Groupthink: When Smart People Stop Thinking | Episode 154

Groupthink: When Smart People Stop Thinking | Episode 154

From The Dirty Side of Leadership by Ron Ward & Kristin Sokoloff

March 19, 2026 · 47 min · Season 2 · Episode 154

About this episode

This episode explores how groupthink can lead to poor decision-making among intelligent individuals due to social pressure.

Send us Fan Mail Groupthink isn’t about intelligence—it’s about pressure. In this episode, Ron and Kristin break down how rooms full of smart, experienced people can still make bad decisions when harmony overrides truth. From workplace meetings to politics and corporate failures, they explore the psychology behind conformity and why silence spreads fast. Key Topics: What groupthink is and how it shows up in everyday meetingsThe Asch Conformity Experiment (Asch, 1950s) and tribal psychologyWh...

People in this episode

Hosts: Ron Ward, Kristin Sokoloff

Topics covered

  • groupthink
  • decision making
  • conformity
  • psychology
  • workplace dynamics
  • corporate failures

Keywords

  • groupthink
  • decision making
  • Asch Conformity Experiment
  • psychology
  • workplace meetings
  • corporate failures
  • conformity

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