Groupthink in Government: A Study of Small Groups and Policy Failure - Softcover

Hart, Paul ‘t

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801848903 ISBN 13: 9780801848902

Publisher: JHUP, 1994

Synopsis

Why do groups of talented and experienced individuals make disastrously bad collective judgments, such as the Kennedy administration's flawed decision to proceed with the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961? In his pioneering research on collective decision making, Irving Janis introduced the concept of "groupthink"—a deliberately Orwellian neologism—to describe such occurrences. Now, in the first book-length study of groupthink since Janis's work, Paul 't Hart has provided a rigorous and systematic version of this influential theory which opens several new avenues for research.

About this title

Review

"Paul 't Hart is one of the few scholars who have been able to build effectively on Janis's insights and his first-rate book places the concept of groupthink on a rigorous, intellectually systematic footing."

(Fred I. Greenstein, Princeton University)

"This unique book pushes ahead the work of Irving Janus, opening up the black box of group processes and providing a key to comprehending and improving this critical component of governance."

(Yehezkel Dror, Hebrew University and the European Institute of Public Administration)

Synopsis

Why do groups of talented and experienced individuals make disastrously bad collective judgements, such as the Kennedy administration's flawed decision to proceed with the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961? In his pioneering research on collective decision-making, Irving Janis introduced the concept of "groupthink" - a deliberately Orwellian neologism - to describe such occurrences. In this book-length study of groupthink, Paul 't Hart has provided a rigourous and systematic version of this influential theory which opens several new avenues for research. "Groupthink in Government", available for the first time in paperback, examines the circumstances most likely to produce or counteract groupthink, and applies the theory to issues such as leadership style, risk taking, accountability and prevention. 't Hart's elaborate case study of the Iran-contra scandal demonstrates the continuing relevance of groupthink theory in the examination of flawed decision-making.

Edition details

• Publisher: JHUP
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0801848903
• ISBN 13: 9780801848902
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 344