My baby is a modern technosavy baby. Sometimes I am suprised that how a 14 months old have so much interest in different gadjets. His interest started when he was just a 9 months old kid. Initially he started playing with remote control (TV). The different buttons of remote attracted him a lot that he lost interest in his own toys. Then mobile phones and other landline phones came in his list of toys . If we resisted he started using emotional blackmailing as his powerful weapon. we tried giving him several mobile phone toys and other toys which were having several buttons on it but we failed to attract his interest towards those toys . Even we gave him those remote control which was not in used , but again it was of no use. As now he was enough clever to understand the difference .
Then came Remote of Air conditioners , as it was more easier to operate, it became his best companion.
Now he has started operating Ac's and television without the rmote control. If I am watching music channel, he changes it to Aastha channel or news and gives a smile as if he has achieved what he wanted. If I switch on the AC he will Switch it off or will change the set temperature.
And I know he is loving it....................
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Ergonomics
In the present day new health problems especially in service sectors like IT, are cropping up like musculoskeletal disorders, repetitive strain injury. These disorders arise due to excessive use of keyboard and mouse. These injuries are usually caused due to repetitive tasks, incorrect posture, stress and bad ergonomics.Illness, accidents, injury at workplace not only hampers the smooth flow of work but makes one less efficient and productive. In one study, over half of employees who used computers for at least 15 hours a week reported musculoskeletal problems in the first year of a new job. Office ergonomics focuses on your workstation arrangement—the placement of equipment such as your desk, computer monitor, chair, computer keyboard, mouse, and telephone. Worldwide, ergonomics is becoming increasingly important in the design and use of computer peripherals. Health and computer-related health issues are treated seriously in countries like the US where nearly every company has a formal ergonomics programme that focuses on musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace. For instance, the US has a body called the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In India, the number of injuries may be much less since PC penetration is lower, but the issue is important as the number of computer-related disorders has been increasing in line with the rate of PC adoption in the country.
Now days due to excessive use of keyboards and mouse employees suffer from muscle-skeletal disorders. MSD affects muscles, joints, tendons. It has been recognized as occupational diseases by International Labor Organization. Different organizations all over the world have adopted a formal ergonomics program. For example US have a body called Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths by issuing and enforcing rules (called standards) for workplace safety and health.
Before having an elaborate discussion first of all let’s understand what is Ergonomics? Why these days organizations all over the world are designing their workplace to have an ergonomic workplace. Ergonomics is the study of how our body interacts with our environment when we perform a task or activity. Ergonomics often involves arranging our environment—including equipment, tools, lighting, and how we do a task—to fit us and the activity we are doing. Office ergonomics focuses on arranging your work environment to fit our needs while we do our job. If the environment or workplace is designed properly, it may help us to reduce the eye-strain, headaches, neck or back pain.
Ergonomics is related to simplification of work by designing the work place so that job could be done without or no physical exhaustion. In an ergonomic workplace, tasks and tools are designed to fit individual capabilities and limitations so that people can do their job without being injured. Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with designing according to the human needs, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. For example assume that a person is having spondilites. And his office table is such that for eight long hours he has to bend his neck for doing his paper work as the table is below the appropriate height. What will be the consequence? He will have tremendous pain in his neck as well as in his back. For such situations ergonomically designed board, which is having adjustable height is suitable.
In United States cost of man days lost due to job related back pain has been estimated to the tune of $20 to $25 billion a year. Cost of compensation due to RSI (Repeated Strain Injuries) and WMSD (Work Related Muscular Skeletal Disorder) is ever increasing. In India, number of injuries may be less in comparison to US since PC penetration is lower. But still in knowledge related industries like IT and communication sector problem is markedly high.
Outside of the discipline itself, the term 'ergonomics' is generally used to refer to physical ergonomics as it relates to the workplace (as in for example ergonomic chairs and keyboards). Ergonomics in the workplace has to do largely with the safety of employees, both long and short-term. Ergonomics can help reduce costs by making improving safety. For example, over five million workers sustain overextension injuries per year. Through ergonomics, workplaces can be designed so that workers do not have to overextend themselves and the manufacturing industry could save billions in workers’ compensation.
Now one question arises, that what is the purpose of office ergonomics. Why it is hot topic of discussion in different companies? What is the purpose of office ergonomics? Illness, accidents, injury at workplace not only hampers the smooth flow of work but makes one less efficient and productive. In one study, over half of employees who used computers for at least 15 hours a week reported musculoskeletal problems in the first year of a new job. Most job-related injuries are caused by repetitive movements, awkward postures, bending over, applying pressure or force, or working with vibrating tools. Office ergonomics can help you be more comfortable at work while reducing stress and injury caused by awkward positions and repetitive tasks.
Office ergonomics focuses on your workstation arrangement—the placement of equipment such as your desk, computer monitor, chair, computer keyboard, mouse, and telephone.
These injuries at workplace can cause stress and strain on muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, blood vessels, or spinal discs. Symptoms include fatigue and hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, or back pain. You may be at greater risk for workplace injuries if you have other health conditions, such as arthritis or mental or emotional stress.
Ergonomics risks are the most far reaching occupational risks, as now more number of employees uses laptops in their everyday work. Some organizations are providing an e-learning Ergonomic training and self-assessment program that helps identify educate and reduce ergonomic risk factors associated with jobs, work areas or job behaviors
Some of the injuries caused at workplace due to repetitive strain at a particular body are:
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is used to describe the prolonged pain experienced in shoulders or hands or neck or arms. Repetitive Strain Injury is the common word used for referring the types of soft tissue injuries like the nerve spasms, trigger finger and carpal tunnel syndrome. They are generally caused by the work-associated activities such as using keyboards and mouse. It is caused due to overusing or straining the body part.
