My colleagues turned against me in a meeting. Why did this happen?

May 15, 2026 — 5:01am

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A person at work has a powerful and vindictive personality. They turned a committee of colleagues against me using only hearsay lies. Could this have been an instance of groupthink?

I ran your question past Dr Connie Zheng, an associate professor in human resource management in the School of Management at Adelaide University. She told me that your situation may well have involved some elements of groupthink.

“Groupthink was first introduced by American social psychologist Irving Janis in 1972 to explain how groups can make poor or unfair decisions under social pressure. Groupthink occurs when a group values harmony, loyalty or conformity more than critical thinking and independent judgment,” she says.

“In these situations, people may suppress doubts, avoid questioning influential voices or accept assumptions without sufficient evidence.”

Associate Professor Zheng said that groupthink is more likely to take place when two conditions are present: strong group cohesion and directive leadership.

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© Brisbane Times