The attack of groupthink

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I was from a local polytechnic and have had many experiences of working in groups as part of my business course. Working in groups can really be a pain, especially when you're forced to work with people you don't get along with, or people you originally thought you could work with but end up rubbing each other the wrong way. But of course, working in groups have also produced some of my best friendships to-date. We all bond through adversity, don't we? (or perhaps we bond even greater through a common enemy)

My experiences in groups have led me to believe that when the group is too big, and there are two or three dominant members, social loafing occurs. The large group size facilitates this since it is easier to hide behind the efforts of the other members. Also, these social loafers, or free-riders, as they are sometimes termed, have little incentive of doing work because of the group size and existing vocal members. They feel like their individual efforts will not contribute much to the group and are sometimes seen as having a lack of commitment to the group. Group productivity is then horribly compromised, and we end up having lots of animosity towards the social loafers.

While working in groups, it is also important to achieve the balance between producing results (being task orientated) and group cohesiveness (being people orientated). This means that although you may be happy to spend time with your group on the pretext of doing the project on hand, the time must also produce work and tangible results. I remember how my group got too distracted during group meetings and had to stay up all night to turn in our report before the deadline. We weren’t flexible in both task and maintenance roles. Perhaps we needed an appointed time-keeper to keep us on-track.

I have also been plagued been groupthink. I have experienced illusion of invulnerability when my group mates and I really thought our proposed marketing campaign was the best that anyone could think of. On hindsight, I am now embarrassed to be part of a team to suggest an endurance themed game where people would spend as much time as they could withstand in a transparent lifestyle box in the middle of Orchard Road. This was to feature the many ways and occasions to put on a stunning outfit from the apparel brand we were proposing the campaign for. We must have lost all sense of reality and feasibility. Our idea was shot down when one of our peers heard of it, but we were adamant that it was a brilliant idea, probably believing in our group’s own morality. Come to think of it, it was amazing nobody within the group spoke up against this, which probably could have saved us from the dreadful C- grade we received for this marketing project. I suppose there was pressure on dissenters so nobody dared to speak against the project.

I have been exposed to the theory of groupthink before, but I never really saw truth in its elements. I didn’t think it would actually occur, and that it would affect the dynamics, productivity and results of a group as drastically as it has. Have you been attacked by groupthink before?

Do groups promote blind following?

Our textbook says "Groups tell us what to think and feel and how to act. We are who we are because of the groups we have been a part of."

I won't quite ask if you agree with the statement, at the risk of this sounding like an essay question. But I did have quite a few thoughts run through my mind after I read the statement, and would appreciate very much for your opinions to be raised also!

The quoted statement is quite hard to swallow, especially in this age of rising individualism. People actually like being unique, and don't quite care for the idea of seeing someone else wearing the same shirt we have on. However, as much as we have these people who like to stand out and be admired/followed/worshiped/outcasted/gawked at, there will also be other people who like to blend in and don't feel the dying need to be noticed.

That said, the above statement does have some truth. I think almost everybody has been in situations where you’re influenced by the groups you find yourself in. We can get gently tugged to think green is the new black or forcefully coerced to adopt similar values/habits/beliefs. (Like how gangs force on tattoos to mark their members)

I recall, not too long ago, being influenced to think that going overseas for a degree was the way for me, largely due to the group of people I was with. The ones closest to me were jetting off overseas and I thought I wanted that life as well.

In some ways, I think the influencing power of groups also translates to trends. When more people do something, there is a level of comfort and assurance for the others to follow that option as well. It is as if the way is tried and tested, and more people flock to that path, as if they were being told how to think feel and how to act. Or the more people do it, the more confirmation we receive that this path is socially acceptable, and the more we are inclined to follow that trend. You think so?

Smother

The first time I saw this movie, I was channel surfing, so I didn't know what I was in for. I did not even know the title of the show. But I now realize that Smother is a really apt title since the show tells of a overly-dramatic mother who has a really big hold on her son those around her, becoming quite a sMOTHERing influence.

The movie is quite comedic, and I really like how Noah (Dax Shepherd) reminds me of JD (Zack Braff) in Scrubs! They have the same quality of being charming when making snide comments. While Sandra Hall of the Sydney Morning Herald reviewed the movie largely on Diane Keaton's acting, I shall not comment on the movie based on any one actor. Instead, I will concentrate on the plot and their characters. Her review is available at http://www.smh.com.au/news/film-reviews/smother/2008/05/09/1210131239494.html.

I feel for Noah, who is going through an impossible 5 days in his life, where he loses his job as a physiotherapist, find his parents fighting, having his mother inviting herself into his home and getting a job with his mother, among others. I realise both his parents have quite a short attention span, especially Marilyn (Diane Keaton), who is probably the cause of the dramatic situation. Noah sums it up quite well when he says "I think my mother needs chaos in her life to function."