The Repetitive Strain Injury is a common term, which covers other disorders such as the carpal tunnel syndrome, Upper limb disorder, Work-related upper limb disorders, Musculoskeletal disorders, Computer vision syndrome and Cumulative trauma disorders. The term Repetitive Strain Injury is generally used to describe the overused syndrome associated with particular repetitive activity. Repetitive Strain Injury usually caused due to repetitive tasks, incorrect posture, stress and bad ergonomics. The main cause of this main are the repetitive activities, forceful activities of arms and hand and awkward postures. The other causes of Repetitive Strain Injuries are sitting in a fixed posture and poor workplace ergonomics. As Repetitive Strain Injury recovery is being a slow process, it is better to take treatment at early stage itself.
Some of the symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injury are:
The users experience constant pain in the hands, elbows, shoulders, neck, and the back. Other symptoms of Repetitive Stain Injury are cramps, tingling, and numbness in the hands. The hand movements of the user may become clumsy and the person may find it difficult even to fasten buttons.
The common diagnoses seen in Repetitive Strain Injury are Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tenosynovitis, Bursitis, White Limb, and Shoulder pain.
In order to prevent all these one should learn to do work in breaks .It is high time that organizations realize the importance of ergonomically designed components such as key boards, mouse, computer screen, office chairs, tables etc.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a disorder caused by repeating the same action that can result in inflammation of wrist. It causes pain in wrist and hands. Actually carpal tunnel is a small canal or tunnel runs from the forearm through the wrist. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also categorized as repetitive stress injuries, cumulative trauma disorder, overuse syndromes, which are all associated generally with repetitive and forceful use of the hands that damages the muscles and bones.
Ergonomics keyboards are designed such which allows an individual to comfortably rest his palms and wrists while typing. These keyboards are split down the middle.
The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be avoided by doing simple Carpal Tunnel exercises. It just takes five minutes to do these exercises. The exercises include exercises for wrist, neck and shoulder, forearms, fingers, hand and some simple general exercises.
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) can range from general aches and pains to more serious Problems. Some of the symptoms of Musculoskeletal Disorders are burning sensation in the hand ,Reduced grip strength in the hand ,Swelling in the joints ,Pain in wrists, forearms, elbows, neck, or back ,Dry, or sore eyes, double vision ,Weakness ,Tension stress headaches .
It is always better to take precautions to avoid Musculoskeletal Disorders than to treat them after you get affected. Some general precautions include:
Taking regular breaks from working at your computer - a few minutes at least once an hour
Alternating work tasks like mixing computer tasks with non computer tasks alternately to avoid strain
Regular stretching to relax your body
Using comfort equipment such as footrests, wrist/palm rests, and document holders if required
Keeping the mouse and keyboard at the same level
Avoiding gripping your mouse too tightly – it is always recommended to hold the mouse lightly and click gently
Familiarize yourself with keyboard shortcuts for applications you regularly use like Ctrl+S to save and Ctrl+P to print (to avoid overusing the mouse).
Ergonomic Problems of Eyestrain is the most common that most computer users all over the world experience. Some of the symptoms related to vision are visual fatigue, blurred or double vision, burning and watering eyes, headaches and frequent changes in prescription glasses .This is also called computer vision syndrome or C.V.S as it starts due to prolonged viewing of computer screens
It generally starts due to prolonged viewing of computer screens. Another cause of Ergonomic problems is that the average person blinks approximately 4 times per minute, far less than the natural rate of 22 blinks per minute. This lower blink rate causes eye moisture to evaporate, resulting in a "dry eye" condition. The symptoms of dry eye are sensations such as itching, burning, blurring, heavy eyelids, fatigue and double vision.
It may not result in permanent eye damage but the temporary discomfort created by it causes loss of work time, reduced productivity and self-confidence, lack of concentration, stress. In most cases eyestrain results from glare from bright windows or strong light sources, light reflecting off the display screen, or poor display screen contrast.
In order to avoid ergonomic Problems of eyestrain give ample exercise to the eyes , as lower blink rate causes eye strain blink the eyes regularly , adjust the screen height/seating so that while you are comfortably seated, your eyes are in line with the top of the monitor screen ,adjust the brightness control on your monitor for comfort. , adjust the contrast on your monitor to make the characters distinct from the background, position monitors in order to avoid glare (e.g. Not directly in front of windows), Keep your monitor screen clean to avoid ergonomic Problems , do regular eye testing at least once every 2 years and more frequently if necessary - especially if you are experiencing eye Problems related to using display equipment. Wear rigid rather than soft contact lens .We can reduce our eye strain by adopting 20-20 formula. According to this formula one should take rest for 20 seconds after working continuously for 20 minutes in front of the computer screen. Sometimes when there is no computer work, one can close the monitor to avoid strain on eyes.
Some of the symptoms of ergonomic problems of eyestrain are jerky eye movements, excessive blinking or blurred vision, double vision, headaches, dizziness, nausea, or fatigues easily after reading, head tilting, closing or blocking one eye when reading, skips lines or loses place when reading, misaligning letters or numbers, unusual posture or moving head closely to see book or paper, difficulty in concentrating reading material.
Ergonomics risks are the most far reaching occupational risks, as now more number of employees uses laptops in their everyday work. Not only employees are getting injured by continuous use of laptop, now day’s different institutes are also providing laptops to their students. Students are also facing several eye related problems and neck or back injuries due to prolonged vision of laptop screen and incorrect posture The main cause of Laptop Ergonomics disorders is that, if you're looking down at a laptop screen day in and day out, you'll develop upper back and neck injuries in due time. Laptop Ergonomics disorder, repetitive stress injuries (RSI for short) stay with you for a long time and can take months or years of therapeutic massages to work out. The general Laptop Ergonomics exercise is that, during rest breaks do stretches and exercises. These exercises can be done in your work space.
Now days due to excessive use of keyboards and mouse employees suffer from muscle-skeletal disorders. MSD affects muscles, joints, tendons. It has been recognized as occupational diseases by International Labor Organization. Different organizations all over the world have adopted a formal ergonomics program. For example US have a body called Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths by issuing and enforcing rules (called standards) for workplace safety and health.
Before having an elaborate discussion first of all let’s understand what is Ergonomics? Why these days organizations all over the world are designing their workplace to have an ergonomic workplace. Ergonomics is the study of how our body interacts with our environment when we perform a task or activity. Ergonomics often involves arranging our environment—including equipment, tools, lighting, and how we do a task—to fit us and the activity we are doing. Office ergonomics focuses on arranging your work environment to fit our needs while we do our job. If the environment or workplace is designed properly, it may help us to reduce the eye-strain, headaches, neck or back pain.
Ergonomics is related to simplification of work by designing the work place so that job could be done without or no physical exhaustion. In an ergonomic workplace, tasks and tools are designed to fit individual capabilities and limitations so that people can do their job without being injured. Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with designing according to the human needs, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. For example assume that a person is having spondilites. And his office table is such that for eight long hours he has to bend his neck for doing his paper work as the table is below the appropriate height. What will be the consequence? He will have tremendous pain in his neck as well as in his back. For such situations ergonomically designed board, which is having adjustable height is suitable.
In United States cost of man days lost due to job related back pain has been estimated to the tune of $20 to $25 billion a year. Cost of compensation due to RSI (Repeated Strain Injuries) and WMSD (Work Related Muscular Skeletal Disorder) is ever increasing. In India, number of injuries may be less in comparison to US since PC penetration is lower. But still in knowledge related industries like IT and communication sector problem is markedly high.
Outside of the discipline itself, the term 'ergonomics' is generally used to refer to physical ergonomics as it relates to the workplace (as in for example ergonomic chairs and keyboards). Ergonomics in the workplace has to do largely with the safety of employees, both long and short-term. Ergonomics can help reduce costs by making improving safety. For example, over five million workers sustain overextension injuries per year. Through ergonomics, workplaces can be designed so that workers do not have to overextend themselves and the manufacturing industry could save billions in workers’ compensation.
Now one question arises, that what is the purpose of office ergonomics. Why it is hot topic of discussion in different companies? What is the purpose of office ergonomics? Illness, accidents, injury at workplace not only hampers the smooth flow of work but makes one less efficient and productive. In one study, over half of employees who used computers for at least 15 hours a week reported musculoskeletal problems in the first year of a new job. Most job-related injuries are caused by repetitive movements, awkward postures, bending over, applying pressure or force, or working with vibrating tools. Office ergonomics can help you be more comfortable at work while reducing stress and injury caused by awkward positions and repetitive tasks.
Office ergonomics focuses on your workstation arrangement—the placement of equipment such as your desk, computer monitor, chair, computer keyboard, mouse, and telephone.
These injuries at workplace can cause stress and strain on muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, blood vessels, or spinal discs. Symptoms include fatigue and hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, or back pain. You may be at greater risk for workplace injuries if you have other health conditions, such as arthritis or mental or emotional stress.
Ergonomics risks are the most far reaching occupational risks, as now more number of employees uses laptops in their everyday work. Some organizations are providing an e-learning Ergonomic training and self-assessment program that helps identify educate and reduce ergonomic risk factors associated with jobs, work areas or job behaviors
Some of the injuries caused at workplace due to repetitive strain at a particular body are:
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is used to describe the prolonged pain experienced in shoulders or hands or neck or arms. Repetitive Strain Injury is the common word used for referring the types of soft tissue injuries like the nerve spasms, trigger finger and carpal tunnel syndrome. They are generally caused by the work-associated activities such as using keyboards and mouse. It is caused due to overusing or straining the body part.
The Repetitive Strain Injury is a common term, which covers other disorders such as the carpal tunnel syndrome, Upper limb disorder, Work-related upper limb disorders, Musculoskeletal disorders, Computer vision syndrome and Cumulative trauma disorders. The term Repetitive Strain Injury is generally used to describe the overused syndrome associated with particular repetitive activity. Repetitive Strain Injury usually caused due to repetitive tasks, incorrect posture, stress and bad ergonomics. The main cause of this main are the repetitive activities, forceful activities of arms and hand and awkward postures. The other causes of Repetitive Strain Injuries are sitting in a fixed posture and poor workplace ergonomics. As Repetitive Strain Injury recovery is being a slow process, it is better to take treatment at early stage itself.
Some of the symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injury are:
The users experience constant pain in the hands, elbows, shoulders, neck, and the back. Other symptoms of Repetitive Stain Injury are cramps, tingling, and numbness in the hands. The hand movements of the user may become clumsy and the person may find it difficult even to fasten buttons.
The common diagnoses seen in Repetitive Strain Injury are Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tenosynovitis, Bursitis, White Limb, and Shoulder pain.
