You often find yourself in a situation where the collective decision taken by your team differs greatly from the individual view of each team member. It appears very counterintuitive at first. Let's dig a bit deeper to understand the scientific underpinnings of this phenomenon.
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This phenomenon is referred to as the "Abeline Paradox". Our behavior and thought processes change dramatically depending on the context of the situation, whether we are in a group or acting as an individual. As a group, we try to build consensus rather than truth. There are two main reasons for this,
As a group, we go through individual anxiety about what would happen if we were not aligning with the majority of the team. This could be a simple hint from the leader about his preference for the decision for a particular problem. This suggestion or hint is taken as an order and people align, though they may not personally agree with it.
Secondly, Individuals have varied capabilities and intelligence and as a group, the kinetics of being the slowest, easiest, and socially acceptable will have the least resistant path.
Naval Ravikanth has an interesting thought on this topic.
Ending with a thought-provoking quote from Nietzsche
“Madness is rare in individuals—but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule”