The Titan imploded after years of ignored warnings. The deeper cause wasn't engineering, it was groupthink. Five lessons for leaders who want to avoid it.
Like other technologies, AI is accelerating decisions. And in doing so, is cutting back on, if not shutting down, space for these challenges when leaders allow it to do so. In larger organizations, the voices that have the deepest understanding are often on the frontlines, and not given any voice. The challenge is how to leverage both artificial intelligence and human wisdom. A culture of belonging—where everyone feels valued, trusted, respected—is an important step in that direction.
I hear you but toxic leadership was the cause here. This causes groupthink although groupthink can occur without a clear toxic leader. In this case, it was a clear toxic idiotic narcissistic leader that was the root cause of this disaster.
I don’t think it’s one or the other. The toxic leader was the starting point. But when people stop questioning the leader, they become part of the problem. That’s how groupthink took over as documented in the investigators’ report. It even reached passengers, who didn’t question the CEO. They never asked how the sub was tested or whether it was certified (it wasn't).
Yes, groupthink happens in very nice cultures too, as my research for Forward Talk shows.
See Janus on what he meant by groupthink. See also The Challenger Disaster. The underlying cause to me is denial. It’s a primitive defense that bring on tragic consequences.
Like other technologies, AI is accelerating decisions. And in doing so, is cutting back on, if not shutting down, space for these challenges when leaders allow it to do so. In larger organizations, the voices that have the deepest understanding are often on the frontlines, and not given any voice. The challenge is how to leverage both artificial intelligence and human wisdom. A culture of belonging—where everyone feels valued, trusted, respected—is an important step in that direction.
I hear you but toxic leadership was the cause here. This causes groupthink although groupthink can occur without a clear toxic leader. In this case, it was a clear toxic idiotic narcissistic leader that was the root cause of this disaster.
Thank you, Gareth. Great point.
I don’t think it’s one or the other. The toxic leader was the starting point. But when people stop questioning the leader, they become part of the problem. That’s how groupthink took over as documented in the investigators’ report. It even reached passengers, who didn’t question the CEO. They never asked how the sub was tested or whether it was certified (it wasn't).
Yes, groupthink happens in very nice cultures too, as my research for Forward Talk shows.
See Janus on what he meant by groupthink. See also The Challenger Disaster. The underlying cause to me is denial. It’s a primitive defense that bring on tragic consequences.