We love a good brainstorm — until everyone starts nodding a little too fast.
Not every collaborative session leads to better thinking. Sometimes, it just leads to everyone agreeing with the loudest person in the room — mostly to get out of there on time. That’s groupthink in action. And it quietly kills creativity, slows momentum, and puts your team’s best ideas on ice.
It’s even trickier in hybrid or remote settings, where speaking up can feel riskier (or logistically harder). But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Here’s how to spot groupthink — and what to do instead.
You Can’t Fix What You Don’t Name
Groupthink is what happens when the desire to keep the peace outweighs the drive to make the best decision.
When that happens, your team gets:
Unspoken disagreement (because silence feels easier than pushback)
Cautious creativity (because playing it safe feels safer)
Shrug-worthy decisions no one loves but everyone accepts
It’s collaboration’s shadow side — and if your team’s ideas are starting to feel like reheated leftovers, this could be why.
When people don’t feel safe sharing something half-baked or a little weird, you don’t get better ideas. You just get safer ones. And safe doesn’t move the needle.
Want innovation? Build psychological safety. According to the Niagara Institute, teams with high psychological safety experience:
76% more engagement
50% more productivity
57% more collaboration
So how do you foster that?
1. Set the Table Before the Meeting Starts
Better collaboration starts before anyone even joins the call.
Help your team show up ready to contribute:
Clarify the purpose of the meeting: Are we brainstorming, deciding, or solving?
Define what kind of input you want — ideas, feedback, or validation?
Rein in side quests. Don’t let one tangent derail the whole discussion.
A little structure goes a long way.
2. Give People Tools to Engage (Not Just Permission)
Telling people to “speak up” is one thing. Giving them low-pressure ways to do it is another.
At AMC, we use #collabcues — simple cards with prompts that spark deeper thinking. Phrases like:
“Tell me more about that.”
“What does success look like?”
“How could we stretch this idea further?”
It helps people explore ideas instead of shutting them down. And that’s where the real magic happens.
Want to try it?
3. Prioritize Ownership Over Oversight
When people feel like passengers, they don’t steer. They also don’t speak up when something’s off.
Instead of over-managing the process, give people lanes — and the freedom to run in them. Build autonomy into the work. Make iteration normal. And trust that not everything has to be polished to be useful.
4. Reward the Right Behavior
If you want people to challenge assumptions and bring bold ideas, show them it’s safe — and appreciated.
Shout out thoughtful pushback
Celebrate creativity, even if it doesn’t make the cut
Recognize risk-taking, not just result-getting
Applaud the ones who ask good questions, not just give good answers
People follow the energy. Reward what you want more of.
5. Sometimes You Need a Fresh Set of Eyes
Even the smartest teams get stuck in their own patterns. That’s where outside collaborators come in — agencies, freelancers, even other departments.
Not because they know better. Because they see differently.
They can spot the blind spots, challenge the defaults, and ask the questions your team forgot to ask.
Final Thought: Great Ideas Don’t Always Shout the Loudest
If you want breakthrough ideas, you need an environment that invites — and protects — bold thinking. That means naming groupthink, designing for better collaboration, and rewarding the kinds of contributions that spark progress.
Because the best ideas often start out quietly. Make sure your team has the space — and safety — to speak them out loud.