In order to prevent all these one should learn to do work in breaks .It is high time that organizations realize the importance of ergonomically designed components such as key boards, mouse, computer screen, office chairs, tables etc.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a disorder caused by repeating the same action that can result in inflammation of wrist. It causes pain in wrist and hands. Actually carpal tunnel is a small canal or tunnel runs from the forearm through the wrist. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also categorized as repetitive stress injuries, cumulative trauma disorder, overuse syndromes, which are all associated generally with repetitive and forceful use of the hands that damages the muscles and bones.
Ergonomics keyboards are designed such which allows an individual to comfortably rest his palms and wrists while typing. These keyboards are split down the middle.
The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be avoided by doing simple Carpal Tunnel exercises. It just takes five minutes to do these exercises. The exercises include exercises for wrist, neck and shoulder, forearms, fingers, hand and some simple general exercises.
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) can range from general aches and pains to more serious Problems. Some of the symptoms of Musculoskeletal Disorders are burning sensation in the hand ,Reduced grip strength in the hand ,Swelling in the joints ,Pain in wrists, forearms, elbows, neck, or back ,Dry, or sore eyes, double vision ,Weakness ,Tension stress headaches .
It is always better to take precautions to avoid Musculoskeletal Disorders than to treat them after you get affected. Some general precautions include:
Taking regular breaks from working at your computer - a few minutes at least once an hour
Alternating work tasks like mixing computer tasks with non computer tasks alternately to avoid strain
Regular stretching to relax your body
Using comfort equipment such as footrests, wrist/palm rests, and document holders if required
Keeping the mouse and keyboard at the same level
Avoiding gripping your mouse too tightly – it is always recommended to hold the mouse lightly and click gently
Familiarize yourself with keyboard shortcuts for applications you regularly use like Ctrl+S to save and Ctrl+P to print (to avoid overusing the mouse).
Ergonomic Problems of Eyestrain is the most common that most computer users all over the world experience. Some of the symptoms related to vision are visual fatigue, blurred or double vision, burning and watering eyes, headaches and frequent changes in prescription glasses .This is also called computer vision syndrome or C.V.S as it starts due to prolonged viewing of computer screens
It generally starts due to prolonged viewing of computer screens. Another cause of Ergonomic problems is that the average person blinks approximately 4 times per minute, far less than the natural rate of 22 blinks per minute. This lower blink rate causes eye moisture to evaporate, resulting in a "dry eye" condition. The symptoms of dry eye are sensations such as itching, burning, blurring, heavy eyelids, fatigue and double vision.
It may not result in permanent eye damage but the temporary discomfort created by it causes loss of work time, reduced productivity and self-confidence, lack of concentration, stress. In most cases eyestrain results from glare from bright windows or strong light sources, light reflecting off the display screen, or poor display screen contrast.
In order to avoid ergonomic Problems of eyestrain give ample exercise to the eyes , as lower blink rate causes eye strain blink the eyes regularly , adjust the screen height/seating so that while you are comfortably seated, your eyes are in line with the top of the monitor screen ,adjust the brightness control on your monitor for comfort. , adjust the contrast on your monitor to make the characters distinct from the background, position monitors in order to avoid glare (e.g. Not directly in front of windows), Keep your monitor screen clean to avoid ergonomic Problems , do regular eye testing at least once every 2 years and more frequently if necessary - especially if you are experiencing eye Problems related to using display equipment. Wear rigid rather than soft contact lens .We can reduce our eye strain by adopting 20-20 formula. According to this formula one should take rest for 20 seconds after working continuously for 20 minutes in front of the computer screen. Sometimes when there is no computer work, one can close the monitor to avoid strain on eyes.
Some of the symptoms of ergonomic problems of eyestrain are jerky eye movements, excessive blinking or blurred vision, double vision, headaches, dizziness, nausea, or fatigues easily after reading, head tilting, closing or blocking one eye when reading, skips lines or loses place when reading, misaligning letters or numbers, unusual posture or moving head closely to see book or paper, difficulty in concentrating reading material.
Ergonomics risks are the most far reaching occupational risks, as now more number of employees uses laptops in their everyday work. Not only employees are getting injured by continuous use of laptop, now day’s different institutes are also providing laptops to their students. Students are also facing several eye related problems and neck or back injuries due to prolonged vision of laptop screen and incorrect posture The main cause of Laptop Ergonomics disorders is that, if you're looking down at a laptop screen day in and day out, you'll develop upper back and neck injuries in due time. Laptop Ergonomics disorder, repetitive stress injuries (RSI for short) stay with you for a long time and can take months or years of therapeutic massages to work out. The general Laptop Ergonomics exercise is that, during rest breaks do stretches and exercises. These exercises can be done in your work space.
The Perils Of Groupthink
Group Think is based on human social behavior which focuses more on maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity. Groupthink may cause groups to make irrational decisions, for fear of upsetting the group’s balance. It is a type of thought in which group members try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically analyzing the ideas. Highly cohesive group get engaged in groupthink more often. As the group members are closer, so there is less chance to break up the cohesion. Group experiencing group think do not consider all alternatives available, rather they sacrifice quality decisions for the sake of unanimity. Generally group experiencing groupthink examines a few alternatives and tries not to be critical to other ideas for avoiding conflict and maintaining a harmonious relationship. They are highly selective in gathering information and not give much importance to expert’s opinion. These are some of the reasons for the existence of group think. Groupthink is a process whereby a group makes bad decisions even though each individual in the group realizes that the result is going to be bad. It is human nature that all of us have a strong need to be accepted in a group. We want others to like us, so we act in manner in which we get group acceptance easily. Sometimes groupthink occurs when the idea come from higher up in corporate ladder. Nobody wants to challenge his/her boss’s idea even though he/she feels that idea won’t work. It’s also human tendency that we don’t want to fail in front of our colleagues or peers so we check ourselves from bringing out creative ideas. For this one can go for brainstorming process which encourages wilder ideas.
Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. During groupthink, members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking. A variety of motives for this may exist such as a desire to avoid being seen as foolish, or a desire to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the group. Groupthink may cause groups to make hasty, irrational decisions, where individual doubts are set aside, for fear of upsetting the group’s balance.
The concept of groupthink was first identified by Irving Janis, a social psychologist at Yale University, United States. Groupthink refers to faulty decision-making in a group. Groupthink occurs when groups are highly cohesive and when they are under considerable pressure to make a quality decision. When people are in groupthink mode, they automatically apply the “preserve group harmony” test to every decision they face. Jane was convinced that the concurrence-seeking tendency of close knit groups could cause them to make inferior decisions. He believed that the “superglue of solidarity” that bonds group members together often causes their mental; process to get stuck as well.
.Some negative outcomes of groupthink include: Examining few alternatives ,Not being critical of each other's ideas, Not examining early alternatives ,Not seeking expert opinion ,Being highly selective in gathering information ,Not having contingency plans .
Groupthink is most likely to occur when certain preconditions are met, such as when the group is highly cohesive, isolated from contrary opinions, and ruled by a directive leader who makes his or her wishes known. Well, tough words, but seems to be true in some cases-the most well known being the doomed launch of the Challenger space shuttle.
The Challenger Launch: A Model of Defective Decision making
On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger blasted off from the Kennedy space center in Florida. Seventy-three seconds later, the rocket exploded and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean killing all seven crewmembers. President Reagan immediately appointed a commission to determine the causes of the accident. The commission identified that the primary cause as a failure in the joint between two stages of the rocket that allowed hot gases to escape during the burn. Volatile rocket fuel spewed out when a rubber O-ring failed to seal the joint leading to the explosion of the rocket.
The man on the street could understand the crux of the commission’s findings .What they could not was why NASA had launched the Challenger when there were strong reasons to believe that conditions were not safe. The commission concluded that a highly flawed decision process was the contributing cause of the disaster. Janis was fascinated with the question of how an acknowledged group of expert’s could commit such a mistake. He was convinced that this was not an isolated instance and spotted the same group dynamic at work in other questionable decisions. However, Janis did not regard the decision makers as evil or foolish. Rather, he saw them as victims of groupthink.
Some symptoms of groupthink:
Janis listed eight symptoms that show how concurrence seeking leads the group astray. Given below are the symptoms identified by Janis with quotes from the Report of the Presidential Commission on Challenger Disaster that illustrates how groupthink manifests itself in group behavior:
1. Having an illusion of invulnerability:
It happens when a group thinks that they cannot go wrong. Confidence among the members of the group is remarkably high and is reflected in the decisions that they make. The American space program had never experienced an in-flight fatality before. When engineers raised the possibility of catastrophic O-ring blow-by, NASA manager George hardy nonchalantly pointed out this risk was “true of every other flight we have had.” Janis summarizes this attitude as “everything is going to work out all right because we are special”.
2. Belief in Inherent Morality of the Group:
It occurs when the group thinks tremendously of their morality. The group believes that it is doing the right thing in all circumstances. Under the sway of groupthink, members automatically assume the absolute rightness of their actions and the cause. In the case NASA managers had shifted the moral rules under which they operated. As one engineer told the commission” I had the feeling that we were in the position of having to prove that it was unsafe instead of the other way around.’
3. Collective Rationalization:
Groups who experience this, believe that nothing can be wrong with their plan even if there is significant evidence to prove otherwise.
Manager Lawrence Mullo confirmed that “no one in the meeting questioned whether the secondary seal was capable and in position to seal during the early part of ignition transient.” This supported the mindset of “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”
4. Out-group Stereotypes:
Groups often pay little attention to what outsiders have to say, and this can be detrimental. Thiokol people were not part of the in-group of the flight readiness review team and were perceived to be alarmists. So, when Thiokol engineers recommended postponing the launch until the temperature rose to 53 degrees Fahrenheit as O-ring seals had never been tested below this temperature, NASA’s Mulloy caustically asked whether they expected to wait until April(three months later)to launch the shuttle.
5. Self-censorship:
"Self-censorship" occurs when group members don't share their ideas with the rest of the group because of fear of being rejected.
Thiokol engineer George McDonald wanted to postpone the flight. But instead of emphatically stating so, he offered an equivocal opinion. He suggested, in tempered words, that “lower temperatures are in the direction of badness for both O-rings.” So the pressure to confirm colored the views and statements of those who fund themselves against the majority view.
6. Illusion of Unanimity (everyone always agrees with everyone else):
It explains that silence can often be interpreted as acceptance. NASA managers perpetuated the fiction that everyone was fully in accord on the launch recommendation. They admitted to the presidential commission that they didn’t report Thiokol’s hesitancy with their superiors. As happens in most cases, the flight readiness review team interpreted silence as agreement.
