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Another item to consider in defining your project is making sure you are addressing those things that have the most value. Sometimes this may be unclear in communication with your sponsor. They may even ask you to do a project that won’t add value. Many times it is easy to fall into the trap of just trying to please your sponsor instead of finding the project that has the most value.
The Abilene Paradox is a common pitfall in group decision making coined by Jerry Harvey, professor of management. The paradox is that a person will often go along with a decision they disagree with if they think everyone else supports the idea. Harvey shares an example of his family deciding to take a trip. It was long, and no one enjoyed it. Afterward, each person admitted they had not wanted to go but had assumed everyone else did. It was a miserable waste of time. When teams are making decisions, it is important to avoid decisions that will waste time/resources without adding value.
Sponsors: Sponsors do not have all the research. They may ask you to do a project that won’t add value. Many times, it is easy to fall into the trap of just trying to please your sponsor instead of finding the project that has the most value. It is up to your team to do the necessary work and research to support the direction of your project or confidently suggest the necessary changes to your sponsor.
The Team: Students also lack experience and research. Decisions are made in every meeting. It can be easier to go along with the views of the more outspoken teammates, than having the full team discuss the matters. If you are not confident with what is being agreed upon, add your voice and "rock the boat." You may not be right, but at least your view was considered.
The Abilene Paradox can derail a project from its potential, but it is powerless to do so if everyone honestly speaks their minds. No individual will always be right. The collective view of a team grows each time another member adds to it. You can break the habit of withholding your opinion now in this internship.
The best teams have meetings that involve open and constructive communication among each member. Generally, a system is established to promote this communication and to ensure views are being shared. Clear expectations are set in regard to how opinions are shared. Quiet students are acknowledged and encouraged. Cultural communication differences are respected, and solutions are found. Identify the potential disparities in communication for your team and find creative ways to bridge the gaps.
The following video discusses the dangers of the Abilene Paradox. The dangers exist in accepting the sponsor's proposed project without tying it to a key decision/action or letting the group avoid conflict by agreeing to things that do not add value.
Speaker 1: Not sure where your team is heading? Wonder what will be waiting for you when you get there? Sounds like you might just be on the Bus to Abilene. Here’s how to recognize if you’re on that Bus and how to get it turned in the right direction.
The Abilene paradox was an idea introduced by management expert Jerry B. Harvey in 1974. It goes like this: One hot summer afternoon in Coleman, Texas, a family is playing dominoes on the porch when the father-in-law proposes that they all take a trip to Abilene for dinner, 53 miles away. One after another, the other members of the family agree that it sounds like a good idea, even though none of them actually thinks the idea is very appealing. But they agree because they think everyone else wants to go, and they don’t want to upset the group. The ride to Abilene is long, hot, and dusty. At the cafeteria, the food is as bad as the drive was. Hours later, they return home, exhausted. Someone comments, “It was a great trip, wasn’t it?” but the Mother-in-Law is honest and says that she really would rather have stayed at home. All the others admit that they felt the same way, too. They look at each other, stunned at how they had agreed to take a trip that no one really wanted to go on. The power that a social group has over the individual can be very strong. In the Abilene paradox, we can see how people will often go along with something they don’t necessarily agree with because they want to be seen as part of the group. No one wants to be the one to “rock the boat.” Doing what each thought the group wanted to do took a higher priority over what each individual thought best. In the end, they all paid for it with a long dusty, meaningless trip in the hot Texas sun.
I have nothing against the good people of Abilene, but how do you prevent an unnecessary visit? It’s a matter of the environment you establish as a leader. When you are putting your plan together, if you place heavy emphasis on conformity, on forcing agreement, and crushing opposing points of view, you may think you are achieving unanimity, but you may end up paying a price. As a leader in the planning stage, it’s those dissenting opinions that you need most. The strength and creativity of a group come in part from its diversity. If everyone is thinking the same way, you will miss hidden opportunities and creative solutions. Instead, you’ll end up on the bus. People on your team need to feel comfortable enough to say that they don’t think something is a good idea and explain why, without fear of being rejected by the group. So seek diversity on your team; encourage discussion and debate during the planning stage, and thank those who are willing to speak up. If everyone is agreeable, get suspicious and ask harder questions. Once the decision is made, then it is time for everyone to pull together with all they have, but until then, there is strength in disunity.
Thanks for listening, and if you liked this video, there are lots more free videos, blog posts, and resources over at RapidStartLeadership.com where we try to “Accelerate the Leader to Excellence” by making the learning curve a little less steep. Check it out now, and I’ll see you next time.
How can you be certain that you don't "go to Abilene" on this project?
How can you be certain that the things you are doing are value-maximizing activities and not just things that will make people happy?
How do your key deliverables tie to decisions or actions on the part of your sponsor that will add value to the company? If they are not tied, how can you modify the deliverables to achieve that correlation?
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This content is provided to you freely by Ensign College.
Access it online or download it at https://ensign.edtechbooks.org/projectbasedinternship/abilene_paradox.
