Abilene Paradox

In the light of the articles, identify at least two specific instances when you have encountered a situation similar to the Abilene Paradox. What could have been done differently? Why do groups sometimes reach incorrect decisions? What can be done to ensure group effectiveness in the workplace?

The first encounter was at my formal workplace. We were a group of seven members, including the team supervisor. Every month we have certain targets to reach as a group and individually, and every week we meet to track our progress, create action plans and come up with ideas to execute the plans and attain our targets. I remember there was a time when one of the team member brought up an idea during the meeting and no one questioned it, including our supervisor just because the guy was a veteran with more experience. He just accepted the idea without asking everyone else what we think about it. Everyone in the group agree to the idea against their desires and opinion because I have them calling me after the meeting to state their objections and ideas regarding the matter. Some of the ideas did work, while others was very unsuccessful. The second encounter was within an organization I was a member of. As a non-profit organization, we needed to find a way to get sponsors and donors to help with the project at hand. The leader came one day and said she had an idea of how to go about it without even consulting anyone else on the team if we had any. She stated her ideas and said that was what we will do. Ofcourse, no one could challenge her because she is the team leader and what if we came up with another idea and it didn’t work? We followed her idea, but ended up not getting enough sponsors for the project. She then had to call a meeting to apologize and ask for our opinions, something she could have done in the first place and save the costs incurred in executing the first idea. What both supervisors could have done in the above two situations was to ensure that they...