7. Direct Pressure on Dissenters:
Thiokol engineers felt pressure from two directions to reverse their “no-go” recommendation. NASA managers had already postponed the launch three times and were fearful the American public would regard the agency as inept. This triggered Hardy’s retort that he was appalled at Thiokol’s recommendations. Similarly, the company’s management was fearful of losing future NASA contracts. Thiokol’s senior vice president urged his colleague to “take off engineering hat and put on his management hat.”
8. Self-Appointed Mind Guards:
Mind guards try to protect a leader from assault by troublesome ideas. NASA managers insulated the head of the project from the debate over the integrity of the rocket booster seals. Even though Roger Boisjoly was Thiokol’s expert on O-rings, he latter complained that he “was not even asked to participate in giving input to the final decision charts.”
What is at once ironic and tragic is that all the concerned people were acting in good faith and had the project’s welfare in mind.
How to Avoid Groupthink:
The symptoms mentioned above can be good indicators of a group’s susceptibility to groupthink. Once the group members become conscious of it they must take steps to nip this tendency in the bud. Here are some measures that can help.
Work as subgroups:
Usually groups work on various issues simultaneously and therefore there is tendency among the members to remain within their respective domain leading to tunnel vision approach. Breaking into subgroups that work simultaneously on the same issue can prove beneficial in exposing the group to diverse and competing ideas. This would also reduce the pressure to conform. All the members would be focused towards the larger picture and would be in a better position to find lacunae or inconsistencies. All the subgroups should eventually come together to arrive at the best alternative.
Groups should divide into two or more subgroups occasionally (Janis 265). Each group should be led by a different chairperson. Both groups can eventually come together and discuss ideas. Groups that do this are less likely to be locked into one solution.
2. Have a devil’s advocate:
Every group should have a specific member who has the job of playing devil’s advocate. This person should seriously question much of what the group members say. The devil’s advocate must be willing to vocally share his ideas with the group. This strategy will force the group to take a second, hard look at every decision that is made. It must be understood that a devil’s advocate is not a negative person or institution. S/he provides constructive criticism and questions unchallenged assumptions.
Leader’s Pivotal Role :
Leaders of the group have a special role to play here. They must not lead the group to believe that a certain outcome is expected. To get forthright opinion of all members, leaders should avoid openly siding with a particular viewpoint at the initial stages. The leader’s behavior must reinforce that diverse points of view are not only welcomed but also valued. The group leader should assume special responsibility for this apart from his other assignments. In groups having no pre-assigned leader, one of the senior members must assume this responsibility.
Make Haste Slowly:
To avoid groupthink, a cautious approach to decision-making is required. Making an important or strategic decision hastily, in the first meeting itself should be avoided even if the decision appears to be sound from all angles. It should be reviewed after a few days and if it seems proper even then, only then should the go-ahead be given. A slight delay, say a couple of days, would help give a detached perspective to the decision and might reveal things in a clearer light.
Group Constitution:
Many issues pertaining to groupthink can be taken care of at the stage of group formation itself. Those constituting the group should try to ensure a heterogeneous mix among the group members having members from different functions, locations, hierarchical levels etc. would help to reduce the excessive cohesiveness of the group and mitigate the chance of having a group where individuals would be more concentrated with having consensus rather than finding the best possible alternative.
6. The Individual Perspective:
An individual must strike the balance between collective thinking and individual thinking. As an individual we must ask ourselves: Do I stand up to the group? Do I listen to what everyone else says before forming my own opinion? Do I constantly adjust my opinion so that it is closer to the consensus? Trying to answer such questions will help the individual assess whether s/he is giving his best to the group .An assertive individual who is not inhibited to voice his opinion is the greatest asset to the group.
7. Using outside experts:
Outside experts can be brought in to observe the group functioning. The experts should have the ability to question the decisions of the group. The experts need to be very qualified and skilled in their ability to sort through and analyze solutions of the group. The experts must also be able to criticize the group in a fashion that will not turn the group away from the expert. Good communication skills are essential. It is important that experts become a part of the group before a general consensus is reached among all group members.
Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. During groupthink, members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking. A variety of motives for this may exist such as a desire to avoid being seen as foolish, or a desire to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the group. Groupthink may cause groups to make hasty, irrational decisions, where individual doubts are set aside, for fear of upsetting the group’s balance.
The concept of groupthink was first identified by Irving Janis, a social psychologist at Yale University, United States. Groupthink refers to faulty decision-making in a group. Groupthink occurs when groups are highly cohesive and when they are under considerable pressure to make a quality decision. When people are in groupthink mode, they automatically apply the “preserve group harmony” test to every decision they face. Jane was convinced that the concurrence-seeking tendency of close knit groups could cause them to make inferior decisions. He believed that the “superglue of solidarity” that bonds group members together often causes their mental; process to get stuck as well.
.Some negative outcomes of groupthink include: Examining few alternatives ,Not being critical of each other's ideas, Not examining early alternatives ,Not seeking expert opinion ,Being highly selective in gathering information ,Not having contingency plans .
Groupthink is most likely to occur when certain preconditions are met, such as when the group is highly cohesive, isolated from contrary opinions, and ruled by a directive leader who makes his or her wishes known. Well, tough words, but seems to be true in some cases-the most well known being the doomed launch of the Challenger space shuttle.
The Challenger Launch: A Model of Defective Decision making
On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger blasted off from the Kennedy space center in Florida. Seventy-three seconds later, the rocket exploded and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean killing all seven crewmembers. President Reagan immediately appointed a commission to determine the causes of the accident. The commission identified that the primary cause as a failure in the joint between two stages of the rocket that allowed hot gases to escape during the burn. Volatile rocket fuel spewed out when a rubber O-ring failed to seal the joint leading to the explosion of the rocket.
