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FutureLearn

Groupthink: Understanding the Need for a Diverse Workplace

LIVITY via FutureLearn

Overview

Explore how groupthink affects diversity and inclusion

Groupthink is defined as ‘the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group, resulting typically in unchallenged, poor-quality decision-making’.

With the creative industries being primarily dominated by young, white, middle to upper class, heterosexual males, groupthink can be a massive problem for the industry.

On this two-week course from Livity, you’ll delve into the concept of groupthink, learning about its potentially negative consequences on the creative industry and how you might foster positive alternatives.

Discuss whether groupthink can ever be positive

There is a difference between groupthink and group thinking. In fact, there are many examples throughout history of groups coming together to affect positive change.

You’ll explore the effects of groupthink, both negative and positive, with a focus on how it affects diversity in the workplace. Then, you’ll look at alternatives to groupthink and how an organisation can best transition to a more diverse approach to group thinking.

Analyse the current state of diversity in the workplace

The creative industry can’t expect to create inclusive work if it’s not inclusive. If research, development, and creative processes are not inclusive by design, we are not serving our customers and therefore cannot make the best work possible.

This course will guide you through diversity in the workplace as it currently stands, from ethnic and gender diversity to socio-economic disparity. You’ll then discuss ways to shape an organisation’s structure to better avoid groupthink.

Discover strategies to mitigate groupthink

At the end of this course, you’ll learn how to create solutions to mitigate or foster different forms of groupthink on management, team, and individual levels, and then how to apply and encourage your methods.

This course is designed for anyone wanting to contribute to and foster diversity in their processes, specifically within creative industries.

You may find it especially useful if you’re looking to hire a diverse team, whether you’re the founder of a creative start-up, part of a HR team, or in a senior leadership position at a creative agency.

Further your knowledge with these courses, from the same provider:

  • Cultivating Diversity through Research and Insights
  • Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation

Syllabus

  • Groupthink: What is it? How does it happen? What does it do?
    • Welcome to Week 1 of Groupthink
    • What is groupthink and how does it affect diversity?
    • Diversity affects groupthink from top to bottom
    • Summary of the week
  • True beliefs vs knowledge
    • Welcome to Week 2
    • True beliefs and knowledge: What's the difference?
    • Groupthink: Is it always a bad thing?
    • Summary of the week
  • Strategies to mitigate groupthink: Part 1
    • Welcome to Week 3
    • The first two symptoms
    • The next two symptoms
    • Wrapping up Week 3
  • Strategies to mitigate groupthink: Part 2
    • Welcome to Week 4
    • Self-censorship and how to avoid it
    • The final three symptoms
    • What about this scenario?
    • Summary of the week
  • Methods, authenticity and inclusion
    • Coming up this week
    • Methods, authenticity and inclusion
    • Summary of course

Taught by

Henry C

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