Beyond Groupthink: Tips for Thriving in Interdisciplinary Teams
by Kimberly R More
University of St Andrews
REALITIES Early-Career Researcher, Index of Community Assets workstream
Groupthink is a story as old as time, and I’m sure you’ve encountered it. It happens when a group prioritizes harmony over honesty and conforms to the status quo instead of questioning alternatives. This usually leads to poor decisions. Sometimes groupthink is relatively harmless, like settling on the same lunch spot yet again, but when it surfaces in working groups, organizations, or government, it can create an echo chamber where alternative and often better solutions are pushed aside to keep the peace. Leaders’ viewpoints can end up being endorsed with little critical reflection.
One of the most powerful ways to counter groupthink is to bring together people from different backgrounds who hold diverse perspectives. Interdisciplinary teams challenge like-minded thinking and open the door to new ideas. In REALITIES, we work both collaboratively as a whole and in smaller groups that include people with a wide range of experiences, expertise, and ways of seeing the world. Over time, I have noticed several strategies that help interdisciplinary teams thrive in decision-making.
- Make space for all voices
Not everyone speaks up at the same pace or takes up as much space in a conversation. Build moments into meetings where quieter members are invited to contribute. Active participation comes in many forms, including active listening and synthesizing information. Some of the most transformative ideas come from people who do not naturally dominate discussions and who might at first appear disengaged.
Encourage healthy dialogue about different solutions and ways of “doing” or “knowing.” Just because someone uses different tools or approaches than the group’s usual way does not automatically make their method wrong. Assuming this is how groupthink takes hold.
- Encourage thoughtful and respectful disagreement
Disagreement, when communicated clearly and respectfully, is not a sign of conflict, rather it is a sign of thinking. Support your team members to question assumptions, and explore alternative solutions. Clarify to your team that challenging ideas is not the same as challenging people or expertise. At the same time, address instances where members dismiss ideas without explanation or use inappropriate language, as this undermines constructive dialogue, can demotivate group members from sharing, and can lead to group think.
- Rotate leadership roles
When the same person leads every discussion, groups can unintentionally drift toward that person’s viewpoint. Rotating leadership helps distribute power and allows space for diverse perspectives to be communicated. This shared sense of ownership needs to be complemented with the understanding that expertise can come in many forms, including professional training, hands-on experience, and lived experience. No form of expertise should be automatically considered more valuable than another.
- Start with shared goals rather than shared thinking
Teams do not need to think the same way, but they should be aiming for the same goals. Start with a clear problem statement or goal, then allow different perspectives to shape the way forward. Viewing questions through diverse lenses provides more robust evidence, highlights the intricacies of the issue, and supports the development of more appropriate and effective solutions.
- Speak the same language
Encourage everyone to explain their thinking and ideas in plain, every day, language. Avoid jargon that only one discipline or sector understands so that insights do not feel exclusive.
- Reflect on the process
Regular check-ins about how the team is working together help catch signs of groupthink. Ask questions like: Are we hearing from the whole team? Are we challenging our own assumptions? Are we defaulting to the easiest option or our usual way of working?
These principals cannot just exist in theory; they need to also exist in actions and be regularly reflected on. My list is not exhaustive, but it is important make space for diverse perspectives through your actions and actively dismantling groupthink. By doing this, we acknowledge and respect the diversity of people, methodologies, ways of knowing, and environments.
