A leadership-studies professor analyzes the 1986 Challenger launch decision. Engineers at Morton Thiokol expressed O-ring concerns, but managers under schedule pressure overruled them. Within the management team, dissent was discouraged, illusions of unanimity prevailed, and the team had a strong sense of shared mission. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch.
Although groupthink and group polarization both worsen group judgment, group polarization is best distinguished by which feature?
- A
Leaders signal preferred answers to subordinates
- B
High cohesion produces an illusion of unanimity
- C
Members fail to consider outside expert opinions
- Dcheck_circle
Discussion strengthens the average pre-existing leaning of group members
Explanation
Polarization is the post-discussion shift to a more extreme version of the group's initial inclination, distinct from groupthink's cohesion-driven suppression of dissent.