Concept of the Day: The Abilene Paradox

The Abilene Paradox has been an important concept to understand in business culture and has been around for a while, but what we’re seeing with a fast collapse of left-wing ideology and in popularity of the Obama government may be best understood using it as well, noted by the Ace of Spades blog.

In brief, the Abilene Paradox is when a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group…each member mistakenly believes that their beliefs are counter to the group so no one raises objections.

It’s how totalitarian governments or institutions such as slavery stay in place so well, the information the people are given leads them to believe their views are not shared by a large group of people so they stay silent and in line.

In today’s society it works more that people assume, because of the media, their views are in the minority, and they don’t want to “rock the boat” and be called a racist, homophobe, islamophobe, etc. etc. so they keep to themselves.

This paradox falls apart when unexpected people begin to speak out in a prominent way (then you then start to get a cascading effect). When a Republican speaks out against Obama  or illegal immigration or ObamaCare -  no big deal, but when others begin to — that’s when it starts to break down (See former Obama supporter Mort Zuckerman’s “The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Government Ever“).

Bottom line – understand what you believe, why you believe it, and speak your opinion, without worrying about “rocking the boat.” It’s likely you’re not alone.