It is critical to understand the definition and specific examples as well as the reasons why groupthink affected NASA and its employees during the time of the Challenger incident. Groupthink, is a concept developed by social psychologist Irving Janis. "Groupthink occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of "mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment. Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making " (Janis, 1982). What were the signs that group loyalty caused NASA members to slip into a groupthink mentality? The eight symptoms of groupthink show a groupthink mentality did in fact affect the Challenger incident. The first two stem from overconfidence in the group's overconfidence. The next pair reflect the tunnel vision members use to view the problem and the final four symptoms are signs of strong conformity pressure within the group: All, excepts below were taken directly from examples proposed in the Rogers Commission Report, 1986:.
- "Illusion of Invulnerability. Despite the launch pad fire that killed three astronauts in 1967 and the close call of Apollo 13, the American space program had never experienced an in-flight fatality. When engineers raised the possibility of catastrophic O-ring blow-by, NASA manager George Hardy nonchalantly pointed out that this risk was ˜ ˜true of every other flight we have had." Summarizes attitude as ˜ ˜everything is going to work out all right because we are a special group. .
- Belief in Inherent Morality of the Group. Under the sway of groupthink, members automatically assume the rightness of their cause.