The man on the street could understand the crux of the commission’s findings .What they could not was why NASA had launched the Challenger when there were strong reasons to believe that conditions were not safe. The commission concluded that a highly flawed decision process was the contributing cause of the disaster. Janis was fascinated with the question of how an acknowledged group of expert’s could commit such a mistake. He was convinced that this was not an isolated instance and spotted the same group dynamic at work in other questionable decisions. However, Janis did not regard the decision makers as evil or foolish. Rather, he saw them as victims of groupthink.
Some symptoms of groupthink:
Janis listed eight symptoms that show how concurrence seeking leads the group astray. Given below are the symptoms identified by Janis with quotes from the Report of the Presidential Commission on Challenger Disaster that illustrates how groupthink manifests itself in group behavior:
1. Having an illusion of invulnerability:
It happens when a group thinks that they cannot go wrong. Confidence among the members of the group is remarkably high and is reflected in the decisions that they make. The American space program had never experienced an in-flight fatality before. When engineers raised the possibility of catastrophic O-ring blow-by, NASA manager George hardy nonchalantly pointed out this risk was “true of every other flight we have had.” Janis summarizes this attitude as “everything is going to work out all right because we are special”.
2. Belief in Inherent Morality of the Group:
It occurs when the group thinks tremendously of their morality. The group believes that it is doing the right thing in all circumstances. Under the sway of groupthink, members automatically assume the absolute rightness of their actions and the cause. In the case NASA managers had shifted the moral rules under which they operated. As one engineer told the commission” I had the feeling that we were in the position of having to prove that it was unsafe instead of the other way around.’
3. Collective Rationalization:
Groups who experience this, believe that nothing can be wrong with their plan even if there is significant evidence to prove otherwise.
Manager Lawrence Mullo confirmed that “no one in the meeting questioned whether the secondary seal was capable and in position to seal during the early part of ignition transient.” This supported the mindset of “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”
4. Out-group Stereotypes:
Groups often pay little attention to what outsiders have to say, and this can be detrimental. Thiokol people were not part of the in-group of the flight readiness review team and were perceived to be alarmists. So, when Thiokol engineers recommended postponing the launch until the temperature rose to 53 degrees Fahrenheit as O-ring seals had never been tested below this temperature, NASA’s Mulloy caustically asked whether they expected to wait until April(three months later)to launch the shuttle.
5. Self-censorship:
"Self-censorship" occurs when group members don't share their ideas with the rest of the group because of fear of being rejected.
Thiokol engineer George McDonald wanted to postpone the flight. But instead of emphatically stating so, he offered an equivocal opinion. He suggested, in tempered words, that “lower temperatures are in the direction of badness for both O-rings.” So the pressure to confirm colored the views and statements of those who fund themselves against the majority view.
6. Illusion of Unanimity (everyone always agrees with everyone else):
It explains that silence can often be interpreted as acceptance. NASA managers perpetuated the fiction that everyone was fully in accord on the launch recommendation. They admitted to the presidential commission that they didn’t report Thiokol’s hesitancy with their superiors. As happens in most cases, the flight readiness review team interpreted silence as agreement.
7. Direct Pressure on Dissenters:
Thiokol engineers felt pressure from two directions to reverse their “no-go” recommendation. NASA managers had already postponed the launch three times and were fearful the American public would regard the agency as inept. This triggered Hardy’s retort that he was appalled at Thiokol’s recommendations. Similarly, the company’s management was fearful of losing future NASA contracts. Thiokol’s senior vice president urged his colleague to “take off engineering hat and put on his management hat.”
8. Self-Appointed Mind Guards:
Mind guards try to protect a leader from assault by troublesome ideas. NASA managers insulated the head of the project from the debate over the integrity of the rocket booster seals. Even though Roger Boisjoly was Thiokol’s expert on O-rings, he latter complained that he “was not even asked to participate in giving input to the final decision charts.”
What is at once ironic and tragic is that all the concerned people were acting in good faith and had the project’s welfare in mind.
How to Avoid Groupthink:
The symptoms mentioned above can be good indicators of a group’s susceptibility to groupthink. Once the group members become conscious of it they must take steps to nip this tendency in the bud. Here are some measures that can help.
Work as subgroups:
Usually groups work on various issues simultaneously and therefore there is tendency among the members to remain within their respective domain leading to tunnel vision approach. Breaking into subgroups that work simultaneously on the same issue can prove beneficial in exposing the group to diverse and competing ideas. This would also reduce the pressure to conform. All the members would be focused towards the larger picture and would be in a better position to find lacunae or inconsistencies. All the subgroups should eventually come together to arrive at the best alternative.
Groups should divide into two or more subgroups occasionally (Janis 265). Each group should be led by a different chairperson. Both groups can eventually come together and discuss ideas. Groups that do this are less likely to be locked into one solution.
2. Have a devil’s advocate:
Every group should have a specific member who has the job of playing devil’s advocate. This person should seriously question much of what the group members say. The devil’s advocate must be willing to vocally share his ideas with the group. This strategy will force the group to take a second, hard look at every decision that is made. It must be understood that a devil’s advocate is not a negative person or institution. S/he provides constructive criticism and questions unchallenged assumptions.
