions made are characteristic of defective decision making which entail incomplete survey of options and uniformed decision base. Advantages of Groupthink Group thinks is known to have certain advantages. One of its core advantages is the establishment of unity of purpose in the manner in which the group brings human resource control to a near perfect state. Another advantage of groupthink is that organizational wrangles are eliminated due to the tendency to seek concurrence. Yet again, even though extensive consultations are not made before making a decision, there are few chances of resistance to the decisions that are made (McCauley, 1989). Disadvantages of Groupthink Group think similarly has a number of disadvantages which can impact the organization. First it heightens the chances of defective decision making. Secondly, it can lead to low self esteem due to previous failures. Other of its disadvantages include reduced efficacy resulting in poor decision making and the existence of moral dilemmas due to the making of irrational decisions by members of the group (McCauley, 1989). Methodology This study will be conducted using a survey. Mailed questionnaires will be used owing to their convenience and considering the difficult that may exist in physically or personally accessing the military camp. The questionnaires will be designed such as to contain open ended questions aimed at determining the level of group think in the camp and assessing how much motivation military officers gain when groupthink is at play. Scope and limitation of the study This study will be limited to only one camp. This means that other camps will not be surveyed. This could impact the universal application of the results in other camps or places. Given that the camp hosts several military officers, conducting an in-depth analysis of the camp would definitely require a huge resource base. This research will be conducted using a small sample considering the limited resources available for conducting the study. Since dealing with the military is security sensitive, there are chances of officers providing wrong or misleading information assuming that such information may put the camp at risk. Data Collection Primary data will be used for this study. The survey will be conducted by issuing questionnaires to military personnel across different departments and serving in different capacities (ordinary military personnel and supervisors).A random sample of 100 officers will be used during the study. Both male and female officers will be considered for the survey. In order to cater for none responsiveness and other unforeseeable circumstances, questionnaires will be issued to 125 military personnel although only 100 questionnaires will be used for the analysis. Analysis Methods The data collected from the field will be analyzed using SPSS or PASW software. The analysis will mainly be aimed at establishing any correlations between groupthink and motivation levels with other variables including gender, age and official position. Regression analyses will also be conducted with respect to different variables to reveal any relationships that exist between them. Subjects Included in the Study During this study, military officers (male and female) will be the respondents. Three military personnel will also assist in issuing questionnaires and posting them back for analysis. A research assistant will help in coding and analyzing the data using SPSS/PASW. Budget The following budget is proposed for the study. Items Total Cost (in USD) Stationary 60 Photocopying & Printing Costs 50 Report Binding 20 Stamps & Postage expenses 200 Workers Fees 400 10% Contingency 73 Total Expenses 813 Work Plan The study is expected to take six weeks following the schedule presented in the table below. Table 1: Time plan Activity Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Preliminary preparations Reading and Reviewing Literature Developing Interview Questions Administering questionnaire Analysing data Editing Final Draft Presentation & Submission of Report References Amidon, M. (2005) “Groupthink, politics and the decision to attempt the Son Tay rescue”. Parameters US Army War College Quarterly, Autumn 2005, pp 119–131. Irving J. (1972) Victims of Groupthink. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. McCauley, C. (1989) "The Nature of Social Influence in Groupthink: Compliance and Internalization." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(2): 250-260. Schafer, M. and Crichlow, S. (1996) Antecedents of groupthink: A quantitative study. The Journal of Conflict Resolution, 40(3): 415–435. Weightman, J. (2008) The Employee Motivation Audit. Cambridge Strategy Publications. Read More