Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon where groups of individuals come together and make a decision in such a way that discourages opposing viewpoints, creativity, openness, and debate. This often occurs when the top echelon of leaders in an organization "force" their opinions upon their subordinates by making it clear that non-conformist opinions will not be tolerated well. We have seen this psychological process occur in many instances - one famous one would be with the Johnson administration in Vietnam. But without getting into politics, it would be wise to also look at Groupthink in the context of coaching or leading a team.
The problem with opposing opinions is that we often feel that when they are presented that they represent opposition. We equate a different opinion than our own as anti-us. This is the wrong way to think about coaching or leading! Different opinions are the life-blood of good coaching and of good leaders in all types of organizations.
Now, there is something to be said of time and place. An assistant coach shouldn't call to question a drill or comment by the head coach in front of the entire team (or anyone on the team for that matter). Differing opinions are valuable when they are done with confidence, but can destroy a team if done in a negative manner.
If you're a coach or a captain on a team, it is important to be aware of the trappings of Groupthink. One way to avoid this is to ask questions instead of stating facts. If I'm the leader of a team and I tell the team that I think we should do Plan A, it will be difficult for most to respond with a differing opinion, let's call it Plan B. But if I ask, what should we be doing to get better? The response might involve several methods which I had not even thought of.
It is also important to establish a culture that rewards dissent as much as conformity. Loyalty is necessary on a team. A coach can't have an assistant being disloyal and talking behind his or her back. At the same time, that assistant has to be able to speak his mind and let the coach know what he thinks! Often and especially when the chips are down, it is easy to revert to Groupthink postures. That is, it is easy to look for (subconsciously) people who agree with you. As the situation gets worse, we look harder for a rational behind our previous actions. The stakes to change become more costly because change means admitting failure (and the longer the failure, the higher the cost to admit it).
Avoid Groupthink at all costs. It is the silent disease that kills innovation, creativity, and progress in business, politics, and sports.
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