HOW DOES

ABILENE
PARADOX
ADVERSELY AFFECTS DECISION-MAKING?

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 MEANING

Abilene Paradox exists in group

decision-making. It is when a
group decides to take an action
that is contradictory to what most
or all of the individuals really want
to do. It is the inability of the
group to manage agreement.

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It states that a group or
organization frequently take
decisions or actions opposite to
what most or all of the group
wanted to. It indicates a breakdown
in how a group communicates with
the individuals, incorrectly believing
that their choices or preferences
contradict those of the group
(therefore, the fear of appearing as
“not a team player”) and not even
sharing them.

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This is likely caused by a human’s
instinctive nature to conform to
the group, a gap of ownership
mindset or perceiving an expert/
heavyweight in the group on the
topic or even adequate time to
debate. Individuals as a result are
afraid of speaking up, resulting in
collectively the group remaining
silent on the issue.

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As on any path for resolution, the
first step is to identify the
problem's existence. Symptoms
include:
Individuals share differing
viewpoints or opinions while in
private as against when in a
group.
Culture of discouraging
members from presenting
different viewpoints or
opinions, taking risks, or
shooting the messenger.

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Presence of frustration among
members towards other
groups or leadership.
Lack of trust among members
of the group resulting in
backstabbing.
Decision-making requiring
unanimous committee
agreement.

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 Steps towards avoiding
this paradox:

Leadership acknowledge the

issue clearly, asking for frank
opinions without fear.
Encourage everyone to share
their feedback, even if
different or voice concerns
before a decision is made.
Reward the devil’s advocate
even if he gets proven wrong.

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Further, before collectively
discussing, encourage
individuals or smaller teams to
brainstorm independently and
present options. This would
ensure that heavyweights don’t
swing the discussion first.
Encourage members to listen
without passing judgment and
enforce a culture of
brainstorming.
Finally, avoid being hasty while
making key decisions without
considering alternatives and
studying the impact.

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 INQUIRE NOW!

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