Groupthink is killing our culture — just not fast enough
You know what’s worse than a terrible idea? A terrible idea everyone agrees with. That’s the secret sauce of modern culture and industry: groupthink dressed up as collaboration, slowly choking innovation in a soft blanket of mutual LinkedIn praise. We keep calling it “alignment,” but really, it’s intellectual beige.
Everyone’s thinking the same thing — and that’s the problem
Once upon a time, tech was the Wild West. Now it’s more like a gated community run by a self-congratulatory HOA. Originality used to be currency. Now? It’s a liability. Got a disruptive idea? Better check with your product manager, your PR rep, and twelve stakeholders first — or risk being exiled to the Slack channel no one reads.
Groupthink in tech isn’t just annoying — it’s systemic. From hiring practices obsessed with “culture fit” (translation: people who look, think, and tweet like us) to investor pitches that all include some flavor of “Uber for X,” we’ve optimized for sameness. And it shows. Every app looks like every other app. Every startup is solving a “pain point” that exists mainly in San Francisco. And everyone’s using the same five buzzwords like they’re legally required.
Politics: now with 100% less nuance
Meanwhile, over in the land of democracy, we’ve taken the groupthink formula and added tribalism, outrage algorithms, and a 24/7 performance cycle. The result? Parties that don’t tolerate internal debate, voters who treat disagreement as betrayal, and elected officials more afraid of bad headlines than bad policy.
The left eats its own over tone-policing. The right demands purity pledges like it’s a high school cult. No one’s allowed to think out loud anymore — unless it’s been triple-tested by consultants and meme-ready. We’ve replaced governance with vibes, and thoughtful dissent with hot takes.
But unity is good, right? (Cue the inspirational music)
Sure, in theory. A little cohesion can go a long way — if you’re building a bridge, not a culture. There’s a difference between shared purpose and mass hypnosis.
Yes, some decisions require alignment. No, not every brainstorm needs to end in a fight. But if everyone agrees all the time, you’re not building consensus — you’re building a creative graveyard. Real progress is messy. Discomfort is where the magic happens.
So let’s stop pretending that endless agreement is a virtue. Spoiler: It’s not. It’s a symptom of fear. Fear of sticking out. Fear of offending. Fear of being wrong. But guess what? Being wrong is part of thinking critically. It’s how better ideas are born.
Culture is suffocating under the weight of safe ideas
We say we want innovation, disruption, boldness — but only if it fits neatly into a slide deck and doesn’t scare the board. That’s not creativity. That’s brand-safe mediocrity.
It’s time we admit that groupthink isn’t just boring — it’s dangerous. It erodes our capacity to solve problems. It waters down our politics. It homogenizes our art, our discourse, and yes, even our memes.
Conclusion: Your silence isn’t strategic — it’s complicit
Here’s a radical thought: maybe the person asking “What if we’re wrong?” isn’t the problem. Maybe they’re the last flicker of originality in a room full of echoing buzzwords.
Want to fix tech? Want to fix politics? Start by fixing the culture of consensus. Make space for disagreement. Reward the person who challenges the brief. Hire the person who makes you slightly uncomfortable. And for the love of all things creative — stop killing good ideas with politeness.
Join the rebellion
Tell me about a time groupthink steamrolled innovation where you work — or when you decided to speak up anyway. Was it worth it? Let’s trade war stories in the comments.
Will Kelly is a writer, content strategist, and keen observer of the IT industry. Medium is home to his personal writing projects. His professional interests include generative AI, cloud computing, DevOps, and collaboration tools. He has written for startups, Fortune 1000 firms, and leading industry publications, including CIO and TechTarget. Follow him on X: @willkelly. You can also follow him on BlueSky: willkelly.bsky.social.
