“Group Think” – Yes, It’s a Good Thing
Basic training, in any military form, seems to be characterized as a place that indoctrinates “us” into mindless aoutmatons, subject to “group think” like behaviors.
Yes, it sure does.  But, I’d say if you overlay that on our sports addicted culture, it should not be stated with a tone of contempt, but one of admiration.
Why? It’s simple: Group think in the military doesn’t mean everyone thinks alike, it means we think as a group, each knowing our responsibilities when the bad stuff is happening, or, as we execute our mission. Our DIs/Drill Sargents are doing nothing more than Vince Lombardi or John Wooden did to their teams: He got them to think as a single, well honed unit, which made them winners.
As with building any complex system, you begin with building blocks. In this case, marchin in formation is a task that the “group think” requirement is nearly the same for all, excpet for those on the right, who’s requirement is to march in a single file, while those to the left use them as a guide to keep their position. When a turn is ordered, then various people will have to maneuver indepedently, yet as part of the formation, so even a task that appears as so uniform, begins the teachings of doing something together. As indoctrination continues, the marching drills will increase in complexitiy, as will other seemingly uniform tasks.
Bottom line:Â Don’t fear this thing called:Â “group think,” for it is the foundation of working together, in any environment that has more than one person in it.