Also, Marilyn slowly winding the window up as Noah tries to talk with her is a classic example of how she is governed by her own perceptions and is not interested in what her rational son is trying to tell her. Later, it is revealed that Marilyn has been feeling unaccomplished in her life, which is not uncommon, I believe, for people as they go into retirement and begin to evaluate everything they've done, sometimes fearing their life has not been worth much. It was also quite heartwarming when she talked of her son as "an extraordinary person that comes out of your own imperfections". This struck a chord since Noah had been afraid of having a baby with Clare, feeling like he would be an inadequate father.

Kaijie and Mabelyn

Their interpersonal relationship started two years ago. Kaijie had his eye on Mabelyn for quite a while, and his first move came in the form of insisting to sit next to her in class. This continued over the next few lessons. As their teacher I let it pass, except when Mabelyn kept complaining that Kaijie was disturbing her in class. Soon after, Kaijie started adopting whatever Mabelyn did. If she coloured the tent red, he would colour the tent red. If she chose the yellow sticker, he would choose the yellow sticker. If she asked to have a drink of water, he would ask to have a drink of water.

I observed the interpersonal relationship between my five-year old charges. As far as I could tell, it was one-sided, with Kaijie initiating conversation only receive negative feedback. Kaijie told me in private that he thought Mabelyn was pretty. Also, he would ask doe-eyed for her whenever Mabelyn did not come to class. I remember when Kaijie made use of haptics, trying to hold her hand when he thought nobody was looking! It was quite a sight, and I felt bad for him when Mabelyn made a face and asked him to get away.

Unfortunately, that was all the action I saw between these Kaijie and Mabelyn by the time the graduated from my class. I still check in on then sometimes, and I think Kaijie is still making his moves but is careful not to drive her away. Perhaps he is aware he has time on his side, since he sees her every Sunday, probably for the next few years.

This relationship formed because of proximity. However, there is little reciprocity being exhibited from Mabelyn, so there hasn’t been much of the relationship developing.

(I’ll try to get hold of pictures of them for you!)

AllsWell communicates well?

A young lady sits at a foodcourt. There are two bottled drinks on the table and it appears that she is awaiting her male companion to arrive for dinner. He arrives, asks what drink she has ordered for him and calls for the drink-seller to order another drink instead. She insists that the drink is good for him, especially with the hot weather, and persuades him to take the bottled drink instead. “But why?” he asks, whining slightly. There is a pause before she replies with that killer line “Because I love you.”

We’ve almost all seen this advertisement by AllsWell drinks.

Here is the link to the advertisement, for your viewing pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJRkAlRDuJI

As reported in “Singlish ad gets laughs”, an article in the 21st September edition of The Sunday Times, this advertisements has quite a one-sided review. Many people find it “lame”, and quite cheesy, especially with the lady’s killer line. Does that line really work? Could it work in real life?

Nevertheless, I think this advertisement does communicate well. It appeals to the everyday person, since the actors in the advertisement look like a young, working couple, and they eat at a foodcourt, something everyday Singaporeans do. In this way, it communicates to the everyday person, which is good since AllsWell’s target market is that of the mass market.

Besides the dialogue in the advertisement, we can also note the non-verbal communication that takes place. In terms of paralinguistics, the pitch and tone of voice from the couple does add another dimension to the message sent. When the lady insists on the man taking the AllsWell drink, her tone indicates her persistence. Also, the man’s reply shows that he is reluctant. Of course the artifacts in the commercial help the audience understand that the scene is based in a foodcourt setting. In this way, the message of the advertisement is easy to understand.

This advertisement has been much talked-about, and by so-doing, has done well. Advertisements are often used to generate awareness and by becoming a talking point, people have definitely become more aware of the local bottled drink brand. Besides, AllsWell reported a 10% increase in sales after the advertisement started airing.

What do you think about how this advertisement communicates?

Banana Cookie Bars

I made banana cookie bars the other day. And as usual, I made too much for the household to consume by ourselves and it was suggested that I send some off with my parents since they were going to a social gathering that night in view of Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mum was saying how Uncle Tony would have a lot to say about texture, Auntie Judy would think it'd be too sweet, Uncle Kok Chye would ask for more banana taste in it next time and Auntie Pauline would ask for the recipe. She laughed at how these family friends always said the same things.

I started to feel defensive. I didn't like that my baked productions would have to be subjected to people's opinions and critique. I came to resent having people come to me with their comments when I did not ask for them.

I understand that people have different tastes and preferences and that sometimes people just express whatever they feel regardless of the recipient expecting feedback.

