For productive teams that are truly collaborative, encouraging honest, constructive feedback is ... [+]
The Abilene Paradox, a term coined by Jerry Harvey in the 1970’s, describes a very specific phenomenon that occurs amongst even the wisest decision-makers. Jamie Librot, organizational psychologist and Director of Talent Management for Sabert Corporation, joined Negotiate Anything to discuss the Abilene Paradox and its impact on workplace behavior.
What is the Abilene Paradox?
Jerry Harvey was a Professor Emeritus of Management at George Washington University. He’s well-known for sharing a funny and relatable anecdote that shifted his perspective on management and unproductive group behavior.
One hot summer day in the 1970’s, Jerry was enjoying a relaxing afternoon with his wife and in-laws. His plans for an easy (and cool) day were foiled when his father-in-law suggested the family drive 2 hours to Abilene, Texas to get ice-cream. While a two-hour drive in a hot car (without air) seemed like a terrible idea, Jerry enthusiastically agreed – hoping to make his father-in-law-happy. His wife and mother-in-law jumped on board as well. As predicted, the trip made for a miserable day. Jerry’s father-in-law confessed that while he had good intentions, his idea was a bad one. Jerry’s wife and mother-in-law admitted that they too thought it was a bad idea. As did Jerry.
The lesson: the entire group went along with a poor decision simply because they believed it was what everybody else wanted.
The Abilene Paradox at Work
In the workplace, the Abilene Paradox shows up in a myriad of ways. According to Librot, one of the most common examples is scheduling. For example, while corresponding with a colleague in Australia, Librot once suggested a 10pm (EST) meeting so that her colleague could join first thing in the morning. The truth: her colleague preferred evening meetings due to her children’s schedules. In suggesting the 10pm meeting, Librot believed she was being helpful when in reality it didn’t work well for either of them.
“Everybody does what they think everybody else wants and, in the end, nobody gets what they want,” Librot shared.
While most workplace decisions are fairly low risk, there are some scenarios in which bad ideas can have serious consequences. Regardless of risk, if a company has the opportunity to improve staff collaboration and decision-making, it should.
Strategies for Better Group Decisions
Technique 1: The Leader Speaks Last
For those seeking to encourage productive group behavior, it’s important to be strategic when setting up the meeting flow or agenda. According to Librot, an unbiased facilitator is best and any person with a high level of influence should speak last. This prevents others from sharing false feedback simply because they feel pressure to agree with the boss.
As an employee making this suggestion to leadership, Librot suggests language similar to the following:
“John and Mary are really experts on this topic. Because your voice carries so much weight, in this meeting do you mind giving them a voice first before offering feedback?”
Another strategy Librot suggests is to explicitly acknowledge the phenomenon: talk to the team about the Abilene Paradox and how it appears to be unfolding in the situation.
If you suspect an individual isn’t sharing their honest opinions, try the following:
“I just want to make sure that you truly are in support of this idea.”
“I want to make sure you aren’t doing this [explains Abilene Paradox]. Is this really the best thing for you?”
“You are such a nice person, so I think it’s possible you could be sharing what you think we want to hear. I just want to make sure this is what you really want.”
Encouraging Healthy Disagreement
While group consensus can be great, it doesn’t always lead to a productive decision. If everybody around the table appears to unanimously agree, this could be a sign that at least one person isn’t sharing authentic feedback. Most managers can recognize when a vote should be unanimous and when it should not (typically when a topic or issue is complicated).
For leaders looking to cultivate a workplace where honesty is valued, a blind vote can be a powerful tool, as employees are unaware of how their boss and others are voting. This encourages everyone to share their true opinions.
In addition to implementing a blind vote, leaders can begin meetings by reaffirming the value of each team member and their insights. The same is true in other contexts: reaffirm the relationship to show others it’s okay to be honest about their feelings.
“Also let them know that it’s not personal,” Librot explained. “I know what my ideas are, I want to know what your ideas are.”
To learn more, follow Jamie Librot on LinkedIn. To listen to the full episode, click here.
