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2004 Seminar

Groupthink
14th - 15th February, 2004
The Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre School of Oriental and African Studies
10 Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H OXG

The Millennium Dome, Barings Bank, the Challenger Disaster - what have they to do with leadership, problem-solving and peer pressure? Not much at first view, but delve beneath the surface and the common elements are group and team roles.

No matter how individual or solitary we may feel, man is a social animal; one which chooses to belong to and becomes incorporated into a number of formal and informal groups. These various allegiances play on our emotions and colour our perceptions. They help fashion our sense of self and others and have a very real impact on our thinking at every level.

This seminar will look at group dynamics: it will ask what makes a leader and what a follower. It will discuss creativity and innovation, "risky shift", and brainstorming. It will also examine other aspects of group life ­ the positive elements such as humour, and the evolutionary advantages of group membership; and the negative ones such as racial tensions, hooliganism and prejudice.

The Speakers and their subjects
Apart from Professor Hare who is opening speaker, names are in alphabetical order.

Productivity and creativity by individuals and groups
Paul Hare

From the trivial to the insignificant: How social actors deny and justify intergroup discrimination
Dr. Susan Condor

The use of humour in groups
Christie Davies

Did Barings Bank fall prey to "groupthink"
Helga Drummond

Group dynamics and the failure of innovation
Carl Franklin

From campsites to cities: the prehistoric origins of group living
Steven Mithen

Social identity and collective action
Stephen Reicher

Agreeing to disagree, or why people share beliefs
Professor Peter Wade