Aviation Human Factors looks at Social Psychology Team Working

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What do we mean by Team?

When we’re in the presence of others, people are more physiologically aroused and energized, and dominant behaviours are strengthened. This phenomenon is called social facilitation. 

Within the maintenance Environment we need to work together as a team to enable the accomplishment of complex tasks – however there is a difference between working as a team and working as individuals within a team.

Complex systems need ‘teams’ to get task done - Teams have to be conceived, planned and implemented with care.

A positive team characteristic would be to show that each member within the team feels a part of the group and accepts his or her part in the overall responsibility. 

Team Planning Considerations 

· Related to the task design – Appropriate resources and sufficient competence available within the team to deliver the goal or objective
· To manage the team in the best way to minimise social loafing (the tendency for people to exert less energy and effort when engaged in a group task that ignores individual accountability)
· Recognising that Team making is unique to each organisation
· Team should have members with variety of skills
· Individual workers need to be trained in team skills, with the provision of cross training to maximum extent possible
· Disagreement can sometimes threaten the effectiveness of a group. When people start expressing views that are contrary to the group’s general belief then the group sometimes reacts negatively

 What is Groupthink? 

Group think is the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group, resulting typically in unchallenged, poor-quality decision-making. 

Groups can have both positive and negative effects on individual behaviour. You may perform some tasks better when working within a group and get lazier while performing others. 

Symptoms of Groupthink:

Illusion of invulnerability: When groups think they are untouchable, they’re more likely to squash dissent. 

Belief in the group’s moral superiority: When a group thinks it is ultimately moral, it ignores its own immorality. 

Rationalization: A group becomes more closed-minded as it collectively justifies its actions. 

Stereotypes regarding the opposition: When an opponent is viewed in biased or prejudiced terms, his statements that contradict the group’s views are easier to ignore. 

Conformity pressure: Strong pressure on individuals to go along with the group’s will and to not disagree minimizes dissent; non-conformers are cast out. 

Self-censorship: Group members keep their dissenting opinions to themselves rather than rock the boat in some cases. 

Illusion of unanimity: Internal dissent can sometimes be kept out of sight and away from the full group’s view; therefore, dissent appears not to exist. 

Groupthink can cause a lot of problems. Alternatives to the status quo may go unexamined, thus preventing a complete survey of any problem that the group faces. Risks may be ignored. And ultimately, the group makes decisions that can be compromised. 

Here are some ways to avoid groupthink: 

Encourage everyone in a group to express his own opinions and viewpoints. 

Invite external people into the group to provide alternative viewpoints. 

Ask individual group members to play the devil’s advocate role to work through conflicting ideas. 

All tasks require attention to detail, as well as adherence to duty and procedures to ensure they are done accurately.  

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