Abilene Paradox

Consensus decision-making - Consensus is not Groupthink 1 *Abilene paradox: Consensus decision- making is susceptible to all forms of groupthink, the most dramatic being the Abilene paradox. In the Abilene paradox, a group can unanimously agree on a course of action that no individual member of the group desires because no one individual is willing to go against the perceived will of the decision-making body.

List of paradoxes - Decision theory 1 * Abilene paradox: People can make decisions based not on what they actually want to do, but on what they think that other people want to do, with the result that everybody decides to do something that nobody really wants to do, but only what they thought that everybody else wanted to do.

Abilene paradox 1 In an 'Abilene paradox' a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of many of the individuals in the group. It involves a common breakdown of group communication in which each member mistakenly believes that their own preferences are counter to the group's and, therefore, does not raise objections. A common phrase relating to the Abilene paradox is a desire not to rock the boat.

Abilene paradox - Explanation 1 The term was introduced by management expert Jerry B. Harvey in his article The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement. The name of the phenomenon comes from an anecdote in the article which Harvey uses to elucidate the paradox:

Abilene paradox - Explanation 1 In Sims' view, groupthink is a psychological phenomenon affecting clarity of thought, where in the Abilene paradox thought is unaffected.

Abilene paradox - Explanation 1 Like groupthink theories, the Abilene paradox theory is used to illustrate that groups not only have problems managing disagreements, but that agreements may also be a problem in a poorly functioning group.

Abilene paradox - Applications of the theory 1 For example, Harvey himself cited the Watergate scandal as a potential instance of the Abilene paradox in action

Dumb agent theory 1 His argument states that if market decisions were made independently of each other, and with the sole goal of being correct (as opposed to being in line with what others are choosing), then the markets would produce the best choice possible and eliminate biases such as groupthink, the bandwagon effect and the Abilene paradox.

Pseudoconsensus 1 This can cause problems such as the Abilene paradox

Jerry B. Harvey 1 He is the author of approximately fifty professional articles and has written two books: The Abilene Paradox and Other Meditations on Management and How Come Every Time I Get Stabbed in the Back, My Fingerprints Are on the Knife? He is also featured in several videos focusing on organizational behavior including, The Asoh Defense, The Gunsmoke Phenomenon, and The Abilene Paradox.

History of the Community of Christ - Presidencies of W. Wallace Smith and Wallace B. Smith 1 Launius, [ content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V31 N01_61.pdf The Reorganized Church, the Decade of Decision, and the Abilene Paradox,] Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, vol

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