Harvey, professor emeritus of management at the george washington university and author of the abilene paradox and other meditations on management. The name of the phenomenon comes from an anecdote that harvey uses in the article to elucidate the paradox. The abilene paradox the management of agreement by jerry b. Two specific variants of this illusion are groupthink and the abilene paradox. Harvey that july afternoon in coleman, texas population 5,607, was particularly hot 104 degrees according to the walgreens rexalls thermometer. As such, we argue management faculty must deploy an evidencebased campaign that productively surfaces this agreement and moves mba programs toward enacting appropriate curricular change. The name of the phenomenon comes from an anecdote in the article which harvey uses to elucidate the paradox. The abilene paradox workshop provides the tools to help your company address a key dynamic in group decisionmaking and participative management mismanaged agreement and to take a more pragmatic and honest approach to group consensus. It involves a common breakdown of group communication in which each member mistakenly believes that their own preferences are counter to the groups and, therefore, does.
Change management, effective decision making training videos, team building, the abilene paradox this entry was posted on monday, october th, 2014 at 2. Remember that professor harvey described the abilene paradox as the inability to manage agreement rather than the inability to manage conflict. However, harvey 1988 documented a case that has been popularized as the abilene paradox. To repeat, the abilene paradox reflects a failure to manage agreement. The paradox occurs when groups take actions in contradiction to what the individual members really want to do. However, none of them speak up for the fear of going against the wishes of others, and end up regretting not. Take a look at this video here on the abilene paradox or add it as a link on your own site. Nobody really wants to go there, but everyone thinks everyone else wants to go there, but is affraid to speak up.
Team members accept what the leader says in order to avoid conflict. Revisiting the abilene paradox leading ideas revisiting the. But by keeping mum, we often cause our organizations to waste time, effort and money. Find the best information and most relevant links on all topics related tothis domain may be for sale.
The term was introduced by management expert jerry b. Harvey he july afternoon in coleman, texas population 5,607 was particularly hot104 degrees as measured by the walgreens rexall exlax temperature gauge. A simple explanation of the abilene paradox with examples. Harvey is professor of management sci ence at the george washington. The lesson is self evident, but the story conveys it in a manner much more memorable than a directive to create an organization with open communication. Het fenomeen werd beschreven door managementexpert jerry b. Harvey get the abilene paradox and other meditations on management now with oreilly online learning. The fundamental problem of contemporary organizations, broadly defined to include families, churches, governments, businesses and academic institutions, is the inability to cope with the fact that we agree with one another. A behavioral science view addisonwesley, 1970 gives an excellent description of the. January 22, 2011 we present with pride the following reprint of an article from our summer 1974 issue. This evidence suggests an abilene paradox harvey, 1974 wherein the status quo of curricular misalignment is maintained due to a mismanagement of agreement. This parable begins with four adults sitting on a front porch in coleman, texas some 53 miles form abilene. The abilene paradox the management of agreement parag harolikar slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising.
It is drawn from his 1974 experience in a family setting. Harvey, professor emeritus of management at george washington university, created this story to illustrate the issue of mismanaged agreement. Resources and research for managers executive agenda. Jul 24, 2017 in summary, the department seems to be stuck in thick mud. When the father asks who wants to go to abilene for dinner, everyone eventually agrees, even though they all know the hour long. That inability to manage agreement effectively is expressed by six specific subsymptoms, all of which were present in our family abilene group. The role of the abilene paradox in group requirements. A fearbased culture if left untreated will eventually corrupt the entire organization. The abilene paradox is a paradox in which a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that none of them really want to take but say they do because they think its best for the team. The abilene paradox is a decision making mystery, which can be easy to comprehend but difficult to resolve. Largely because it became conscious of the process, the abilene group did not reach that point. Harvey used this wonderfully simple parable to illustrate what he believes is a major symptom of organizational dysfunction. The concept of the abilene paradox was developed by professor jerry harvey in 1974 to explain the dysfunction that can be caused by an inability to manage agreement harvey, 1974, p.
The abilene paradox is a journey that individuals as well as. Notes the abilene paradox and other meditations on. The inability to manage agreement is a major source of dysfunction in organizations. The abilene paradox communication training for employees. Harvey uses this parable to teach the management of agreement, as opposed to the management of disagreement or conflict.
The inability to manage agreement, not the inability to manage conflict, is the essential symptom that defines organizations caught in the web of the abilene paradox. The paradox is explained using a parable of a family who ends up making an uncomfortable trip that none of them wanted to. Harvey faulty decisionmaking can have dire consequences, and when it comes to group decisions, the challenges are even greater. The management of agreementpdf grc articles the abilene paradox. Harvey george washington university he was born in austin, texas, on november 14, 1935. For every instance in which members of an organization sigh in relief that someone has finally voiced their secret reservations, there may be many more in. While everyone appears content drinking lemonade and playing dominoes, someone suggests driving into abilene for lunch. Unchecked,it can lead the organization toward inappropriate goals and result in significant costs in time,resources and lost opportunity.
The abilene paradox the management of agreement book. The term was first coined by management professor jerry b harvey, professor emeritus at the george washington university in his 1974 article the abilene paradox the management of agreement. Harvey, professor of management science at the george washington university in washington, dc. But how about our inability to cope with agreement. H arvey is professor of management science at the george washington university in washington, d. The parable of the abilene paradox, or the problem of. The abilene paradox and other meditations on management by jerry b. It occurs because human beings have a natural aversion to going against the feelings of a group they want to conform socially.
