This essay will establish the relationship between groupthink and unethical behaviour among group members. The first part of this essay will define unethical behaviour and the phenomenon of “groupthink”. It will describe how groupthink arises from extreme elevated negative group cohesion. It will outline the behaviour of groupthink dynamics (such as self-importance, over commitment, and excessive devotion to the group) and how groupthink dynamics contributes to unethical behaviour. Next, the essay will identify how groupthink has contributed to the unethical behaviour in the highest levels of decision making. The second part of this essay will identify the role and definition of the devil’s advocate, and how the devil advocate promotes positive communication. Finally, the essay will discuss the importance and the effectiveness of utilizing the devil’s advocate within group decisions for changing unethical behaviour within groupthink.
Belonging to a group can promote negative cohesion as it promotes the probabilities of low quality decision making resulting in unethical behaviour among group members. The Oxford University Press (2015) defines unethical behaviour as “lacking moral principles; unwilling to adhere to proper rules of conduct”. Decision making in groups can be hindered by elevated cohesiveness and conformity resulting in the phenomenon called “Groupthink” it can transpire in the highest levels of decision making to the basic levels of social association (McCauley, 1989). Groupthink is the effects of ‘compliance pressure’ arising from numerous causes from weak leadership and/or limited avenues for alternative voices to be heard to member’s neediness to satisfy the group for social approval or self- preservation (McCauley, 1989). Additional dynamics of groupthink is the highly cohesive group of being at risk to the susceptibilities to making bad