Groupthink is a pattern of thought characterised by forced manufacture of consent and conformity to group values and ethics. The concept originates from the work of a social psychologist, Professor Irvin Janis, who coined the term in 1972. In groupthink groups of highly intelligent people at times make poor decisions when insulated from the divergent opinions of people outside the group. Under these circumstances a person within the group, although holding an alternative view, will withhold that view to appear to remain part of the group, while the group will reject an alternative view originating from outside the group. There are many examples of this and its negative consequences within the area of both government and business.
As a senior health manager in the South African public health sector, I participated in meetings where groupthink prevailed. A painful example of this was the period of AIDS denialism in this country. A body of senior politicians and bureaucrats that determined government health policy, of which I was a member at the time, acquiesced to the groupthink lead by the then Minister of Health and President of the country that AIDS was not caused by a virus and that antiretroviral therapy was unjustified. Any attempt to express alternative views within this forum were deemed by groupthink as disloyal and ignored. I recall a colleague whispering to me in one of these meetings that he was totally opposed to a particularly contentious decision but failing to register any dissent. This and my own experiences of groupthink of which at times I was equally guilty in the management team that I headed made me realise how easy it is to fall into this trap.
Why am I concerned about groupthink in the era of COVID-19? In South Africa in response to the pandemic, decisions that directly affect the lives and livelihoods of the citizens are taken by a group that meets behind closed doors without public insight into the data, facts and advice on which these decisions are made. While some decisions presumably based on the premise that they protect citizens from a risk to their health seem reasonable and necessary, others do not. Would our view of their decisions be altered if we understood more clearly the basis of these decisions?
When a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC), a respected researcher and academic, dared to publicly disagree with a decision made by the Coronavirus Command Council, effectively a group of Cabinet Ministers, that recommends actions to the National Cabinet, she was castigated for doing so and accused of lying by a senior government bureaucrat. Was this the consequence of groupthink? We are told that “advisories” from the MAC are not necessarily adopted by government as “other processes” are followed before the advice may or may not become government policy. To what extent are these other government processes the consequence of groupthink? We are not able to determine that as we are not privy to the content of these advisories nor the government processes that follow. Is it possible that even the advisories of the respected experts in the MAC could be subject to groupthink? Similarly, we would not know as the advice and the data on which they are based is deemed confidential. Is it possible the one divergent voice may provide an answer that we are all seeking?
I trust that my concerns are unjustified but in facing the consequences of this pandemic, public trust is essential and it seems that this trust has been eroded. National Health Minister, Dr. Mkhize, in a recent open letter implored the public to cooperate with government COVID-19 directives mentioning that South Africans are suffering from what he termed “fatigue” and letting down their guard. My plea would be to allow greater transparency taking the public more fully into confidence on how decisions are made. Rather than secrecy, release the advisories and provide the reasons as to why advice was or was not accepted. South Africans are not limited in their ability to understand and with understanding comes a more willing cooperation that is essential to overcome the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed before all of us!
