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Cited by 48Team Dynamics and PerformanceConstruction Project Management and PerformanceLeadership, Behavior, and Decision-Making Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 45 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Groupthink in temporary organizations

Hällgren, Markus·2010·International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
DOI 10.1108/17538371011014044
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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of groupthink in temporary organizations. Only anecdotally has the literature touched upon how the temporary organization's structure may foster groupthink. Studies of faulty group processes are imperative since temporary organizations are becoming more common. Design/methodology/approach: Following the design used by several authors who analyzed the Everest events, this paper is an historic in‐depth case study based on accounts of several survivors. Findings: Three out of four features of groupthink are found and analyzing the Everest events there are several symptoms to groupthink that may be present in any temporary organization. Research limitations/implications: Groupthink as a theoretical idea is well developed but has received limited attention in a temporary organization (project) setting. More attention should be given to group dynamics in general and groupthink in particular. Practical implications: Some practices are suggested to avoid groupthink. Furthermore, project managers find themselves in a balancing act between freedom, efficiency, and fast decisions. The context should be allowed to decide which the correct approach is. Finally, blowing the whistle should never be a problem and never be punished. Originality/value: The setting of this paper is original although it is to the structure a common project. When life is at stake, features and symptoms of groupthink become more evident. The theoretical field is almost non‐existent in a temporary organization setting hence there is a considerable value to the theoretical development of temporary organizations and groupthink.

Overview

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Crossref · 10.1108/17538371011014044

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45 of 45 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Snook, S.A. (2002), Friendly Fire: The Accidental Shootdown of US Black Hawks over Northern Iraq, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
  2. Snook, S.A. and Connor, J.C. (2005), “The price of progress: structurally induced inaction”, in Starbuck, W.H. and Farjoun, M. (Eds), Organization at the Limit, Lessons from the Columbia Disaster, Blackwell, Malden, MA, pp. 178‐201.
  3. Useem, M. (2001), “The leadership lessons of Mount Everest”, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 79 No. 9, pp. 51‐8.

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Metadata

Authors
Hällgren, M.
Affiliations
Umeå University (SE)
Corresponding author
Hällgren, Markus
ORCID
Hällgren, Markus
Venue
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business
Publisher
Emerald
Published
2010-01-26
Volume
3
Issue
1
Pages
94-110
ISSN
1753-8378 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1108/17538371011014044
OpenAlex
W2039381132
Cited by
47
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
FWCI
2.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.emerald.com/insight/site-policies (tdm)
Locations
International Journal of Managing Projects in Business (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Team Dynamics and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Construction Project Management and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Leadership, Behavior, and Decision-Making Studies
Keywords
groupthink, temporary organizations, project teams, group dynamics, project management, whistleblowing, organizational structure, decision-making

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Data sources

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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.