Anyway, I decided against having my baked creation being subjected to any kind of perception that night. I didn't let the bars go through scrutiny of biased mindsets, people who always say the same thing anyway. I kept my banana cookie bars at home.

Perhaps it's the wind I'm in right now, the wind of some kind of sensitivity and defensiveness. I hope the wind passes really soon.

the all-powerful, you-don’t-think-about-it-but-you-always-use-it, perception

They say perception is how we make sense of our surroundings. And they say we perceive by selecting stimuli, by going through a cognitive procedure to decide what, in our surroundings, we want our brains to process and make judgments on. And then there’re ways that we arrange the information that we do choose to process.

Now it’s not that I doubt this, but I believe people haven’t quite bothered with the technicalities of the actions we perform every mille-second. Still, it’s useful to know.

Come to think of it, all these concepts do make sense. Perception explains that people really do see things differently based on how they process and select stimuli. I think this sets people apart and provides people with choice. When people perceive things differently, they end up having opinions, and make the world all the more interesting, the world is now diverse.

This week’s news include the Serangoon Gardens petition against the foreign workers’ dormitory being set-up in their community and the two bronze medals we enjoyed from the Paralympics. Both of these pieces of news involve perception because they involve some form of discrimination.

The residents of Serangoon Gardens have spoken against having the foreign workers’ living quarters in their community, citing safety reasons. They are concerned that the workers will increase their risk of crime –petty theft, robbery and rape. It is their perception that leads these residents to associate foreign workers with these negativities. It is as if they have script in the form of cognitive schemata to visualize the chain of (negative) events that would fall into place upon the foreign workers being a part of their neighbourhood. But of course they have a script, we all do.

There was talk about the medal that was won at the Paralympics as well. People have been wondering aloud why our first Paralympic medal did not receive as much hype and recognition as our first Olympic medal did. And why people did not grieve over the loss of a medal from Paralympic swimmer Theresa Goh as we grieved for the loss of a medal from Olympic table-tennis paddler Li Jiawei. Some people have decided that the Paralympics had not been given enough light and awareness because it is not as mainstream as the Olympics since its participants have some form of disability. What makes the society believe in discriminating against people who are the least bit different? Again, it’s the all-powerful, you-don’t-think-about-it-but-you-always-use-it, perception.

Post #1

I refer to “I’m Sorry, Singapore”, “Sombre faces as crisis ends” and “Sports fans say it’s a gracious apology”, articles from August 30th’s edition of the Straits Times.

The recent episode concerning Ms Lee Bee Wah and her publicized announcement regarding the Singapore Table Tennis Association has got everybody talking. As part of an interview with the press, Ms Lee had mentioned that team manager Anthony Lee would be replaced and that head coach Liu Guodong’s future with the association would also be uncertain.

The Singaporean audience lapped up the drama and controversy, mainly because of the timing of her announcement, method of delivery and the incidences prior to her announcement.

This incident received so much buzz because Singaporeans were in a post-Olympic hype, having watched intently as the nation’s table tennis team played for an Olympic medal. Alas, after the medal was provided, our first in 48 years, celebrations were on the way and the Singaporean public celebrated along with the national team.

In the peak of these high spirits, Ms Lee Bee Wah made her announcement. This spelt grave news to the national team and labeled Ms Lee as an extreme party-pooper. She is being so critically scrutinized because she had bad timing, and did not take kairos into account.

Kairos is an aspect of rhetoric to emphasize that effective communications called for the sender to recognize the opportune occasion for speech, including place and time. The announcement was untimely because the people were still very much in the hype of the nation’s Olympic medal victory. Also, the bad news to Anthony Lee and Liu Guodong was rendered to them indirectly. Ms Lee should not have used the media as the channel for her message, given that the nature of the news. In this way, her method of delivery is also questionable. The public started to pin-point, and questioned if Ms Lee had made a rash decision.

The article “I’m Sorry, Singapore” shows that Ms Lee recognizes the negative sentiments resulting from her announcement. She apologizes for “causing any grievances and stress.” In another article, “Sports fans say it’s a gracious apology”, Ms Lee’s apology was regarded as “a gracious gesture” and many noted figures like Woffles Wu and Mr Chong Tee, a former Member of Parliament, agreed that the episode had ended and that it was time to move on.

I also noted from “I’m Sorry, Singapore” that Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports had intervened as part of damage control. Dr Balakrishnsn stepped in as an authority figure and assures the public that this matter is being taken care of. The article mentions that “he urged Singaporeans to trust in what the association was doing”, aiding in the Singapore Table Tennis Association’s credibility.
The picture shown in “Sombre faces as crisis ends” aptly depicts the members of the table tennis association as wanting nothing more than for the episode to come to a close.