Groupthink: An Interpretation Essay

Often it is the quiet, reclusive people who are the most creative. The leaders of invention are not always the most outspoken members of the team. Their best work comes when they’re left alone to study, contemplate, and experiment in privacy. But many companies do not subscribe to this view. They operate on the assumption that tearing down the office walls, taking away privacy, and encouraging continuous collaboration, stimulates team productivity in ways that exceed the capabilities of an individual. But there are some who believe that nothing could be further from the truth. In her article “Rise of the New Groupthink,” Susan Cain tries to tell her audience the most creative people work in private, free from the constant distractions of “Groupthink,” and should collaborate in a more casual environment.

Some of the most creative people are found working in privacy (Cain). Where there are fewer distractions, workers are more productive, learn more efficiently, and make fewer mistakes. Cain cites one study, “Coding War Games” by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister, which finds that the most productive programmers have a private working area. Workers who are constantly interrupted in an open office environment make twice as many mistakes and take twice as long to finish their tasks. Seclusion also creates a more fruitful learning environment. Employees are able to quickly move past topics they easily grasp, and focus on the concepts which present them with the most difficulty. Cain offers examples of highly creative introverts who were some of the most influential minds in their field. These include the likes of Isaac Newton and Pablo Picasso. But the central figure of her article is Steve Wozniak, inventor of the first Apple computer. Inspired by another computer design, and a home brewers club, Wozniak worked on his design alone, late in the evening. Recluses like these achieved their greatness working in seclusion.

“The New Groupthink has overtaken our workplaces, our schools, and our religious institutions,” Cain declares. Companies develop, manufacture, and market products through a gauntlet of team brainstorming sessions, daily stand-up scrums, status updates, and sprint review meetings. The unending variety of interruptions they enforce serve to stifle creativity, minimize productivity, and keep their finger on the pulse of a team they’re slowing to a crawl. Sometimes the constant, intense scrutiny can even effect the health of the employees. In this environment introverted geniuses, likely some of the most creative in the company, may be afraid to draw attention to themselves in brainstorming sessions. They allow their ideas to be subverted by extroverts who may offer less creative solutions. In the same fashion schools and churches, too, encourage and enforce group participation and learning. Children who are introverted learn to let others lead the way, and parishioners seeking spiritual meditation are immersed in noisy activities.
In her article Cain stresses that she is not advocating putting an end to team collaboration. She points out that without inspiration from the HomeBrew Computer Club, and his collaboration with Steve Jobs, Wozniak’s invention, and Apple Inc., may never have come into existence. A balance can be struck that involves more casual approaches to teamwork. Informal daily meetings, for example, could be scheduled around a company provided continental breakfast. Scripted monthly events could be held over a catered lunch. No matter what the approach, employees should be able to return to a private workspace.

When Groupthink intrudes on the creativity of the individual, productivity suffers and the benefits of informal collaboration are lost. As privacy, so important to the free flow of the imagination and learning new concepts, is stripped away, dreams become memories and innovative solutions are quashed. The difference between a team leader asking for ideas in a conference room filled with managers, and two developers discussing the same problem over donuts and coffee, is the difference between awkward silence and friendly encouragement. Cain’s article is a solitary voice crying out in protest. But there are many, sometimes introverted and quietly suffering, whose research support and applaud her academic revolt. The complex challenges of the 21st century are unlikely to be solved in garages like Mr. Wozniak’s. But the next generation of innovators will need the support, and financing, of companies willing to allow employees to disappear into a cubicle and invent their dreams.

Works Cited
Cain, Susan. "The Rise of the New Groupthink." New York Times 15 Jan. 2012. Newspaper.