No one likes to be the skunk at a picnic, the lone holdout pounding her fists at the table. Skunks, like messengers, have a habit of getting shot. It’s no wonder that groupthink pops up even in organizations whose lifeblood is creativity. Faced with potential backlash, we censor ourselves rather than go against the grain. We conform, rather than flout. Success only exacerbates this tendency toward conformity. It drives overconfidence in the status quo, which in turn stifles dissent, precisely when dissent is most needed to prevent complacency.
