You shall conform

I know, what in the passive-aggressive post is this?! Bear with me.

Sticking with the group is one of those ancient evolutionary traits that has served us really well in the past, when we depended on group cohesion for survival. We are simply wired to go with the group. For psychological safety, for fear of social rejection, for social bonding and a lot of other reasons.

Whereas it has plenty of good functions (social bonding is good for oxytocin production, leading to higher longevity) – it can also lead to significant errors in thinking that have a huge impact on teams and team performance. Solomon Asch’s experiments shed a lot of light on this.

The Setup

Participants were placed in a room with a group of actors (who they thought were other participants). They were shown a card with a line on it and another card with three lines labeled A, B, and C. Their task was simple: say which line (A, B, or C) matched the length of the line on the first card

The Twist

The actors in the room were instructed to give the wrong answer unanimously on certain trials. The real participant had to decide whether to go along with the group’s incorrect answer or stick to their own correct judgment.

The Results

A significant number of participants conformed to the group’s wrong answer at least once. About 75% of participants conformed at least once, and 25% did not conform.

Why It Matters

Teams make mistakes because the one that spots the error does not want to go against the grain. Everyone is thinking option A, so option A must be the right one. Good leadership recognizes this and intently designs systems and rituals that protect against it. E.g. assigning a Devil’s Advocate; a rotating role where a team members’ sole role is to intentionally question & challenge group decisions.