In the abilene paradox, a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of many or all of the individuals in the group. The abilene paradox, after all, occurs only when group members privately agree on an alternative. But we all have been part of groups that felt anything but productive. The abilene paradox keep your team from going to abilene. The management of agreement a case study in repressed desire and group dynamics. Nov 17, 2010 the abilene paradox the management of agreement parag harolikar slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Movie night, mining and the abilene paradox mec mining. This paradox usually presents itself when the members of the organization pursue a certain goal thinking that they are doing it to please their fellows or seniors and yet in their. Organization members agree privately, as individuals, as to the nature of the situation or problem facing the organization. Abilene paradox refers to a situation wherein no member of a group decides to contest a decision taken by the group, believing it to be the consensus of everyone, when in reality, none of the group members agree with the decision. Its explained using the parable of a family of four in texas who is sitting around, content, playing checkers. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. The central idea behind the abilene paradox is that mismanaged agreement is as dangerous to organizational effectiveness as excessive conflict.
The parable of the abilene paradox, or the problem of failing. This story of a family trip to abilene offers a timeless lesson on group decisionmaking that all organizations can benefit from. Deiss, arl office of leadership and management services program manager in 1974, professor jerry harvey of george washington university developed a parable from a reallife experience to describe the issues surrounding how individuals reach agreement, or, more specifically, believe they have. Abilene paradox are in part caused by the desire to avoid controversy. Therefore, conflict management has been an important focus of research in. A common phrase relating to the abilene paradox is a desire not to rock the boat. The abilene paradox volume 6, issue 2 february 25, 2014 and not speak up, but simply do whate in the abilene paradox, groups collectively take actions contrary to what they really want to do. Finally, if organization members do not deal with the generic issue the inability to manage agreement the cycle repeats itself with greater intensity. To explain the paradox, harvey cites three scenarios. Abilene paradox, illusion of agreement, group requirements. Exploring the abilene paradox in uganda article in journal of management policy and practice 115 december 2010 with 107 reads how we measure reads.
When the father asks who wants to go to abilene for dinner, everyone eventually agrees, even though they all know the hour long ride will be miserable and the food wont be worth it. Harvey, professor emeritus of management at the george washington university, in an article on the subject. If you havent already read this classic article on the management of agreementand the catastrophes that result when it is mismanagedyoure in for a treat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2.
Passive agreement with the status quo sends us on our own unique roads to abilene. An anecdote is the basis for the name of the paradox, in which harvey elaborates on an incident that occurs between author, wife and. The fatherinlaw suggests the group take a road trip about 50 miles away to the town of abilene. The abilene paradox was an idea introduced by management expert jerry b. Organizations frequently take actions in contradiction of what they really want to do and therefore defeat the very purposes of what they are trying to achieve. In the abilene paradox, a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is. The abilene paradox is characterized by the inability of an organization or a group to manage agreement. Jerry harvey published the now classic abilene paradox. Abilene paradox the art of service, standard requirements. He use t he abilene paradox, as a label for the tendency for groups to embark on excursions that no group member wants, for reasons which will be clear after reading the article. He warns of the dangers of management of agreement. How to avoid bad decisions and why not to go to abilene. The abilene paradox, 2nd edition delivers an entertaining parable from management expert dr.
The management of agreement organizations as phrog farms management and the myth of abraham. It arises when people believe it would be wrong to challenge what appears to be the team or team leaders will or when people think their own views are unimportant. A case study in repressed desire and group dynamics. One hot summer afternoon in coleman, texas, a family is playing dominoes on the porch, when the fatherinlaw proposes that they all take a trip to abilene.
The management of agreement leading and managing organizations. In selection from the abilene paradox and other meditations on management book. Few christian leaders would say that they enjoy conflict, or even handle it well. It does not apply when false consensus merely papers over an underlying lack of agreement. The management of agreement that july afternoon in coleman, texas population 5,607, was particularly hot 104 degrees according to the walgreens rexalls thermometer. May 24, 2017 a fearbased culture if left untreated will eventually corrupt the entire organization.
This is an expected natural occurrence in decision making involving groups. The abilene paradox and other meditations on management jerry b. Illusion of agreement and the abilene paradox illusion of agreement subsumes a wide range of dysfunctional group behaviors that lead to a superficial delusion of conformity among the members of the group. In one of my early jobs, i had the opportunity to read dozens of business titles, and i have to say few compare in content or writing style to dr. When i first read the abilene paradox, i hadnt read many business management booksi preferred fiction. You may remember jerry harveys parable of the abilene paradox, developed in 1974. Apr 06, 2017 the answer to these questions is something you might not expect. Apr 23, 2018 he elucidated the paradox in a groundbreaking paper called the abilene paradox. Revisiting the abilene paradox leading ideas revisiting.
The name was inspired by the whimsical anecdote i mentioned in the prelude. Groupthink and the abilene paradox everyone makes decisions and everyone makes decisions in groups. The abilene paradox is perhaps less dangerous but far more common. The abilene paradox was introduced by management thinker jerry b.
360 371 942 625 1253 1130 1397 510 97 1417 1003 1385 1400 1104 1359 389 156 860 1582 346 760 1158 1349 1365 1059 404 611 1493 1472 481 1587 1170 1274 1173 115 1554 685 530 1264 456 1444 1352 1062 43 895 97 649 575 461