Leader’s Pivotal Role :
Leaders of the group have a special role to play here. They must not lead the group to believe that a certain outcome is expected. To get forthright opinion of all members, leaders should avoid openly siding with a particular viewpoint at the initial stages. The leader’s behavior must reinforce that diverse points of view are not only welcomed but also valued. The group leader should assume special responsibility for this apart from his other assignments. In groups having no pre-assigned leader, one of the senior members must assume this responsibility.
Make Haste Slowly:
To avoid groupthink, a cautious approach to decision-making is required. Making an important or strategic decision hastily, in the first meeting itself should be avoided even if the decision appears to be sound from all angles. It should be reviewed after a few days and if it seems proper even then, only then should the go-ahead be given. A slight delay, say a couple of days, would help give a detached perspective to the decision and might reveal things in a clearer light.
Group Constitution:
Many issues pertaining to groupthink can be taken care of at the stage of group formation itself. Those constituting the group should try to ensure a heterogeneous mix among the group members having members from different functions, locations, hierarchical levels etc. would help to reduce the excessive cohesiveness of the group and mitigate the chance of having a group where individuals would be more concentrated with having consensus rather than finding the best possible alternative.
6. The Individual Perspective:
An individual must strike the balance between collective thinking and individual thinking. As an individual we must ask ourselves: Do I stand up to the group? Do I listen to what everyone else says before forming my own opinion? Do I constantly adjust my opinion so that it is closer to the consensus? Trying to answer such questions will help the individual assess whether s/he is giving his best to the group .An assertive individual who is not inhibited to voice his opinion is the greatest asset to the group.
7. Using outside experts:
Outside experts can be brought in to observe the group functioning. The experts should have the ability to question the decisions of the group. The experts need to be very qualified and skilled in their ability to sort through and analyze solutions of the group. The experts must also be able to criticize the group in a fashion that will not turn the group away from the expert. Good communication skills are essential. It is important that experts become a part of the group before a general consensus is reached among all group members.
IPL's popularity
In a cricket-crazed nation like India where cricket is like religion, Indian Premier League, IPL has taken huge limelight and lured thousands of spectators. IPL started with a bang and generated billions of dollars from different revenue sources. In such a short span of time, IPL has sizzled and made special place in the heart of cricket aficionados not only in entire country but worldwide. Now, it can be a debatable question whether domestic cricket like Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy will end with the emergence of this new brand of Cricket !!
IPL is getting popular with each day passing on. What are those significant factors which have made IPL talk of the nation? Is it the presence of films stars like Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Juhi Chawla that has added glamour to cricket world or the involvement of powerful industrialists like Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya and others which has propelled the IPL to another level altogether? Or is it the new concept of cosmopolitan teams where star-performers of different countries playing under one roof which is the source of motivation for cricket lovers. Whatever it is, it's incredible-it's cricket redefined!
IPL is full of entertainment and excitement. IPL’s philosophy matches with today’s youth’s lifestyle who believes in achieving all success through shortcuts. People simply love the Twenty-20 format as they have got bored watching those lengthy test series or even the 50 over match. For audience those action pact 3 hours dramatic, nail biting shows are really entertaining.
Credit also goes to those heavyweight names of film industry, who not only invested their interest and money in the world of cricket but also brought along their huge fan following. Indian media played a huge role in attracting huge masses. The concept of cosmopolitan team may help players to reduce their tensions with each other and now they may take each game more sportingly. As a team they can learn to deal with diverse lifestyle, culture, thinking pattern, game styles etc.
Not only male audiences, women are getting hooked to IPL T20 cricket as never before. More and more Indian women are trooping into the stadiums to watch live Indian Premier League matches and the same number of female audiences are gluing near their respective television sets.
IPL has all the ingredients of a pure Bollywood masala movie. It has drama, action, suspense, glamour, Hero, Heroines, and Villains (for those politicians who were against cheer-leaders). People are not watching IPL for mere cricket; it has everything in it like film stars, cricket starts, cheer-leaders, industry veterans and so on which is responsible for attracting a huge crowd.
IPL is getting popular with each day passing on. What are those significant factors which have made IPL talk of the nation? Is it the presence of films stars like Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Juhi Chawla that has added glamour to cricket world or the involvement of powerful industrialists like Mukesh Ambani, Vijay Mallya and others which has propelled the IPL to another level altogether? Or is it the new concept of cosmopolitan teams where star-performers of different countries playing under one roof which is the source of motivation for cricket lovers. Whatever it is, it's incredible-it's cricket redefined!
IPL is full of entertainment and excitement. IPL’s philosophy matches with today’s youth’s lifestyle who believes in achieving all success through shortcuts. People simply love the Twenty-20 format as they have got bored watching those lengthy test series or even the 50 over match. For audience those action pact 3 hours dramatic, nail biting shows are really entertaining.
Credit also goes to those heavyweight names of film industry, who not only invested their interest and money in the world of cricket but also brought along their huge fan following. Indian media played a huge role in attracting huge masses. The concept of cosmopolitan team may help players to reduce their tensions with each other and now they may take each game more sportingly. As a team they can learn to deal with diverse lifestyle, culture, thinking pattern, game styles etc.
Not only male audiences, women are getting hooked to IPL T20 cricket as never before. More and more Indian women are trooping into the stadiums to watch live Indian Premier League matches and the same number of female audiences are gluing near their respective television sets.
IPL has all the ingredients of a pure Bollywood masala movie. It has drama, action, suspense, glamour, Hero, Heroines, and Villains (for those politicians who were against cheer-leaders). People are not watching IPL for mere cricket; it has everything in it like film stars, cricket starts, cheer-leaders, industry veterans and so on which is responsible for attracting a huge crowd.
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