PSYCHOLOGICAL ENTRAPMENT IN GROUP DECISION-MAKING - AN ASSIGNED DECISION RULE AND A GROUPTHINK PHENOMENON

This study addressed interpersonal factors affecting group entrapment and also attempted to delineate a conceptual link between collective e ntrapment and I. L. Janis's (1972, 1982) notion of groupthink. Two exp eriments were conducted in which 3-person groups were assigned either majority or unanimity rule as an official consensus requirement for th eir initial decision. It was expected and confirmed that groups whose initial decision processes were guided by unanimity rule were entrappe d more often to the chosen course of action than were groups with majo rity rule. The results also suggested that homogeneity of members' opi nions at the outset of interaction and group's rationalization norm we re responsible for the observed difference. Discussion is focused on t he implications of these findings for administrative decision contexts and their conceptual link to the notion of groupthink.