Thinking Beyond "Group Think"

I recently had the honor of introducing Robbie Alm at the Hawaii Book and Music Festival.  Robbie is a highly respected business executive in Hawaii, having served in very senior positions in Hawaiian Electric and First Hawaiian Bank.  He's just written a book, The Faith of Leadership, in which he summarizes (in a slim little publication) the wisdom he's gained in his career.

Much of what he talks about is listening.  Part of the issue that he identifies with listening is the concept of "group think" where companies become incapable of entertaining new ideas because they don't listen to ideas and concepts outside of their own. 

There are a few companies that somehow get out of the group think trap.  In the book, in a chapter called "Too Many Bankers in my Bank" he relates the story of how he, a non banker, was hired.  When he asked why he was hired since he didn't have banking experience, his manager said "I have too many bankers in my bank."  That was a very wise, perspicacious, and courageous decision. 

Too many times, we see airlines only hiring "airline people."  Banks hiring bankers.  Hotels hiring hoteliers.  The list goes on.  What happens, then, is that conventional thinking and "group think" sets in and the organization becomes moribund. 

I asked Robbie how an organization can avoid group think.  His response was "hire outside contractors and consultants."  That's certainly one way to do it.  But, if a company truly recognizes the problem of group think and is truly committed to eradicating it, there are some techniques that are easy to implement in house with existing staff that can push healthy debate to the fore. 

In my first job at Leo Burnett advertising, we had a rule (at least my group had a rule) that whenever an idea, ad or concept was presented in a meeting the most junior person in the room would respond first ... followed by the next most junior ... and so on.  In most other meetings, when the senior person (almost always at the head of the table) speaks up ... everyone else shuts up. 

I'm glad I started my career at a company that knew how to address institutional problems.  And I applied much of what I learned there throughout my own career.