Reflections: Termites, group behaviour, and the loss of innovation: conformity rules!

Abstract

Authors and researchers have enthusiastically extolled the benefits of innovation for business and other organisations for a number of years. Ironically, although most of today’s organisations claim they encourage innovative and creative behaviour, many are in reality unable or unwilling to tolerate such behaviour amongst their employees. This is partially due to the fashionable managerial trends in cost cutting and downsizing. Another cause for the lack of creative behaviour may be due to a high need for conformity amongst organisational members. Normative influence is an instinctive survival mechanism serving to establish and maintain uniformity and stability. Although conformity helps group stability and group cohesiveness, and the act of copying others may be an effective method of learning, the subsequent “groupish” rigidity of behaviour and thought also serves to stifle creativity and innovation. Attempts to explain the phenomenon of normative influence and its detrimental impact on creative human performance in an organisational context. The emphasis on innovation and creativity should be particularly relevant for what Kugler predicts will be a turbulent twenty‐first century.

Citation

Pech, R.J. (2001), "Reflections: Termites, group behaviour, and the loss of innovation: conformity rules!", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 16 No. 7, pp. 559-574. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006168