Conformity Bias

Impact on LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS

Treasure:

This bias in one way, can be “treasure” for leaders because it can lead to increased collaboration and unity within a group where individuals work together towards a common goal. When leaders create a sense of unity and shared purpose within their team, motivation, engagement, and commitment among team members is generally increased which can lead to improved performance and better outcomes.

Conformity bias can be especially helpful and valuable regarding organizational conformity to a company’s mission and purpose.


Risk:

However, the “risk” of conformity bias is a lack of consideration for alternative perspectives and solutions. When individuals conform to the opinions and decisions of a group, rather than using their own critical thinking skills, the value of perspective is lost.

When leaders don't value independent thinking and decision-making within their team, they miss out on creativity, innovative ideas, and potential solutions that can advance the mission of the group and company.
Without independent thinking, leaders also lose the ability to identify and address important problems or challenges that others fail to share.

Conformity bias leads to a homogenization of ideas and opinions, which limit diversity of thought and lead to groupthink. When the group fails to consider a range of perspectives and solutions, the result is often poor decision-making and the implementation of suboptimal solutions.

KNOW YOUR KNOTS - Learn to recognize when Conformity Bias is taking the lead.

Ask yourself:

Do I often go along with group decisions, even when I disagree internally?

Am I hesitant to voice a differing opinion in a group setting?

Do I change my viewpoint to match the group’s opinion, especially in public settings?

Do I feel pressure to conform to the norms or decisions of my peer group?

Do I prioritize harmony and agreement over expressing my true opinions?


STRATEGIES to manage this bias: Pause – Perspective – Practice - Progress

Pause:
Consider the different causes of conformity including:

Group or social pressure- Not conforming can cause fear of social rejection or ostracism.

Groupthink - This happens when the desire for consensus overrides critical thinking and independent
decision-making.

Normative influence - Unwritten rules of expectations that guide behavior within a group can cause
individuals to conform to avoid disapproval or punishment from the group. This discourages dissenting
opinions and stifles creative thinking that would deviate from established norms.

Power dynamics - Conforming to opinions of superiors due to fear of repercussions or to gain favor is a
common occurrence in organizations. Power imbalances can suppress dissenting voices and can prevent
individuals from expressing individual thoughts.

Uncertainty and ambiguity- Uncertainty causes people to look to others for guidance and to rely on their
opinions to make decisions – thereby conforming to the beliefs of those they perceive as more
knowledgeable or confident.

Responsibility diffusion - When people conform, they diffuse their responsibility – feeling less
accountable for their actions. This leads to a diminished sense of personal responsibility, especially if
unethical behavior is involved, because they believe others share accountability. It also creates a situation
where it is easy to justify or rationalize actions.

Reflect on whether you tend to suppress your own opinions in favor of group consensus.

Consider if you feel uncomfortable or reluctant to express views that are not in alignment with the majority.

Think about instances where you might have adjusted your stance to align with the group.

Assess whether there’s a sense of pressure or obligation to align your decisions and actions with those of your colleagues or peer group.

Reflect on whether the desire to avoid conflict or maintain group harmony leads you to conform to the majority view.


Perspective:
Actively look for diverse perspectives and challenge the team to think critically.

In group decision-making situations, designate someone as the ‘critic’ tasked with challenging ideas to bring forward a variety of responses and more critical thinking among individual members of the group. For instance, the critic can ask ‘why do we think idea A is superior to idea B, or why don’t we think A will be a good addition to the team, but B will?

Conduct smaller group or one on one meetings because small group or individual discussions can often reveal opinions that might be suppressed in larger group settings.


Practice:
As the leader, practice speaking last within the context of a group decision process to alleviate the possibility of the group conforming to your opinion.

Commit to organizational-wide decision-making processes that allow anonymous or independent input. Deliberately foster an environment that values, requires, and rewards individual opinions and dissenting views, enabling individuals to be heard, and diversity of thought to thrive.

Crate a safe environment for dissent. Use anonymous surveys or feedback tools to allow team members to express their opinions without fear of judgment or peer pressure. Diverse perspectives come from teams that are diverse in backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Diversity of thought will temper conformity if it is valued and facilitated.

Decouple performance from popularity by ensuring performance evaluations and rewards are based on individual merit and contributions, not on conformity to group norms.


Progress:
By encouraging independent thinking within your team, you can reduce the risk of groupthink ensuring your team is considering a range of perspectives and solutions which leads to better performance and outcomes.

Homogeneous groups usually have limited exposure to differing viewpoints – reinforcing existing beliefs and leading to a resistance to alternative ideas.