Effects of Group Cohesiveness on Attitude Polarization and the Acquisition of Knowledge in a Strategic Planning Context
Successful implementation of a corporate strategic plan requires the support of all individuals in the organization, some of whom play different, and possibly conflicting, roles. Cohesiveness within groups that favor different sides of an issue was examined to determine its effect on attitude polarization. The findings suggest that cohesiveness can result in greater polarization, thereby impeding the successful implementation of the strategic plan. The study findings also afford insight into the attitude polarization process brought about by group interaction. The social comparison and persuasive-arguments theories, which make different predictions about this process, are not necessarily competing as has been previously suggested. The results suggest that the relative validity of the explanation offered by each theory is determined by the environment in which interaction between groups occurs. Specifically, when group cohesiveness was enhanced, information was not transmitted effectively as predicted by the persuasive-arguments theory. However, when the value of group membership was de-emphasized, an effective transmission of information occurred during intergroup discussions.