Abilene paradox

The Abilene paradox is a collective fallacy, in which a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of most or all individuals in the group, while each individual believes it to be aligned with the preferences of most of the others. It involves a breakdown of group communication in which each member mistakenly believes that their own preferences are counter to the group's, and therefore does not raise objections, or even states support for an outcome they do not want. A common phrase relating to the Abilene paradox is a desire to not "rock the boat". This differs from groupthink in that the Abilene paradox is characterized by an inability to perceive the views of others, or to manage agreement. Explanation The term was introduced by management expert Jerry B. Harvey in his 1974 article "The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement". The name of the phenomenon comes from an anecdote that Harvey uses in the article to elucidate the paradox: This is in contrast to groupthink, where individuals correctly perceive the preferences of others, are not acting contrary to their conscious wishes in choosing to conform with others, and generally feel good about the resulting group decisions. The Abilene paradox is used to illustrate that groups may have problems in managing not only disagreements, but also agreements.