Groupthink: Presidents Bush and Obama Research Proposal

" According to French (2009), some are of the opinion that avoiding groupthink is the main reason for Obama's assembly of apparent rivals in his cabinet. The author notes however that "healthy disagreement" is the best way to avoid groupthink rather than simply ensuring that there is no agreement within the group.

Research Questions

Several questions emerge from the research problem. The first revolves around President Obama's ability to maintain a paradigm of multiple advocacy as opposed to groupthink in his foreign and domestic policy. Surely, if the Bush administration could begin so well and fail, the same is possible for Obama. Mr. Obama however appears to have avoided at least one mistake in this regard, by selecting a number of advisors he knows would not always agree with him. According to some critics, however, this is not enough (French, 2009). One should also ensure that the disagreement leads to sound decisions rather than merely degenerating into a sense of rivalry among equals. Time will tell how wisely the president has chosen his cabinet "rival," or whether this will eventually also simply degenerate into a type of groupthink.

A second significant question is how groupthink affects the nation as a whole. After 9/11, the collective shock effect upon American citizens was so severe that they apparently would have agreed with anyone who promised to reinstate stability and remove the national pain that was caused. Indeed, the nation as a whole was as much a victim of groupthink as the Bush administration. This could also be seen as a reason for the collective fear and enmity against the Muslim and Arab communities in the country. Furthermore, collective, nation-wide groupthink is at the basis of re-electing a president who has lost the ability to make sound decisions.

A further research question could also revolve around the election paradigm. The election of Obama has been in the spotlight for various reasons. Some have blamed the groupthink phenomenon for his election, where citizens electing him without critically considering his policies.Indeed, it does appear that the national joy at the President's election is somewhat disproportionate to the effort of his campaign. This then could also be ascribed to a type of national groupthink phenomenon.

Research Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that Obama's relationship with the foreign community appears to be, at least initially, better than that of the Bush administration. Obama appears to be concerned with making sound decisions, as his selection of cabinet members shows. In terms of the American relationship with Iran, decisions should then be at least more sound than those of the Bush Administration.

Indeed, President Obama appears to be committed to engage in talks with his foreign counterparts, whereas President Bush appeared very enthusiastic about perpetuating the war in Iraq.

Despite the fact that groupthink did play a significant role in the election of President Obama, this occurred on a less volatile basis than the re-election of President Bush. The collective American feeling appears to be one of hope and a better future for the country in general. As long as the current president understands the groupthink phenomenon, its dynamics, and how to avoid it, the country may yet see a hopeful future. This will however require very close and constant attention to the groupthink phenomenon within the White House.

References

Cairo, Michael. (2009). From Multiple Advocacy to Groupthink: George W. Bush & the Decision to Invade Iraq. Retrieved from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p313626_index.html

French, Julie (2009, Jan 28). How to avoid the pitfalls of groupthink. Ashland Daily Tidings. http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090128/NEWS02/901280317/-1/NEWS01

Joyner, James (2010, Jan 11). Intelligence, Bureaucracy, and Groupthink. Outside the Beltway. http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/intelligence_bureaucracy_and_groupthink/

Lee, Carol E. And Martin, Jonathan (2010, Dec. 1) . Obama warns against WH groupthink. Yahoo News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20081201/pl_politico/16076

Massnick, Forler (2009, Feb 13). Groupthink is a subject worth revisiting. The National Examiner. http://www.examiner.com/x-2036-Minneapolis-Business-Technology-Examiner~y2009m2d13-Groupthink-is-a-suject-worth-revisiting.....